The government has enacted revisions to its Civil Service Regulations, granting special paid leave to employees who assume guardianship of infants under state care. The administrative overhaul, designed to align foster care benefits with the nation’s established maternity leave standards, reflects a robust policy shift toward supporting alternative familial structures.
Dr Aishath Shiham, the Minister of Social and Family Development, stated during a briefing at the President’s Office in March that these regulatory adjustments would take effect in April, modifying existing protocols to accommodate the needs of state-ward children and their new guardians.
Efforts to formalise "temporary fostering" arrangements seek to mitigate the logistical and financial pressures placed upon care givers. To this end, the government has stipulated that families experiencing financial hardship will be eligible for a special state allowance of USD 324.28 per month for each child.
The duration of sanctioned paid leave is strictly governed by the child’s age: civil servants assuming custody of an infant under six months are entitled to full salary and benefits until the child reaches that six-month threshold. Should the child already be older than six months, or reach that milestone within thirty days of placement, the care giver is granted a standardised thirty-day paid leave period.
This momentum in child welfare, which has seen 111 children integrated into families since 17 November 2023, is mirrored by concurrent statutory changes extending daily caregiving periods for the broader workforce. While national law previously permitted nursing breaks only until a child’s first birthday, the latest amendment extends this entitlement to two years of age. Employers must now provide working parents with two 30-minute paid breaks per day, ensuring dedicated time to fulfil childcare responsibilities during standard working hours.