Rochelle Francis works in the call centre at Waltham Forest LBC, helping residents with their questions and queries and delivering great service for our customers. As the mother of premature triplets born three months early, Rochelle worried about whether she would be able to care for her children and keep her job. Thanks to the council's premature birth policy, Rochelle was able to take the time off she needed to spend precious time with her little ones after they left hospital - without the worry of having to arrange time off work.

She is one of four employees who have benefited from Waltham Forest's premature birth policy since it was introduced just over a year ago. Under the council's scheme, any employee who has a baby born prematurely now receives additional maternity or paternity leave, at full pay, to cover the time their baby spends in hospital up to the original due date.