To ask how you use unpaid parental leave

I used to use a couple of weeks to extend summer holidays time off when dd was in school. But she still went to camps other weeks when I had to work. It was definitely better to use once she was in school as there was less flexibility for childcare then - nursery was open all year except Christmas and Easter holidays before starting primary school.

and funnily enough, it was most useful in secondary when dd didn’t need childcare anymore but wanted to do shorter day camps (so not full business hours but more intense training camps that lasted 3-4 hours during the day, starting late morning and ending mid-afternoon). And also to have some bonding time.

This is the first year I’ve not taken any. Usually I take 2 weeks in the summer. But I’m in the process of buying a house so I need the money. I’ll do it next year again when I’m settled.

OP you may want to ask Mumsnet HQ to update your post with the link

As some seen confused what particular type of leave you are talking about.

https://www.gov.uk/parental-leave

I tagged it on to the end of my maternity as my company let me use the full 18 weeks in one go

There is different leave for emergencies. Parental leave is meant to be booked in advance, and used in blocks of one week at a time. It is there to give parents the legal right to unpaid time off with children, to spend that time however they please. It isn't a bad thing, it's just not very well advertised.

I work in a school (TTO, non-teaching) and usually take one week of parental leave per year during term time for a family holiday. DS is now 5 and just finishing Reception year but up until he turned 5 I would tack it on to a school holiday, usually the May half term. Yes it represented a small drop in pay that month but we always saved more than that on the cost of the holiday.
Going forward we are not planning on taking term time holidays but I’ll probably continue to take a week of PL each year. It probably sounds a bit odd but because my annual leave is dictated by school holidays I like having one week that I can just book off when I want to. Also my school term dates and DS’s don’t always align (different schools) so it gives me the option to take time off at the beginning or end of the school year if needed.

I don’t use it every year but have done a few times when we were really struggling for childcare over the summer holidays.

ask well in advance as they can ask your to take it at a different time.

if you can get a week that straddles the end of a month/pay period, then it’s even better as it means only 2/3 days unpaid per month rather than a full week in the same month.

Just to add, I believe it's employers discretion to make it one week blocks. Mine will let me take a few days at a time if that's all I need.

I've used it for the last couple of years, just 1 week per year for the last two but planning on 2 this year. We have to take it in blocks of at least a week. It just means that we get more time together as a family in the summer holidays rather than just one parent being off at a time.

I took 4 weeks for each child to extend my maternity leave, and saved the rest for school holidays. Depending on your salary and where you live, you may find that losing the pay is better than having to pay for holiday clubs.

I take one week parental leave every year to top up my annual leave. This year I'm using it to go abroad. Every month I stick a small amount of money aside to cover the week off and then top up my pay on the month I take the unpaid week. I consider it the same as buying annual leave which my company don't allow.

I’ve never used any - I really can’t afford to take unpaid time off.

one of my team is taking 2 weeks in September to see her child through the staggered start in reception.

I was gobsmacked because although I had 2 DCs, worked full time with different companies, managed a team myself and worked closely with HR, using it wasn't on my radar at all. Literally never heard of anyone using it, yet so many people appeared to use it like an adjunct to annual leave. I reckoned I, my friends, and my colleagues, had all missed out. I sure would have used it if I'd been aware.

I used it when my DC were at primary school and were a little too young (IMHO) to be in holiday clubs for most of the summer holidays. I thought of it like working a 4 day week but taking that time as a chunk of 4 weeks in August. I used to squirrel away the equivalent salary for the unpaid month so it didn’t feel too 😱 to not be paid for a month.

Worked brilliantly for me for the hard years (roughly Reception to about Year 3) and then I just shoved them into numerous holiday clubs from then on!

But I had a flexible job that didn’t “need” me to be at work in August as my clients were often away then/projects paused until Sept. And a very flexible employer who made it easy to use this leave.

I took three weeks off during the pandemic as homeschooling two children, childcare for a 3 year old and working full time nearly broke me (and I lost less in money than DH).

I take a week off every summer since I’ve changed ti an employer where I get 5 weeks leave (used to get closer to 7 weeks).

Lone parent here. I used it for a weeks leave so I can eek out my annual leave for odd days.
Used it when my kids were in reception and all the way through to GCSE season. I know quite a few parents that used it in the primary school years.

Losing a weeks pay was less stressful than using holiday clubs and dealing with meltdowns.

Oh amd some people tack it on to the end of maternity leave. In hindsight I wish I had done that.

Eligible employees can take unpaid parental leave to look after their child’s welfare, for example to:

• spend more time with their children
• look at new schools
• settle children into new childcare arrangements
• spend more time with family, such as visiting grandparents

OP, I used it for a few weeks over primary school summer holidays. I could afford it and there were no business issues.

It was nice to save some annual leave to actually just relax at other points in the year when DC were at school and not permanently be doing childcare or work and running on fumes.

All parental leave must be in 1 week blocks unless your child is disabled.

I don’t use it but someone I know has a good arrangement where by she takes unpaid leave during summer hols but the deduction is made over the whole year so it’s not as noticeable. Unsure if this is just unpaid leave within a FW request or actual parental leave.

No that’s emergency dependent’s leave, statutory parental leave is designed to be used in blocks of at least a week (in most cases) and the main purpose is literally just spend more time with your child.
It’s a statutory entitlement and it needs to be booked in advance, not a day here or there. A workplace is not allowed to discriminate against it. Thats like saying it’s acceptable for maternity leave to “not go down well”.

I took a week to visit NYC with my DD in the summer before she went off to Uni (August birthday so turned 18 very late).

Other than that never used it - as a single parent I couldn't afford the loss of wages when she was younger and worked in a school so didn't need holiday care. Fortunately she is robustly healthy so never needed to take any sort of leave to look after her. I imagine it's a lifeline to many parents as long as they can afford it over the years.

I don't. I use annual leave if she is really poorly, or WFH if she can cope with me just being around. I'd only use unpaid if I'd run out of leave and couldn't WFH.

It's not your employer, all parental leave has to be taken in week long blocks.

Single parent - I used one week a year to cover shortfall between school holidays and my annual leave.
Taking a week was just about affordable but it was good knowing it was there if I needed extra

I think it’s more aimed for emergencies when needed rather than planning around it like it’s annual leave. I don’t think using it how you are suggesting would go down well with a lot of employers.