need advice

System

birkee wrote: »

Sounds like chrissyg has got into a situation that's bought himself / herself under scrutiny, and is prepared to drop two other people 'in it' to prove a point. Nice!
If you keep your job, you may well find the atmosphere you created, means you don't want to keep it.

HERSELF the clue is in the name .
if i am being discriminated against why shouldnt i speak up ? i have a legal right to unpaid time off to deal with unforseen emergencies .

MrsManda

I would have thought that taking a day off to deal with a child who has had a seizure would be classed as Time Off For Dependants. This is statutory right for unpaid time off.
Whereas Parental Leave is limited to 13 weeks for each chilEmd upto the age of 5, there is no limit to time off for dependants providing it's reasonable and for real emergencies. Employers cannot penalise you for taking this time off though if they feel you are taking too much time for them to cope with then they can discuss it with you.
This should be separate from any time you have had off on sick leave.

TBH I don't see how two days in 6 months can be classed as unreasonable.

Were you paid for your time off with your daughter? It sounds like it could be that your manager has coded your time off wrong thus triggering a sick review by HR.

Information on parental leave
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Moneyandworkentitlements/WorkAndFamilies/Parentalleaveandflexibleworking/DG_10029416

Information on Time Off For Dependants
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employees/Timeoffandholidays/DG_10026555

heretolearn_2

I'm a bit unsure about your first post.

There are three episodes of sick leave. Is this PLUS the two days off for your daughter, or including the two days for your daughter?

System

i have had 3 seperate times off sick in the last 6 months [all had dr notes] but also included in the letter are 2 for time off looking after my dd [total 5 abscences] .
the request for parental leave was a written request 12 weeks before i needed it and was for 2 weeks.

birkee

CHRISSYG wrote: »

HERSELF the clue is in the name .
if i am being discriminated against why shouldnt i speak up ? i have a legal right to unpaid time off to deal with unforseen emergencies .

Sorry Christopher.
What am I to make of googlewhacker?

Savvy_Sue

CHRISSYG wrote: »

ive also had parental leave refused because "its not for looking after a disabled child its for things like once in a life time holidays "

So this was planned parental leave - what reason did they give (if any) for the refusal?

For example, I've just been told when our auditors will be in, and that my line manager expects to take leave once that's over. If I now submit a request for planned parental leave (not that I'm entitled to it!) for that period, I'd expect it to be refused, because the needs of the business mean that my manager will be tied up with the auditors and then on leave.

Just as if I now submitted a request for annual leave at that time, I'd expect it to be refused.

tryingtogetby1971

I would not have thought they could include time off for dependants in with sickness periods. As already mentioned by other posters you are entitled to time off to deal with emergencies and then planned parental leave. You don't say how old your child is but parental leave is available to parents with children up to 5 or if your child is disabled( which they may be with uncontrolled epilepsy) up to 18. Where I work we can have 5 days paid emergency leave each year (not just parents). However I would be more concerned by 3 periods of sick(certificated or not) in 6 months as that seems rather high unless you yourself have a disability in which case you may get some leeway under the equalities act 2010.

Uncertain

birkee wrote: »

Turn and turn about folks.
How can an employer run a business if its employees keep taking unexpected time off? Justified reason or not. Why should they continue employment of a person who keeps letting them down?
Can you imagine a train being dumped at 'umpity station', because the driver Daughter had just had a siezure due to epilepsy?

Short periods of unpaid leave to deal with family emergencies is a legal right, whether the employer likes it or not.

The problem is that the law doesn't define "short periods" or what constitutes an emergency.

However, I would be amazed if what the OP described does not fall into this category so it would be a stupid employer indeed who took any action on that point.

System

tryingtogetby1971 wrote: »

I would not have thought they could include time off for dependants in with sickness periods. As already mentioned by other posters you are entitled to time off to deal with emergencies and then planned parental leave. You don't say how old your child is but parental leave is available to parents with children up to 5 or if your child is disabled( which they may be with uncontrolled epilepsy) up to 18. Where I work we can have 5 days paid emergency leave each year (not just parents). However I would be more concerned by 3 periods of sick(certificated or not) in 6 months as that seems rather high unless you yourself have a disability in which case you may get some leeway under the equalities act 2010.

my dd is 13 and as she recieves DLA i am covered untill she is 18 re parental rights
the 3 illnesses were
1 sent home sick by employer
2 d+v after someone came to work ill [a lot of staff caught that one !]
3 im currently on day 18 of antibiotics for an infection that floored me.

System

although i was initially given a verbal warning at the hearing ,i appealed and today it was over turned as i should never have been discaplined in the 1st place. the 2 types of leave can not be put together.