Welcome to the parenting portal for Surrey Police and Sussex Police. This site has been developed to make it easier for you to access helpful information and guidance throughout your parenting journey.

I recognise that no two experiences will be exactly the same, and as the lead for Surrey and Sussex People Services I’m committed to ensuring we continue to build enabling and flexible environments that enhance productivity, creativity and wellbeing that work works for everyone.

I hope you find the information provided useful, and that you help us to keep it relevant by generating questions so that we can update the content and develop the FAQ section.

Adrian Rutherford
Director of People Services


We are keen that the Parenting Groups work closely together on the areas we have identified as priorities and are pleased to announce the creation of the Parenting Portal.

This has been put in place following research by the Sussex Parenting Working Group, which identified that one of the key issues for colleagues on parental leave was around accessing helpful information (such as payroll queries, force policy or return to work guidance) without access to police systems - issues that also arise in both Sussex Police and Surrey Police.

Chief Inspector Katy Woolford
Parenting Lead Champion Sussex

Superintendent Tom Budd
Parenting Group Chair Surrey

While on Family Friendly Leave

Keeping in Touch

Whilst on Family Friendly Leave we would like to keep you up to date by sending regular updates on routine orders, job vacancies and other force information. If you have not received any updates and would like to, please send an email to Shared Business Services at the address below, providing the email address you would like these to be sent to:


Please be aware that on occasion these emails may appear in your ‘Junk’ folder therefore if you find that you are not receiving emails but you have previously provided us with an email address, please in the first instance check your junk mail.


Keeping in Touch (KIT) and Shared Parental Leave in touch (SPLIT) Days

Did you know that you are entitled to up to 10 full KIT days for Maternity and Adoption and 20 Split days when on Shared Parental Leave?

Individuals find these a great way to meet up with their line managers to start talking about returning to work, attend meetings, refresh on training or to get back into the swing of things.

You will be paid for the hours that you work which may be particularly handy when you fall into a period of no pay.

To arrange a KIT/SPLIT day, please make contact with your line manager.


KIT/SPLIT Day planner

You can use the day plan to help arrange your days. Download the planner.

 

Preparing to return to work

In the:

Preparing to return to work flowchart.png


Why wait to hear from us? If you are already comfortable with your plans to return to work take a look at the relevant document for your home force below:

Sussex

Return from maternity leave plan

Surrey

Maternity return to work form - Police Officers

Maternity return to work form - staff

 

Making a flexible working request

Not everyone finds that they are able to return to work on the same working hours or shift pattern. You may therefore want to apply for flexible working.

The first step is to have a discussion with your line manager to discuss what working pattern will work for you and what will fit with the team. It is a good idea to meet with your line manager so you can go through the shift pattern proposal spreadsheet relevant for your team and agree an appropriate pattern.

If you would like to start planning your return to work shift pattern you can use the spreadsheet templates below. The completed form can then be used in your formal request for flexible working.


Sussex

Police Officer - recurring 1 week pattern

Police Officer - recurring 4 week pattern

Police Officer - recurring 9 week pattern

Police Officer - recurring 10 week pattern

Police Officer - recurring 20 week pattern

Police Officer - recurring 27 week pattern

Police Officer - recurring 52 week pattern

Police staff - shift pattern

Police staff - flexitime shift pattern


Surrey

Duties shift pattern

Contact Centre Duties shift pattern

 

Supporting individuals during a long term absence from work and during their return to work

This document is included in force policy and procedure guidance and includes prompts that can be a useful reference when speaking with your manager while you are away from work and when preparing for your return. 

Force policies

People Services and the Parenting groups are working together to ensure that the right information will be available to those that need it, at the right time, so that they are able to make informed choices around their family commitments.  Improvements to the Maternity, Adoption, Shared Parental and Parenting Partner (Paternity/Support) leave policy and procedure have been made to develop information associated with having a family and better reflect the commitment of Surrey Police and Sussex Police to supporting police officers and staff combining parenthood with a career. 

For an up to date copy of the policy and procedure please contact:

Childcare support (including childcare vouchers)

The childcare calculator and the Childcare Choices website www.childcarechoices.gov.uk can be used to find out what childcare support you may be entitled to and make decisions about which option is best for you.

With effect from October 2018, changes to government rules meant existing childcare voucher programmes offered through Lifestyle closed to new applicants. If you are already registered to receive childcare vouchers through lifestyle and have any questions FQAs can be found here and/or the Lifestyle team can be contacted on 0800 328 7411 or emailed at customercare.engage.uk@sodexo.com

To log on to your account go to https://childcare.mysodexo.co.uk/login/parent.

