Adoption leave policy

1. Purpose and scope

1.1 Registers of Scotland (RoS) is committed to helping its employees to balance their family and work commitments.

1.2 This policy applies to all RoS employees adopting a child through an approved adoption agency, during the adoption process and in the first year following the adoption of your child.

1.3 This policy sets out your statutory and contractual adoption rights. It will enable you to understand the leave and pay available to you and support you in planning for your adoption leave and returning to work after leave.

1.4 RoS will not only meet legal requirements but will enhance certain provisions in particular circumstances.

1.5 This policy should be read in conjunction with the Adoption leave procedure.

1.6 If you're co-parenting, only one of you can get adoption leave and pay under this adoption leave policy. Your co-parent could be entitled to parental leave. If your co-parent is a RoS employee, you should both read our Paternity / Co-parent Leave Policy and Paternity / Co-parent Leave Procedure.

1.7 We would advise that you read this policy in conjunction with the Shared Parental Leave Policy and Shared Parental Leave Procedures. Some rights contained in this policy will be rescinded should you opt into (and are eligible for) the shared parental leave scheme.

2. Guiding principles

2.1 Adoption leave will not impact your terms and conditions of employment.

2.2 You are entitled to take up to 26 weeks' ordinary adoption leave followed immediately by up to 26 weeks' additional adoption leave. Your maximum entitlement is therefore to take up to 52 weeks' adoption leave.

2.3 You have the right to take reasonable paid time off to attend up to five adoption placement meetings.

2.4 If your co-parent is a RoS employee, they are eligible to take unpaid time off to attend up to three appointments for adoption purposes.

2.5 Whilst on adoption leave, you should continue to adhere to the Civil Service Code.

2.6 During your adoption leave, you can apply at any time for suitable vacancies advertised within RoS and the wider Civil Service.

2.7 During your adoption leave, you can work or attend training for up to 10 days (keeping in touch days) without that work bringing your adoption leave to an end and without loss of a week's statutory adoption pay.

3. Eligibility for occupational or statutory adoption

3.1 All employees at RoS who meet the qualification criteria can apply for paid adoption leave.

3.2 You may be entitled to adoption pay under RoS’s occupational adoption arrangements (full pay for 52 weeks) if you have:

• one years’ continuous service with RoS and/or the Civil Service by the placement date
• earned, on average, at least as much as the lower earnings limit for National Insurance in the 8-week period before the week you are matched with a child.

3.3 If you have been employed for less than one year you may be eligible for statutory adoption pay.

4. Further information

4.1 Further information can be found regarding effect on conditions of service and procedures can be found on RoS' intranet.

5. Roles and responsibilities

5.1 Strategic People Authority is responsible for the content of this policy, its approval and review. They are responsible for ensuring its implementation in practice and for monitoring this over time. They are responsible for ensuring that appropriate procedures, guidelines or standards as are required to support this are maintained and ownership for these assigned appropriately.

6. Approval and review

6.1. This policy will be reviewed and approved by the Strategic People Authority annually, unless earlier review is appropriate.