The Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023 comes into force in April, providing new rights for staff who care for newborns. Here’s what HR and employers need to know.

Following the passing of the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023, the government has now confirmed that the new rights for employees with newborns requiring neonatal care will come into force on 6 April 2025. The Act is intended to support new parents during a particularly vulnerable stage of their working lives.

Unlike most parental leave, the need for neonatal leave is unexpected and urgent, often requiring parents to make an impossible choice between financial security and caring for their child. The Act is set to provide statutory leave from day one of employment, allowing employees to stay with their newborns during a critical period of medical or palliative care, if admitted into hospital for a continuous period of seven days within the first 28 days after birth.

Read more: Neonatal care leave and why it matters

The government has also published draft regulations, setting out the Act’s provisions. Parents will be able to take a maximum of 12 weeks’ leave, and they will need to take a minimum of one week’s leave. The leave must be used within 68 weeks of the child’s birth, and it may be taken in addition to other family leave entitlements, such as maternity and paternity leave.

To be eligible for this new statutory leave, employees must be the child’s parent, intended parent (under a surrogacy...

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