School snow closures: What to tell your boss if your child's school is shut due to snow

Picture the scene - you're in bed trying to catch the last few minutes of sleep before the alarm goes off and the children run in shouting, "It's snooooowing!"

Although many of our children love the snow, hearing that your kids' school is closed could fill a parent with dread.

Who is going to look after them? Are you going to have to take a day off work? What rights do parents have in situations such as these?

Luckily, the Mirror has put together a handy guide of all the facts you need to know about parental leave at work.

Tracey Moss, employment expert at Citizens Advice, said: "In an emergency you are entitled to take time off to make sure your child is looked after.

"This is known as dependant leave. Your employer can’t refuse you dependent leave if you have no other choice, and you can’t be disciplined or sacked for taking the time off.

"If your employer won’t give you time off, or has disciplined you for having to look after your child, contact your nearest Citizens Advice for help."

Citizens Advice: What to do if you need time off

Speak to your manager - Different employers have different policies. They may allow you to take paid time off, annual leave or to make up the hours later in the week.
Request parental leave - If you need more than a week off, ask for parental leave. You will have to have been working for your employer for more than a year.
Request dependant leave - this is for use in emergencies. If your manager refuses, you may have to leave anyway. If they try to discipline or sack you for leaving you can get support from Citizens Advice.

What is 'unpaid parental leave'?

Parental leave is a form of unpaid leave that entitles workers to take time off to care for their child.

Each employee is entitled to up to 18 weeks leave for each child and adopted child, up to their 5th birthday - or 18th if the child has a disability.

The limit on how much parental leave each parent can take a year is four weeks.

You must take parental leave as whole weeks rather than odd days, unless your employer agrees otherwise or your child is disabled.

Eligible employees can request this type of leave to:

Spend more time with their children;
Look at new schools;
Settle children into new childcare arrangements; and
Spend more time with family, such as visiting grandparents.

During this period, all of your employment rights will remain protected - such as annual leave entitlement and your right to return to work.

To qualify, you must:

Have worked in the organisation for more than a year;
Have "parental responsibility" for the child, as defined under the Children Act 1989; and
Be named on the child's birth certificate or have obtained formal legal parental responsibilities.

Time off to care for an unwell child or dependant

According to ACAS , the body behind workers' rights, all employees have the right to time off during working hours to deal with unforeseen matters and emergencies. This includes time off to support dependants.

There is no legal right to be paid; however some employers may offer a contractual right to pay under the terms and conditions of employment.

In most cases a day or two will be sufficient to deal with the immediate crisis, but it will depend on the individual circumstance - many employers will choose to pay you for up to two days. Time off beyond this may result in unpaid leave.

A dependant is defined as a spouse, partner, child, parent, or someone who depends on an employee for care, an elderly neighbour for example.

The employee must tell the employer as soon as possible the reason for the absence and how long they expect to be absent.

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It's important to note:

Time off for dependants is unpaid unless an employer is willing to give paid time off under the terms and conditions of employment;
The right is to a reasonable amount of time off - normally a day or two but this will depend on individual circumstances;
The right to time off is to deal with emergencies involving a dependant; and
A dependant is someone who depends on an employee for care.

The right to time off covers: