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The department fosters a positive cultural climate where all staff and students can flourish and be their authentic selves.
- Pregnancy
The department has created a Pregnancy Checklist to help guide you through the coming weeks and after the birth of your child. It explains what to do when you first become pregnant, who to speak too and what to expect.
Pregnancy checklist
- Shared Parental Leave
Shared Parental Leave is a new right that will enable eligible mothers, fathers, partners and adopters to choose how to share time off work after their child is born or placed. This could mean that the mother or adopter shares some of the leave with her partner, perhaps returning to work for part of the time and then resuming leave at a later date. You can take shared parental leave with your spouse, civil partner or partner. Partner is defined as someone (whether of a different sex or the same sex) who lives with you in an enduring family relationship (but who is not your child, parent, grandchild, grandparent, sibling, aunt, uncle, niece or nephew).
- Working Mothers
Below are a few websites aimed at working mums, whether you want to chat to other parents or get top tips, these sites are here to help:-
1. UCL Nursey- The UCL Day Nursery provides high quality childcare and nursery education, giving priority to the development needs and happiness of our children and their families in a safe, nurturing and stimulating care environment.
2. Parents and Carers Network, UCL - a social network that aims to support UCL staff members who are balancing ongoing caring responsibilities with work. It is a peer support group led by network members for members so new ideas and activities are always welcomed and encouraged.
3. www.mumsnet.com - The UK's most popular parenting network: support, advice, product reviews, competitions and much more.
4. www.sleepandhealth.com - Tips on how to cope with sleep deprivation from this US website
5. Working Families.org.uk
6. www.monster.co.uk - Practical advice for working mothers
7. www.huffingtonpost.com/parent - The US site has a section devoted to parents.
8. http://www.aworkingmum.co.uk - Extensive information for working mums including advice on: finances; childcare vouchers; tax credits; childcare fees; budgeting; creating routines
- Working Fathers
Below are a few websites aimed at working dads, whether you want to chat to other parents or get top tips, these sites are here to help:-
Dadzclub and #dadzclub on Twitter
This comprehensive website has articles on birth, babies, toddlers, teenagers, parenting & relationships. Website intro states dadzclub ‘is founded on the belief that no matter whether you’re an expectant dad or a dad of vast experience, we all need support from each other to encourage stronger relationships with our children and families.
1. www.mumsnet.com/Talk/dadsnet - This is the dads’ specific discussion forum, part of mumsnet
2. www.sleepandhealth.com - Tips on how to cope with sleep deprivation from this US website
3. Working Families have a section on their website devoted to fathers, which includes a discussion forum
4. The Fatherhood Institute supports all aspects of making life easier for fathers
5. www.fathersworkandfamily.com - A US blog written by Scott Behson, dedicated to dads and work/life balance
6. www.huffingtonpost.com/parent The US site has a section devoted to parents.
7. UCL Nursey- The UCL Day Nursery provides high quality childcare and nursery education, giving priority to the development needs and happiness of our children and their families in a safe, nurturing and stimulating care environment.
8. Parents and Carers Network, UCL - a social network that aims to support UCL staff members who are balancing ongoing caring responsibilities with work. It is a peer support group led by network members for members so new ideas and activities are always welcomed and encouraged.
Also here are a few popular blogs for dads:
2. www.first-time-daddy.blogspot.co.uk
3. www.singleparentdad.blogspot.co.uk
And you can find Parenting for Professional Blogs on working dads:
- Paternity/Partners Leave
The partner of the mother or primary adoptive parent may take paid leave of up to 20 working days, pro rata for part time staff. This can be taken from 3 months before the EWC or the date of adoption and up to 3 months afterwards. Paternity/Partner's Leave and Pay (PL/P) does not have to be taken at one time and can be spread over this 6 month period. There is no qualifying length of service for entitlement to PL/P. An employee cannot take PL once a period of ShPL has commenced.
For information about how to request Paternity/Partners Leave.
- Flexible Working
Please see the Work Life Balance Policy for information about making requests for flexible working.
- MAPS Caring Fund - working parents
As part of the MAPS Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategic plan for the period 2019-2022 we are relaunching the MAPS Caring Fund. The aim of this fund is to enable all staff (academics, researchers, teaching fellows, professional services staff, technical staff) and PhD students with caring responsibilities, to attend meetings, conferences, workshops and work events outside normal working patterns.
The Faculty has allocated £5,000 per annum and applications will be considered throughout the year until the fund is exhausted.
If you have any questions, please contact the MAPS vice-Dean for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Professor Alexandra Olaya-Castro (a.olaya@ucl.ac.uk) or email maps.caring@ucl.ac.uk
MAPS Caring Fund Application Form 
MAPS Caring Fund Guidlines
- Sickness Absence
The department records all sickness absence (even part-days) through MyView. If you are unwell and not fit to come to work, you must inform your Line Manager immediately of this and provide additional information such as anticipated length of absence and any important or urgent work that needs to be covered. Upon your return to work, you must meet with your Line Manager to complete a sickness absence record form which is then returned to the Senior HR Administrator for processing.
Sickness Absence Record Form
- Adoption Leave
The primary adoptive parent is entitled to the same provision in terms of service requirements, pay, amount of leave, return to work, etc. as per the UCL Maternity Leave arrangements. The partner of the primary adoptive parent is entitled to the same provisions as per UCL Paternity/Partner’s leave. Employees who are prospective primary adopters may take paid time off in order to attend up to five adoption meetings. Employees who are adopting a child with someone else who is the primary adopter, are entitled to take unpaid time off in order to attend up to two such meetings. Further information can be found below:
- Keeping in touch (KIT) Days
An employee and their manager can (in cases of Maternity / Adoption Leave) agree up to 10 'Keeping in Touch' (KIT) days and a maximum per employee of 20 ‘Shared Parental Leave in Touch' (SPLIT) days. Either the line manager or the employee can suggest the use of these days but they must be agreed by the line manager. Line managers will only agree to a KIT or SPLIT day when the day can be structured to ensure that it is used productively. Any work undertaken on a KIT or SPLIT day will be treated as either a full or half-day.
- Sabbatical Leave
In addition to the provisions of the UCL Parental Leave and Pay Policy and to mark its commitment to gender equality in academic careers, research active academic employees returning from ML, AL or ShPL (where any of these individually or combined totals more than 3 months duration) are entitled to take one term of Sabbatical Leave, without teaching commitments, in accordance with the principles set out in the Sabbatical Leave Policy. This leave will enable staff more quickly to re-establish research activity. Forms should be returned to the Senior HR Staffing Officer for processing.
- Annual Leave
The leave year runs from 1st October until 30th September. Full-time staff are entitled to 27 days annual leave. In addition, there are public holidays plus additioanl days when UCL is customarily closed. These entitlements are pro-rata for part-time staff.
Annual Leave PolicyLeave for Domestic and Personal Reasons
Other leave such as time off for caring responsibilities, medical appointments, bereavement leave etc. are coverd under the leave for domestic and personal reasons:
