IMAGING SCIENCES FACTSHEET FOR PARENTS
remuneration), including increments, pension
contributions, salary sacrifice schemes and
access to promotion opportunities. Full
contractual annual leave (including public
holidays) will be accrued. Further information
on entitlements during maternity leave can be
found here.
This factsheet has been created as
part of the Division’s commitment
to Athena SWAN and is designed to
provide background information
and links to the College’s HR
policies for expectant and new
parents:
1. Parental Leave
I.
Maternity Leave
Employees are entitled to take up to 52
weeks maternity leave commencing any
time from the 11th week before the baby
is due to the actual date of birth.
Staff who have 26 weeks or more
continuous service at the 15th week
before the baby is due will receive
Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP, set at a
standard rate by the Government) for a
minimum for 39 weeks (6 weeks payable at
90% of the employee’s normal pay, then a
further 33 weeks payable at the standard rate)
regardless of whether they intend to return to
work.
II.
Paternity Leave
There are two types of paternity leave
available to staff; Ordinary Paternity
Leave (OPL) & Additional Paternity
Leave (APL)
OPL - All staff members with 26 weeks
continuous service at the College, at the
15th week before the baby is due are
entitled to OPL for a maximum of 2
consecutive weeks. This leave must be
taken within 8 weeks of the child’s birth date.
OPL entitlement includes 1 weeks leave at the
normal weekly rate of pay or, if preferred, 2
consecutive weeks paternity leave at 50% of
the normal weekly rate of pay each week.
If a staff member intends to return to work
after maternity leave and has the continuous
service detailed above, they will receive
maternity pay at an enhanced rate (18 weeks
at full pay and 21 weeks of SMP at the
standard rate).
If the staff member intends to return to work
early without using their full 52 maternity
leave entitlement, they may be eligible to
transfer up to 26 weeks of their outstanding
maternity leave (and SMP) to the father of the
child (spouse, partner or civil partner), to be
taken as Additional Paternity Leave on her
return to work, where the partner is not an
employee of the College.
APL of between 2 and 26 weeks is
available to eligible employees within
the first year of the child’s life. To be
eligible, the mother must have returned to
work, before using her
full entitlement to maternity leave. The
earliest that APL can commence is 20 weeks
after the date of the child’s birth and it must
end no later than 12 months after the date of
birth / placement. Staff members on paternity
Whilst on maternity leave, employees
can still benefit from all their terms &
conditions of employment (except
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apply for up to £20,000 to be used to support
them in their work over a period of 12
months. This is part of the College’s Athena
SWAN programme and aims to improve staff
retention following parental leave. Full
details can be found here.
leave will be paid Statutory Paternity Pay
(SPP) provided that the mother has returned
to work and has at least 2 weeks of the SMP
period remaining.
III.
Adoption leave
All staff members with 26 weeks
continuous service by the time they are
notified by their adoption agency that
they have been matched with a child are
eligible for adoption leave.
This is
available for men or women, but to only one
member of a couple, in a case where a couple
adopts jointly. The spouse, partner or civil
partner who does not elect to take adoption
leave will be entitled to paternity leave (as
detailed above). Adopters who are eligible will
be entitled to 52 weeks of adoption leave,
either starting from the date of the child’s
placement, or from a fixed date which can be
up to 14 days before the expected date of
placement.
V.
Dependents leave is intended to
provide an immediate, limited period
of paid time off, for employees to deal
with
unexpected
or
sudden
emergencies involving a dependent
and/or to make necessary longer term
arrangements for this individual. It is
available in situations requiring sudden and
unforeseen crisis management (e.g. if your
child falls ill, time off can be taken to deal
with the immediate crisis, and to make
arrangements for longer term care, but not to
provide continuing care). Further details can
be found here.
Adoption pay - Qualifying staff are
entitled to receive 18 weeks full pay,
followed by 21 weeks of Statutory
Adoption Pay (SAP), set at the
Government
standard
rate,
and
subsequently 13 weeks unpaid leave.
IV.
Dependents Leave
VI.
Staff on fixed-term contracts
Maternity leave - Staff employed on
fixed-term contracts have the same
entitlement to maternity leave as other
staff, that is 52 weeks commencing any
time from the 11th week before the baby
is due to the actual date of birth.
Parental Leave fund
Maternity pay
If the fixed-term contract ends before
the 15th week before the baby is due, the
staff member will not be entitled to maternity
pay from the College but may be entitled to
Maternity Allowance from the Government.
If the contract ends after the 15th week
before the baby is due, the College will
honour the staff member's entitlement to pay
under the maternity leave scheme. The
contract of employment will still end on the
original end date. Contracts are not usually
extended unless an extension can be agreed
for other reasons.
The College has launched a Parenting
Leave Fund for academic / research
staff working in science disciplines at
KCL and who will be returning to work
after a period of maternity, paternity or
adoption leave. Eligible staff will be able to
If the contract expires whilst on
maternity leave, and the staff member
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agreement.
cannot return to the College because of the
expiry of their fixed-term contract, providing
they state their intention to return to work
before commencing maternity leave, their
maternity pay will be calculated on the basis
that they will be returning to work, therefore
they will not need to repay the occupational
element of the pay. This also applies if the
fixed-term contract expires during the ‘back to
work’ 3 month qualifying period.
VII.
Keeping in Touch Days
During maternity leave staff who wish too can
take advantage of Keeping in Touch Days.
These days may be used for a range of
purposes,
including
maintaining
skills/knowledge, undertaking training or
getting up to speed for a return to work. KIT
days can occur via phone, e-mail, personal
visits etc. There is no obligation to work
or provide KIT days and they must be
arranged with the agreement of the
manager and with the consent of the
staff member. KIT days cannot fall
during the two weeks immediately after
childbirth
and a maximum
of
10 KIT days can be taken during the
maternity leave period.
By 'sacrificing' some of their taxable income in
exchange for Childcare Vouchers, staff save
money on their Income Tax and NI
contributions. Up to £55 per week can be
sacrificed (£243 per month).
Staff of King's College London can join the
scheme if:
1) They have a contract of employment
with the College (i.e. not casual or
agency temp)
2) They are the parents of or have
responsibility for a child or children
who are 15 years old or younger (16
years if the child is registered disabled)
3) They have a National Insurance
number
4) Their childcare provider is registered
and agrees to receiving payment in
childcare vouchers Visit the relevant webpages for more
information about the Childcare Voucher
Scheme and how to register on-line.
2. Return to Work
I.
Childcare
Choosing childcare is an important decision
for every family. KCL does not have any
on-site childcare provision, but staff
are eligible to apply for places in the
nurseries run by our NHS partners,
Guy's and St Thomas', King's College
Hospital and South London and
Maudsley
NHS
Foundation
Trusts. Information can be found out about
childcare at each site on the KCL webpage.
II.
III.
Breastfeeding
facilities
/
expressing
The College does not currently have dedicated
facilities for breastfeeding or expressing and
storing milk. However the Division may be
able to assist you with a suitable location at St
Thomas’ and, where possible, you will also be
provided with access to a secure, clean fridge
to store the milk. Please speak to your
Department Manager if you have any queries.
Childcare vouchers
The College operates a childcare
voucher scheme, which enables eligible
staff to make savings on the cost of
childcare through a 'salary sacrifice'
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IV.
Parent Buddy Scheme
The College has created a buddy scheme to
offer support and advice and share tips about
managing childcare issues and workloads. The
scheme is open to men and women before,
during and after maternity/ paternity/
adoption leave. If you would like to participate
in
the
scheme
you
can
email
[email protected], or further information
about the scheme can be found here on the
KCL website.
Further details of relevant College
policies and initiatives can be found
here.
This factsheet is designed to provide
answers to frequently asked questions
and
to
give
links
to
further
information
for
Divisional
staff
members who are thinking of starting
a family, expectant and new parents.
We would welcome your feedback, if
you would like further information, or
if you would like to see other items
added to the factsheet please see the
Frequently Asked Questions page or
please email us.
3. Flexible and part-time working
The College aims to provide a
supportive environment for staff whose
commitments outside the workplace
are such that full-time employment for
52 weeks of the year is difficult. A range
of resources and support to assist staff in
preparing applications for flexible working
can be found here.
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