If you are registered to receive childcare vouchers you can start to purchase childcare support from the day your baby is born and from the date you become the legal guardian of a child if you are adopting which enables you to accumulate a pot ready for when you wish to use it. Depending on how much you pay in and your earned salary, Sussex Police and Sussex Police will continue to pay your contributions at the point your maternity pay ceases and you go on to ‘no pay’. This will be paid for you until the point at which you return to work and start to receive a salary again.

Should you have any questions in relation to childcare deductions please speak to Payroll for

Surrey via email or Sussex via email

Finance and pay

Calculating your pay when working a flexible pattern

Changing from a full time to a flexible working pattern will automatically have an effect on your pay. Before you submit a new pattern you may have decided how many hours you wish to work, or may want to calculate your pay in order to assist you with working out how many hours you want to work financially.

A simple calculation will help you work out your annual salary. The calculation below is an example based on a yearly salary of £36,000 and a normal working week of 40 hours reduced down to 24 hours.

£36,000 / 40 hours x 24 hours = £21,600

Once you have found your yearly salary you can then divide this by 12 to give you a monthly salary. This calculation will provide you with your calculated salary BEFORE Tax, NI, Pension and any other reductions you may have arranged. Please be mindful that your Tax Code, National Insurance and Pension Contribution percentage will differ from other individuals. Should you have any specific questions in relation to your pay it is best to contact Payroll for Surrey via email or Sussex via email.

Pension Contributions

When you chose to reduce your salary, your pension contributions will also be reduced which will have an effect on your final pension. Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVCs) are an option for those who wish to make extra payments to increase or make up their future benefits. The effect on your pension will be individual to you and so it is advisable to either contact Payroll or your Local Government Pension Scheme office directly to discuss any questions you may have.

The national website for the Local Government Pension Scheme may answer some of the questions you have. Access the site here.

 

Key contacts - Sussex staff

You can view your pension data online, update your details and use the online planning tools to see how much you could be saving for retirement here.

  • Email: Pensions@hants.gov.uk
  • Tel: 01962 845588
  • Address: Pension Services, Hampshire County Council, The Castle, Winchester, SO23 8UJ


Key contacts - Surrey staff

You can view your pension data online, update your details and use the online planning tools to see how much you could be saving for retirement here.

  • Email: myhelpdeskpensions@surreycc.gov.uk
  • Tel: 020 8213 2802
  • Address: Pension Services, Surrey County Council, Room 243, County Hall, Penrhyn Road, Kingston-Upon-Thames KT1 2DN


Key contacts - Police Officers

When you contact Equiniti please provide your:

  • Full name
  • National Insurance number
  • Date of birth

Flexible working patterns

We all know how daunting the thought of working out a flexible working pattern can be. The best place to start would be to have a discussion with your first line supervisor about your needs and suggestions. You may also need to consider the requirements of your team. A good place to start is to look at patterns that are currently working for others on your team, or the equivalent in a different area. Please be mindful that the consideration of your pattern will be individual to you and your team and therefore a pattern on another division may not be suitable, but is a good place to start. Once you have put a pattern together, discuss this with your line manager for suitability before submitting it to HR.

Flexible working can incorporate a number of possible changes to working arrangements, on a short or long term basis, including but not limited to; Job Sharing/Job Swap, Part Time Working, Compressed Hours and Working at alternative locations. Please see Force Policy for Flexible Working to assess your eligibility and timescales to apply for one of these flexible working options. The Policy can be requested by email to:


There are such a vast amount of working patterns which are individual to each staff member, that it would be impossible to provide examples of all patterns. Please see the SBS/HR Section of this Portal for shift pattern templates.

Remember, you are not alone and there is plenty of help and support. We want to enable you to return to work and to work as much as you can and want. Should you feel that you are not being provided enough support then do not hesitate to contact a Parental SPOC who will be willing to assist in any way they can.

Mentoring, Maternity Coaching and Parenting SPOCs

Maternity Coaching

Coming back to work after being on maternity leave can sometimes feel daunting and it may take time to adjust. To help members of staff settle back into the workplace and whilst on maternity leave, a new service has been introduced. Maternity coaching enables members of staff who are currently on maternity leave to receive guidance and encouragement from a workplace coach. All meetings are confidential and would take place at a location agreed between the member of staff and the coach. If you would like to discuss or have further information, please contact Cecilia Cabodi, Leadership and Talent Development Manager Cecilia.Cabodi@sussex.pnn.police.uk

 

Parenting SPOCs

Surrey and Sussex have established Parenting SPOCSs as a support network for people off currently or about to go onto different types of parenting leave, such as maternity, adoption shared parental, parenting (paternity/support) partner and leave, as well as on their return and throughout their parenting journey.

