International law firm CMS has introduced a new Foster Care policy in the UK, coupled with an accreditation from the Fostering Network as a Foster Friendly employer, marking a milestone as the first law firm to receive this recognition.
With nearly 70,000 children in the UK under the care of foster families and a growing need for more foster homes each year, CMS's new policy represents a commitment to supporting foster carers and their families. The comprehensive policy offers a range of benefits, including up to 10 days’ leave for planned permanent placements to help children settle into their new homes, as well as up to five days’ leave for essential child review meetings, annual foster carer reviews and training. Additionally, CMS provides up to five days’ leave for assessment and initial training prior to approval as a foster carer.
Phil Raymond, Director of Human Resources at CMS, comments: “CMS understands the pressures of family responsibilities and is committed to easing those pressures and supporting all our people on this journey. Our new policy aims to raise awareness of foster caring and provide support to colleagues who take on this important responsibility. Alongside our new Foster Care policy and accreditation from the Fostering Network, we’re pleased to have strengthened our support for families in other areas, including extending our parental leave provision and introducing a new Neonatal policy. All these measures are designed to ensure that our people feel supported and recognised.”
Sarah Thomas, CEO of the Fostering Network, adds: “Becoming a Fostering Friendly employer and joining the fostering community is something to be really proud of. This is key in supporting foster carer employees and recognising the vital difference they make to the lives of children and young people. We are delighted to welcome CMS to the scheme.”
In tandem with the launch of the Foster Care policy, CMS in the UK has enhanced its family support initiatives, including the extension of paternity leave from two to six weeks, the introduction of a comprehensive Neonatal policy offering up to 12 weeks of leave, a Fertility policy providing up to five days leave and access to fertility experts via the Peppy app, and a Pregnancy and Baby Loss policy which provides 10 days leave. These changes are part of CMS's broader commitment to supporting employees at every stage of their personal and professional lives, and complement the support already offered to its people in the UK, including:
- A generous and supportive package for new mothers, fathers, partners and adopters including enhanced pay, greater flexibility and the ability to take extended leave.
- Coaching before and after returning to work.
- A Carers policy offering paid carers’ leave of up to five days.
- A Carers Passport scheme which helps carers talk to their line managers about their role as a carer, articulate the challenges they face, and agree how best to support them. The firm is also a member of Carers UK and is the first law firm to be accredited under the Carer Confident Bench scheme.
- A Domestic Abuse policy which helps to create an environment where employees feel safe to talk about their experiences and seek help. CMS works with charity SafeLives to provide training for its Wellbeing Ambassadors and HR teams and lead a firm-wide awareness session.
- A ‘Pregnancy and Parenting at Work’ programme, in partnership with Tommy’s. The programme provides support to employees going through or supporting any pregnancy journey – including complications, premature birth, baby loss and fertility treatment.
Partnering with My Family Care to provide a wide range of in-person and digital products to help employees manage their work and family challenges, such as back-up child-care and elder-care, education, advice and guidance.
