4. Find out about child death or disappearance leaves

You may be able to take crime-related child disappearance leave if your child:

has disappeared, and
it's likely that they disappeared because of a .

You may be able to take child death leave if your child has died.

Both leaves apply to a child who's 17 years old or younger. A child includes your stepchild, your foster child, and a child you're the legal guardian of.

To get either leave, you must have worked for your employer at least 6 months in a row.

Getting paid

Your employer does not have to pay you for these leaves, unless you have a contract or workplace policy that says they do. Read more in the Answer under the heading Getting paid.

But you might be able to get the Canadian Benefit for Parents of Young Victims of Crime for up to 35 weeks.

How long you can take

Both of these leaves can last up to 104 weeks. But you must share the weeks with anyone who also needs the leave for the same child.

For example, if you take 52 weeks of leave after your child dies, your spouse can take up to 52 weeks of leave as well. This applies even if you and your spouse work for different employers.

Tell your employer

Tell your employer as soon as you know you need a leave.

If you must start your leave before talking to your employer, contact them as soon as you can.

You must tell your employer in writing. You can send an email, text message, or letter.

Written plan

You also need to give your employer a written plan showing which weeks you'll be on leave.

Proving you need a leave

Your employer can require you to give proof that you need to take the leave. For example, you might need to show your employer proof that there's a police report about your missing child.