Concern over TOfD policies

23 June 2022

Hertfordshire Police Federation secretary Al Wollaston said he would be happy to challenge the Force over its policies on Time Off for Dependants (TOfD) and Parental Bereavement Leave.

Al spoke out after it emerged that a number of forces were misleading officers and denying them their entitlements to TOfD.

Only one of the 43 forces in England and Wales had a policy which was close to acceptable while several, including Hertfordshire, claimed officers had no legal right to be paid for such leave.

Hertfordshire states that a maximum of two days paid TOfD leave can be taken at the discretion of a manager.

Al said the Force had no right to override existing regulations which do no not mention such restrictions or limit the number of occasions a year the entitlement can be taken.

“This report has highlighted an issue of serious concern and I am happy to challenge the Force on its policy,” he explained.

“Our members make huge sacrifices and are always missing important family events because of the demands of the job -  every one of us has had to miss a birthday, wedding or Christmas celebration because we are on duty.

“But every now and then we have to put our family first and if we need to care for someone who is injured or unwell then we should be able to do that with the support of our employers.”

Federation national equality lead Ian Saunders said: “Time Off for Dependants and Parental Bereavement Leave is a hugely important benefit to all our members, but particularly for women, who tend to have greater responsibility for child and elderly care within families.

“Unfortunately, we have found forces systematically try to downplay, or even misrepresent these entitlements in their policies which is deeply concerning.

“The low take-up of TOfD in most forces is a sign they have effectively minimised something they should instead be actively promoting to enable those with dependants to remain as police officers and continue to serve the public.

“If this is partly a cost-cutting exercise, then forces are mistaken. The cost of losing those in service with invaluable experience massively outweighs the cost of paying officers to take this leave.

“There is also a need for culture change as we found officers taking this leave are made to feel they are letting their team down or should be grateful for taking TOfD leave even in instances where this is less than their entitlement.

“If forces want to successfully recruit and, just as importantly, retain, they need to see the bigger picture.

“We have presented our findings to the National Police Chiefs’ Council, and we would urge chiefs to act upon it.”