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Home > About childhood cancer > For parents >If you work, you may have already phoned your employer to tell them about your child’s diagnosis. You can ask your CLIC Sargent Social Worker to do this for you if you prefer. Try to let them know roughly how long you will be away if you can.
You may also be wondering how on earth you are going to manage work in the long term. The truth is, it probably won’t be easy. While work can give valuable structure to your life as you support your child through treatment, there may be times when it’s simply not possible. In this case, if you are an employee, you have certain rights. You may be entitled to take some unpaid leave and also to work flexibly.
Time off for dependants
If you are an employee, you have the right to unpaid time off work to deal with emergencies involving a dependant, such as an unexpected or sudden problem. This time off can’t be used for long-term care.
Parental leave
You may be entitled to parental leave if your child gets Disability Living Allowance (DLA), or if your child is not eligible for DLA but is under five.
Flexible working
Provided you have worked for your employer for a set period of time you have the right to ask for flexible working. You could ask to work from home, for example, or to work flexi- hours or part-time.
For more help
To find out more about your employment rights, speak to your social worker or go to www.direct.gov.uk and click on ‘Employment’.
For information about work related benefits, you can also contact CLIC Sargent’s Specialist Benefits Advisers on 0300 330 0803.
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