Ordinary Statutory Paternity Leave (OSPL)


All employees, irrespective of length of service, are entitled to two weeks Ordinary Statutory Paternity Leave to care for their child and/or support the child’s mother/adopter in the weeks following birth/adoption placement provided they have, or expect to have, responsibility for the child’s upbringing.

In order to qualify for this leave, employees must meet one of the following criteria:

Birth

Adoption

(a) employee must be the biological father of the child

 

(b) employee must be married to the mother of the child, but not the child’s biological father

(a) employee must be married to the child’s adopter

(c) employee must be the partner* of the mother, but not the child’s biological father

(b) employee  must be the partner* of the child’s adopter

(d)  employee must be the same-sex partner of the child’s mother

(c) employee must be the same-sex partner of the child’s adopter

(e) employee must be the legal guardian of the child

 

* in the case of a “partner” as stated above, the employee must be in an enduring family relationship, but not a blood relative.

Ordinary Statutory Paternity Leave can only be taken in blocks of one week, which may be consecutive. Leave cannot be taken as odd days.  If leave is taken as two separate weeks the full entitlement must be taken within eight weeks from the first day of the week of the birth/adoption.

If the child is born early, or placed for adoption early, OSPL must be completed by eight weeks after the date on which the birth or placement was originally expected.

An employee’s entitlement to leave is not increased by the birth, expected birth, or placement of more than one child as a result of the same pregnancy or adoption.