Can I get unpaid time off from work for adoption agency meetings?

The situation

I am currently living in England and my partner and I are in the middle of the adoption process. We have just been notified by the adoption agency that a child is expected to be placed with us jointly later this year. However, the agency has scheduled two important appointments for us to have initial contact with the child at their local office. These meetings are set for next Tuesday morning and again the following Thursday afternoon. Both appointments fall right in the middle of my usual working hours, and I am worried about my boss's reaction. I have already tried mentioning to my manager that I might need some flexibility due to our personal circumstances, but they didn't give me a clear answer and just said they'd have to check the company policy. I know that I won't be paid for this time away from my desk, but I am unsure if I have a legal right to be allowed to leave work for these specific agency-arranged meetings. Specifically, I need to know if my employer is allowed to refuse me time off for these two sessions, and what kind of proof I am required to show them to confirm the appointments are genuine and arranged by the agency.

Detailed Analysis

Under the Employment Rights Act 1996, you have a specific right to take unpaid time off to attend appointments related to your adoption. Since you and your partner are adopting a child jointly, you fall under the protections of Section 57ZL^[1].

Specifically, the law states that an employee who has been notified that a child is expected to be placed with them and another person jointly "is entitled to be permitted by his or her employer to take time off during the employee's working hours in order that he or she may attend by appointment at any place for the purpose of having contact with the child or for any other purpose connected with the adoption"^[1]. This means your boss cannot simply refuse you time off for these two sessions, as long as they are for the purposes you described.

There are limits to this right. For a joint adoption, you are entitled to take time off on "not more than two occasions"^[1]. On each occasion, you can take a maximum of "six and a half hours"^[1]. Since you have two meetings scheduled (next Tuesday and the following Thursday), you are within your legal limit of two occasions.

Regarding proof, your employer has the right to ask for documentation. If they request it, you must provide "a declaration signed by the employee stating that the employee has made an election... and a document showing the date and time of the appointment in question and that it has been arranged as described"^[1]. This means you should provide a document from the agency that clearly shows the date, time, and that they arranged the meeting. You can provide these documents in electronic form, such as an email^[1].

Statutory Citations

Related Questions

• Can I get time off work if a child I'm fostering is being placed with me for adoption?
• What paperwork do I need to show my boss to get parental leave?
• Can I still get my regular wages while my unfair dismissal case is being sorted out in the UK?
• Can my council ask a housing association for information about my tenancy?
• Can I take my employer to a tribunal if they rejected my request based on wrong information?