To what extent does an employer have to facilitate flexible working requests to facilitate childcare needs?
Published on: 11/06/2026
Article Authors The main content of this article was provided by the following authors.
Sinead Morgan Legal Director leading DAC Beachcroft Dublin's employment team
Sinead Morgan Legal Director leading DAC Beachcroft Dublin's employment team
Picture1

Sinead Morgan is a Legal Director leading DAC Beachcroft Dublin's employment team. She advises on all aspects of employment law and IR issues from recruitment of employees to contract drafting and termination of employment. Sinead has experience acting for clients in varied sectors, to include manufacturing, retail, tech, insurance, professional services, recruitment and pharma. She is also experienced in defending employers before the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), Labour Court, Circuit and High Courts. She regularly advises employers on various internal issues guiding them through complex investigations and disciplinary processes and resolving issues through dispute resolution processes such as mediation.

Sinead tutors in employment law for the Law Society of Ireland and presents on topical employment law issues for various bodies such as Legal Island, CIPD and CMG Training. She also provides tailored training sessions to her clients on key employment law issues impacting their sectors and provides strategic support in developing their own HR programmes. Sinead is also a regular contributor to various employment law publications such as Legal Island and the Industrial Relations News and an active member of the Employment and Equality Committee of the Law Society of Ireland.

The extent to which an employer has to consider part time or flexible working requests from a working parent or to facilitate childcare needs has come into sharp focus with the evolution of remote and hybrid working. There is no statutory entitlement to reduced hours as a working parent. 


The right to request flexible working became available for caring duties under the Work Life Balance Act 2023 ("2023 Act"). This is a right to request flexible work to provide personal care or support to a specified person, which includes a child under twelve or under sixteen if the child has a disability or illness. Requests for flexibility can include but are not limited to part time work, adapted hours or

Continue reading

We help hundreds of people like you understand how the latest changes in employment law impact your business.

Already a subscriber?

Please log in to view the full article.

What you'll get:

  • Help understand the ramifications of each important case from NI, GB and Europe
  • Ensure your organisation's policies and procedures are fully compliant with NI law
  • 24/7 access to all the content in the Legal Island Vault for research case law and HR issues
  • Receive free preliminary advice on workplace issues from the employment team

Already a subscriber? Log in now or start a free trial

Disclaimer The information in this article is provided as part of Legal Island's Employment Law Hub. We regret we are not able to respond to requests for specific legal or HR queries and recommend that professional advice is obtained before relying on information supplied anywhere within this article. This article is correct at 11/06/2026
Protecting Yourself When Home Working
All Staff
Wellbeing
Popular
eLearning Course
Protecting Data when Hybrid Working
All Staff
Popular
eLearning Course
Managing and Motivating Remote Workers
HR Professional
Popular
eLearning Course
Discover the smarter way to deliver staff training (without the stress)! Streamline your company-wide training, enhance your staff's skills, and in increase productivity with our learning management system, AppLI LMS