Government prepares 2 days of paid childcare leave for children under 17 instead of the current 14

The Ministerstwo Rodziny, Pracy i Polityki Społecznej (family and labour ministry) has drafted amendments under which parents of children under 17 would gain the right to two additional paid days off a year to care for a child. At present these days are available only to parents of children under 14. The draft has already been published on the website of the Rządowe Centrum Legislacji (RCL) and sent out for consultations.

The days can be split between mother and father or used by one parent; the entitlement does not depend on length of service or working hours — for part-time employees the number of hours is proportional. Unused days expire and are not carried over to the next year, and no compensation is paid for them; a parent with several jobs is entitled to separate days at each one.

The amendment responds to proposals from the Rzecznik Praw Dziecka (children's ombudsman) and the Naczelna Rada Adwokacka (Polish Bar Council): older children may also need care in emergencies. Łukasz Kozłowski, chief economist at the Federacja Przedsiębiorców Polskich (Federation of Polish Entrepreneurs), notes that teenagers' care needs differ from those of younger children.