When Aaron Horsey found out his wife, Bernadette, was pregnant he decided to change jobs to make sure he could work flexibly and be present for his new child. But when Bernadette died unexpectedly in childbirth, he suddenly realised the move had left him with no right to time off work to look after their newborn son, Tim.
Horsey already knew that fathers and partners only have the right to paternity or parental leave if they have worked for a company for nine months before their child is born – even if it is unpaid. Instead, he was planning to take unpaid leave and holiday.