The idea behind Parenting SPOCs was developed by colleagues in both forces who recognised the benefit of an empathetic and understanding person who they could ask questions or be signposted to right place for different things. Line managers will still be the point of contact for guidance on policy and procedure. 

Parenting SPOCs are there to assist you, therefore if there is a specific question you have please do not hesitate to contact them. For a list of SPOCS email:

 

Mentoring

Transitioning back into work after a long period of leave can be daunting. Surrey Police and Sussex Police have mentoring schemes (including identity based) that can provide one to one support from trained members of staff across all areas of the Force to support you during this period. The purpose of this is to help change something – to improve performance or to develop different skills, including if you are considering promotion. The level of support you require will dictate the direction of the relationship.

If you would like more information, or to apply for the scheme, please contact:

General information

This section is designed to give you some general points and information which you may not be aware of throughout your parenting journey, whilst preparing for your leave from the workplace, while you are away and also to assist you with your return.  For full information about the policy and procedure which covers these points and more please refer to the Maternity, Adoption, Shared Parental, Paternity/Parenting Partner (Support) Leave policy.

  • When you first notify your line manager of your pregnancy a risk assessment should be completed with your line manager which should be reviewed and updated regularly (and if there are any changes) throughout your pregnancy and on your return to work after maternity leave. It may also be relevant for a risk assessment to be completed for other parenting leave types, e.g. if taking medication to be able to breast feed. 
  • Should you feel adjustments need to be put in place for you these should be discussed with your line manager and whether it is necessary for an Occupational Health Assessment to be arranged.
  • The question has been asked ‘When do my hours get reduced down now that I am pregnant?’ Contrary to popular belief, a reduction in working hours is not a given. Should you feel that you have a need to reduce your working hours due to your pregnancy then this must be discussed with your supervisor.
  • Your supervisor will discuss and agree with you how you will keep in contact during your time away from workincludinghow you wish to be contacted.
  • Sickness during a period of pregnancy does not affect your sickness triggers.
  • Before going on parental leave it would be wise to make a note of all your passwords. Although some of these passwords will need to be changed on your return, you will find that knowing the old one will ease your update with a new one.
  • Keep your PPE and Equipment such as your radio and MDT together in a safe place. That way when you return you will not have to search about trying to remember where you put it all. Your locker is an ideal place as it keeps your kit out of the way and out of sight until needed. Do remember where you leave your keys though!
  • Make a note of those persons within the workplace who you wish to keep in contact with, or who you feel you may need to contact while on leave. Details of your Parenting SPOCs are good to have!
  • Not enough people make use of their KIT/SPLIT days. You have the option of coming back to work for a maximum of 10 days whilst on maternity/adoption leave and 20 days for Shared Parental Leave. These 10/20 days can be used at any time during your leave period. Do note that they are provided as days and not in hours. Therefore, regardless of how many hours you work on one day, be that 1 or 24 hours, you will have used one of your KIT/SPLIT days. You will be paid for the hours you work on a KIT/SPLIT day
  • KIT/SPLIT days are useful for training courses, tidying up e-mails, completing NCALT and most importantly give you the opportunity to integrate back in to your team, making that return to work a much smoother experience. Please see the SBS/HR Processes section for more information.

Events

Sussex KIT Day event: Thursday 20 June 2019

Throughout the year we host a series of KIT Days in partnership with Evolve and Sussex Police’s Parenting equality Champion. The session are usually opened by Chief Constable Giles York, with a number of key departments represented to answer any questions you might have.

These events are well attended, with colleagues from across all districts and divisions attending to hear about the support available to them, discuss changes being made in Sussex Police and meet others on leave.

The next session will take place at Lewes Headquarters on Thursday 20 June 2019 in the Amberley Block Conference room. It will be an opportunity to share your experiences, talk to colleagues who are also on parenting leave, or planning to do so. You will also get to hear and shape what Sussex Police is focusing on to improve the experience of people experiencing parenting leave, and an overview of the support that is available to you. Above all, the event will be a valuable opportunity to meet other colleagues from across the force, and children are very welcome to come along to the session too - there will be refreshments and changing facilities made available.

