Support for adoption

Leave Provisions

Pre-adoption interviews and examinations

You can use the following leave types to attend any interviews or examinations required for the adoption of a child:

• annual leave
• flexi leave
• unpaid leave

Parental leave

If you are the primary carer for your adopted child, you can take up to 2 years’ parental leave from the date of placement, pending eligibility requirements.

Eligibility

You may be entitled to parental leave if:

• the child is not the child or step-child of the staff member or their spouse/partner;
• the child has not lived with the staff member for a continuous period of more than six months prior to the proposed date of placement.

If you are adopting more than one child at the same time, you will only be entitled to one period of parental leave.

If you are the non-primary carer of the adopted child, you can access up to 10 days’ paid special leave, concurrently within 3 months of the date of placement of your child.

Find out more about parental leave.

Notice period

You should advise your manager and complete your parental leave application as soon as you receive notification of approval of the adoption arrangement.

You should attach the approval notice of the adoption to your parental leave application and complete a statutory declaration confirming:

• the anticipated date of placement
• that the child you are adopting is not your child or the child of your spouse or partner
• that the child will not have lived with you for a continuous period of more than 6 months prior to the date of placement
• that you will be the primary carer for the child during the period of parental leave (unless you have applied for concurrent parental leave)
• that you agree to notify the University if circumstances change in relation to primary care arrangements for your child during the period of paid leave
• that you will not be undertaking paid work during the primary carer leave.

Fostering a child

You can access parental leave if you are taking permanent custody of a foster child. You will need to provide verification that the foster care arrangement is permanent.

If you are taking permanent custody of more than one child at the same time, you will only be entitled to one period of leave.

For all other fostering arrangements, you can use annual, long service or unpaid leave.