In order to qualify for the contractual adoption pay scheme, at the week in which the employee is notified that they have been matched with a child the employee must:
i) hold a current CMS contract of employment , and have commenced employment, with the University; and
ii) have been matched with a child to be placed with them by a UK adoption agency (either for adoption or through an early permanence arrangement such as'fostering for adoption' or a 'concurrent planning placement' as a dual approved prospective adopter) and be the designated primary adopter*; and
iii) have notified the agency that they agree that the child should be placed with them and agree the date of placement; and
iv) provide their department with the correct notification of their intention to take adoption leave; and
v) intend to return to work following the adoption and return for at minimum period of three months**.
*Adoptive parents who are not the primary adopter may be eligible for paternity leave and/or shared parental leave.
**If an employee is on a fixed-term contract, please see the relevant section below.
With effect from 1 January 2020 the University no longer requires staff to have 26 weeks service at the expected week of placement to be eligible for the contractual scheme: if they have started employment before the expected week of placement they will be eligible as long as they meet the other requirements of the scheme. However, this will not give automatic eligibility for statutory benefits. Please speak to your HR Administrator without delay for full details.