If you would like to attend the session, please contact Diversity@sussex.pnn.police.uk  and let us know if you require a parking space.

We look forward to seeing you there.

 

Surrey

Twice a year Keep in touch events are arranged in partnership between the Surrey Parenting Group and People Services to which to which individuals who are on Maternity/Adoption/Shared Parental/Parental/Parenting partner (Paternity/Support) are invited.  Babies and older children are welcome as a friend/family member/partner you may want to bring with you.

There is no expectation to stay the whole time and you may also want to speak with your line manager to see if you can combine coming in for the event with catching up with them/your team.  

At the event there is the opportunity to meet with other parents, pick up information and ask questions of reps from various departments and teams (including UNISON and Federation) related to maternity/adoption/shared parental/parental/parenting partner (paternity/support) leave and related to planning your return to work.

Light refreshments (tea, coffee, squash and biscuits) will be available. High chairs and baby change mats will be provided. 

What's new?

Information about mentoring schemes available has been added into the ‘Mentoring, Maternity Coaching and Parenting SPOCs’ section.

A feedback survey is being introduced in Sussex Police to capture information from parents, particularly about their experience when returning to work, to inform future developments and improvements. More information can be found in the Feedback section.

Following a review, IT accounts will no longer be disabled for individuals on parenting leave while they are away from work. Accounts previously disabled have now been reactivated for individuals logging onto work systems, e.g. when on KIT or SPLIT days.

An update about how internal vacancy information can be accessed directly will be sent out in the next KIT packs; following this the link will be included in future KIT packs.

Sussex Police and Surrey Police have membership to be able to access the members section for Tommy’s, a charity set up to advise and support individuals through pregnancy. Details of the membership log-on will be included in future KIT packs along with the log-on details to be able to access the Employee Assistance Programme offered by Surrey and Sussex Police, who can be contacted at any point for advice.

FAQs

Can I return to work earlier than first planned?

Yes – You will need to firstly discuss this with your line manager and inform SBS with at least 21 days’ notice to be able to bring forward your return to work date.

What are my options if I need more family leave than first anticipated?

If you have taken less than your entitled family leave you are able to change your return date providing you give the appropriate length of notice (21 days for officers and 28 days for staff). Add annual leave and/or accrued bank holidays to the end of family leave. This needs to be approved by your line manager in the usual way.

Career Breaks are offered by Surrey Police and Sussex Police up to a maximum of 5 years. Unpaid parental leave for up to 8 weeks can be taken for each child.

For more information about career breaks or unpaid parental leave please contact the following for a copy of the policy and procedure:

In the first instance you should discuss this option with your line manager and a formal request must be submitted as per the career break policy.

Can I resign whilst on family leave?

If you are in receipt of Occupational Pay you are required to return to work for one month after maternity/adoption/shared parental leave or the occupational pay (i.e. in excess of the statutory pay) needs to be repaid. This month can be made up either partly or entirely of annual leave, etc.

How can I book refresher training?

Your line manager will be able to make any arrangements for training for you.

Alternatively you may contact SBS:

What happens with the public (bank) holidays that take place during my family leave?

Whilst on maternity leave you will receive 1 public (bank) Holiday in Lieu per Public (bank) Holiday that falls during your period of maternity leave. This is pro-rata if you are part time.

Key contacts - Sussex

Shared Business Services - HR Operations


Payroll


Shared Business Services - Central Admin Team (Training & Recruitment)


Police Federation


Unison


Evolve

Key contacts - Surrey

Shared Business Services - HR Desk


Shared Business Services - L&D Desk


Payroll Desk


Police Federation


Unison

Key links

Tommy’s is a helpline to advise and support individuals through pregnancy, and also provides support for premature and stillborn births. Log on details for the membership section will be sent in KIT packs and is available from SBS (please see the 'key contacts' section for email and phone details).

Individuals may also contact the Employee Assistance Programme at any time for reassurance or advice throughout pregnancy. Log on details for the membership section will be sent in KIT packs and/or is available from SBS (please see the 'key contacts' section for email and phone details).

Tamba (Twins And Multiple Births Association) offers support and advice about multiple births.

Feedback

We’d like to hear from you about any feedback you have from your experience before, during or after your Parenting leave to help when considering future improvements.

If you have any feedback please contact randrpeopleservices@surrey.pnn.police.uk

A survey to gather feedback from parents, particularly about their return to work experiences, is being introduced from June 2019 in Sussex Police. It will be sent out to parents directly but a preview can also be accessed here.