Child has DLA entitlement... Parental leave questions..

[Damonlufc88]

My none verbal 5 year old is entitled to DLA and I act as his guarantor, also I'm his father. I've worked for the see company for 4+years... In September he leaves mainstream school for Special school and their aren't any holidays slots available to book Off. I'm just wondering how I go about telling them I will be getting parental leave. We only got our DLA claims successful this week, as I wasn't aware of it before hand (another story)

Why do I need to provide work tell them I'll be looking to get time off. And for any reason (new school or not) can they block it unless not enough notice? + how much notice do I need to give with my child with DLA entitlement.

I really really appreciate any advice

Not WHY, but WHAT do I need to provide*

Someone more informed will be along soon but your son has a DLA award not entitlement (not everyone entitled claims so there's a difference)
I understand that parental leave can be claimed as part of your employment rights - which will be full rights as you've been there over two years. This can be claimed up to 18 years old for disabled children. It is unpaid leave though and will likely e capped at a certain number of weeks a year.
Some people use DLA to cover lost income in these circumstances.
I would put a request in, HR will be used to this or at least they should be.

Sorry - your DLA award letter and/or letter of diagnosis should suffice should HR need evidence.

Yes I mean award not entitlement. I'm very new to this to be honest so very timid to ask. I guess I'll have to make a photo copy of his award paperwork

DLA/your child's disability are completely irrelevant to parental leave. Here's all the information about it, but if you work for a reasonable-sized company they'll probably have a policy saying what you need to do to book your leave.

Your child's dla award is only relevant in that you can book single says parental leave rather than having to book full weeks only.
Your company can make you take parental leave at a time convenient to them due to business needs.
The only time you can guarantee the specific dates are parental leave straight after paternity leave.

All parents can claim up to age 18 now ,not just parents of children with disabilities.

*single days

Your company may offer additional support if you are the parent of a disabled child. You'll have to look at the company policy. But anyone can have parental leave so you shouldn't need to take any proof of his disability.

Good practice (and to keep on good terms with your employer) is to give them as much notice as possible, so I'd talk to them straight away with a clear view of how much leave you'll need and the dates from when to when.

You might be the first parent whose done this in your company if it's small, so be prepared for some surprise and ignorance

I apologise yes your child's disability means you can take single days not just blocks of a week.

Much appreciate the feedback guys. Its a fairly sizeable company. I will sit down with my team leader on Monday. Obviously I would rather take my paid holiday entitlement but if I can't get it then I may have to use my parental leave, which I know is unpaid. Its just so I can be close to my sons new special school for the first week or two if need be.

Can you work while you are away from the office? If so it may be asking if you can work remotely for 2 weeks rather than take unpaid parental leave.

Go and have a chat with your line manager, they should seek advice from their HR or may have dealt with supporting in a similar scenario. We certainly have things in place to help out in exceptional circumstance, flexi time, reduced hours etc as well as counselling support for our employees if they wish.