Police Pay
Neonatal Care Leave • Bereaved Partner's Paternity Leave • Police Service Context • Not Legal Advice

Neonatal Care &
Bereaved Partner's Leave

Two new UK entitlements, and what the Police Remuneration Review Body has said about bringing them into policing (2026)

Regulatory Framework
Independent Resource

What's new for 2026

Two separate entitlements, easy to confuse with each other

Neonatal Care Leave and Pay covers a baby who needs hospital care after birth. Bereaved Partner's Paternity Leave covers the opposite tragedy — the baby survives but the mother or primary adopter doesn't. Both are new UK-wide statutory rights, and both are named in the Police Remuneration Review Body's 2026 report as agreed for extension to police officers, with the Home Office urged to bring them into Police Regulations without delay.

Where this stands for police specifically

Both entitlements below are already UK law for the wider workforce. For police officers — who sit outside general employment law by default and need Police Regulations 2003 to be amended before a right like this actually applies — the PRRB's May 2026 report records that proposals for both have been agreed, and "encourages the Home Office to take these forward without delay." That's not the same as confirming the amended regulations are in force yet. Check with your force's HR or your Police Federation branch for the current position before relying on either entitlement.

Section 01

Neonatal Care Leave & Pay

Who it's for

Applies when a baby is admitted to neonatal care within 28 days of birth, for a continuous period of 7 days or longer. It's designed to sit on top of your other family leave, not replace it — up to 12 weeks, in addition to maternity, paternity, adoption or shared parental leave.

Leave vs. pay

The leave itself is a "day one" right — it doesn't matter how long you've served. Statutory Neonatal Care Pay is different: you need at least 26 weeks' continuous service ending in the relevant week to qualify for it.

What it pays

Statutory Neonatal Care Pay is a flat rate of £194.32 a week (April 2026 to April 2027), or 90% of your average earnings if that figure is lower — the same formula used for Statutory Paternity Pay. As with paternity pay, some forces may enhance this locally; the statutory rate is the regulatory floor, not necessarily what your own force pays.

The underlying Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023 has applied UK-wide (England, Scotland and Wales) since 6 April 2025. What's new for policing specifically is the PRRB confirming in 2026 that the extension of this right into the police service has been agreed.

Section 02

Bereaved Partner's Paternity Leave

Day-one right (already in force)

Under the Paternity Leave (Bereavement) Act 2024, a bereaved father or partner no longer needs to meet the normal 26-week qualifying service period to take paternity leave, if the mother or primary adopter dies in childbirth or within a year afterwards. This covers biological fathers and partners, including same-sex partners and civil partners, and applies even if you've already taken shared parental leave.

Up to 52 weeks unpaid (coming into force)

A further, distinct right — Bereaved Partner's Paternity Leave (BPPL) — lets the surviving partner take up to 52 weeks of unpaid leave to care for the child if the primary carer dies within a year of the birth or adoption. This part is expected to follow the day-one-right change, provisionally from 6 April 2026, once the secondary legislation bringing it into force is made.

Don't confuse this with Parental Bereavement Leave

Police officers have had a separate right — at least 2 weeks' Parental Bereavement Leave — since Annex TA under Regulation 33 of the Police Regulations 2003 took effect on 6 April 2021. That one covers the death of a child under 18, or a stillbirth after 24 weeks. Bereaved Partner's Paternity Leave is the reverse scenario: the child survives, but the mother or primary adopter has died. They're triggered by opposite tragedies and neither replaces the other.

Authority Statement

PolicePay.co.uk is an independent regulatory explainer. This guide summarises the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023 and the Paternity Leave (Bereavement) Act 2024 as they apply generally in the UK, and what the Police Remuneration Review Body's 2026 report says about extending them to policing. This is not legal or financial advice, and exact commencement dates for secondary legislation can move. Always verify your specific entitlement with your Force HR department or local Police Federation branch before making family or financial decisions.