Maternity pay repayment

[abopple]

Hi all,

Has anyone successfully argued with the local authority against having to pay back contractual maternity pay?

I requested unpaid parental leave to extend my return from maternity leave. The reason being that I am not comfortable leaving my child when he has had no opportunity to spend any time away from me or my husband. We're in a support bubble, as he's under 1, but won't settle with anyone but me. I just need time, with restrictions ending, where he can socialise, get to know other people, understand that I'm coming back when I leave him. I thought that using parental leave would be a good opportunity to do this. I'm due back after the Easter holidays, and two months leave would take me to July.

School, however, are saying that they don't think they will be able to facilitate it and that it's likely I will have to take it in September. They don't think they'll be able to cover me for 2 months, as another teacher is leaving for maternity when I'm due back.

I'm hoping they can come up with a solution but I'm trying to work out all my options if they can't. I kind of feel that they're trying to push me into a corner.

Does anyone have any advice?

My union has said that their view is that teachers who are unable to complete the 13 weeks’ service for a reason which is in the hands of their employers should not be expected to repay maternity pay. - which I feel this is?

Thanks

Unfortunately employers have the right to tell you to take unpaid parental leave at a different time to when you have requested it.

Surely there's still quite a bit of time between now and the end of the Easter holidays to help your baby settle with a childminder/nursery? If you don't have one lined up already I imagine it will be pretty difficult to find one at this late stage though.

When I went back to work after my children, they only had a couple of short settling in sessions before having to be there for a full day. There were no restrictions in those days of course, but I'd never left them with anyone else because there was no one else I could have left them with.

My little girl is 13 months. She was 7 weeks when the first lockdown started. Had never been left with anyone except my husband and even then only for a couple of hours. I was due back in January. She had a week of settling in sessions and then started. She's been fine. Still cries when I drop her off but ha stopped by the time she's taken her coat off. So if you need to to back he will be fine but you have to find a childcare provider you trust