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Original poster

can i get sacked or in trouble for having time off with sick ds

15 replies

clairejo · 09/09/2007 21:16

he has suspected tonsilitis and has just had 3 really poorly days and is still sick. but i am prepared to take it as parental leave if necessary.

OP posts:
sunshinegirl · 09/09/2007 21:17

I would think it depends on your employer. I have had quite abit of time off with dc's illnesses this year and they've been fine as they know that I have no one else to look after them although I have had to take most of it as holiday

ruddynorah · 09/09/2007 21:17

parental leave as opposed to what? have you taken it as sick leave?

Original poster
clairejo · 09/09/2007 21:20

i don't think i can take it as sick leave as i am not sick.

OP posts:
ja9 · 09/09/2007 21:21

will watch with interest. my line managers are very unhelpful and unsympathetic... i'm a school teacher so can't take annual leave as other friends do. what am i supposed to do when i have a sick child? both sets of grandparents live in ireland. we are in scotland.

Original poster
clairejo · 09/09/2007 21:21

We get 4 days compassionate leave in a year for things like this but i have already had this as my dh had a tumour behind his ear removed and I didn't have anyone else to have children

OP posts:
Hulababy · 09/09/2007 21:23

When I was teaching I was allowed 5 days a year for dependents care. Have similar now in my new job. This is paid for me.

I don't think you can take it as sick leave unless you are sick. Otherwise it is parental leave. How old is your child? If under 6 I think there are legal rights, but leave is unpaid.

Original poster
clairejo · 09/09/2007 21:23

my last line manager was great when I needed time off for my dh but I am worried they will think I am taking the piss

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ruddynorah · 09/09/2007 21:24

i just wondered with you saying you are 'prepared' to take is as parental leave what you have taken it as at the moment. parental leave is supposed to be booked ahead in blocks of a week. some employers will be more flexible than this with it. so did your employer say, you will have to take it as parental leave? or, have they just said you will have it as 'agreed unpaid' or maybe 'special leave'? there are so many options depending on what your employer's set up is. some mums call in sick when their child is sick so that they will be paid (assuming they get sick pay from work).

Original poster
clairejo · 09/09/2007 21:24

me and my dh normally do sick children days between us but he has only just gone back to work after being off sick for 8 months

OP posts:
flowerybeanbag · 09/09/2007 21:27

definitely depends on how sympathetic your employer is, I'd say.
Parental leave is taken in chunks of a week, can't be individual days, and must be pre-arranged with your employer.
I would think they are more likely to make you take it out of your holiday entitlement or take it as unpaid leave.

Whether you can get in trouble for it depends on how often it happens and how sympathetic they are. In theory yes you could, but I would say as long as it doesn't keep happening and as long as you make reasonable attempts to sort alternative childcare out when you need to, you should be ok for a bit.

ja9, that's a tricky one, not sure what teachers usually do when they have sick children, maybe someone in that position might have an answer.

flowerybeanbag · 09/09/2007 21:28

Ooh, and you do have rights to emergency dependents' leave. This is unpaid, but if you have a child sick, you can take this.
It has to be an emergency though, so a couple of days would be ok, while you make alternative arrangements, but nothing more.

Original poster
clairejo · 09/09/2007 21:28

I came out of work on Friday and had to leave a message on his answering machine. At the moment he authorises our pay and puts relevant codes in. So am not sure about friday or saturday. Told him on message I had to go and was prepared to take it paid or unpaid but I had to go. My working week starts on a sunday so will now address this week with him tomorrow

OP posts:
Original poster
clairejo · 09/09/2007 21:31

flowerybeanbag - I can't make any other childcare arrangements. His temperature is still fluctuating between 38 and 41. He won't eat or drink and there is only me or dh possibly he will go to

OP posts:
flowerybeanbag · 09/09/2007 21:34

no fair enough - just explaining how emergency dependents' leave worked.
It's unpaid anyway, so no particular advantage, just that you have a legal right to that, whereas anything else is basically up to the goodwill of your employer.
But as you say, if you can't come in you can't come in!

Have a chat with your boss tomorrow. It would be a v harsh employer indeed who was not a bit sympathetic, the only question will be whether he pays you for it, gets you to take it out of your annual leave entitlement or puts it down as unpaid leave.

Hope DS gets well soon

slayerette · 09/09/2007 21:40

ja9 - sympathise; I'm a teacher too and we are allowed one day off (in any eight months ) to allow us to make alternative arrangements for child to be cared for. It really is shite management practice. They don't elaborate on what to do if your child is sick more than once every eight months... If ds is sick, I'm taking unpaid leave.

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