Introduction (1362 words)

Two-thirds of mothers with dependant children are now in employment, as are nine out of 10 fathers. The last 20 years has seen a ...

1. Maternity rights (3609 words)

There are around 350,000 pregnant women in work each year, and from 6 April 2003 their rights to statutory maternity leave and pay are ...

2. Paternity leave (2021 words)

From 6 April 2003, fathers will have, for the first time, the right to time off work when their baby is born. Previously they ...

3. Adoption leave (1923 words)

Around 3,000 adoptions of children from local authority care took place in the year up to March 2001, and this number is growing as ...

4. Parental leave (1715 words)

In December 1999, the Maternity and Parental Leave etc Regulations 1999 introduced a right for working parents to take a period of unpaid parental ...

5. Time off for dependants (1123 words)

All working parents will, at some point, need time off at short notice to deal with a child's illness or an accident, a breakdown ...

6. Flexible working (1864 words)

Many surveys have shown that the number of parents who would like to have the option of flexible working arrangements is greater than those ...

7. Long-term time off to raise children (772 words)

In addition to time off when a child is born, or placed for adoption, some parents may also want a longer period of unpaid ...

8. Childcare provision (1835 words)

Parents in Britain have the highest childcare costs in Europe, with the typical cost of a nursery place for a child under two now ...

9. Tax credits (321 words)

The system of support for working people with children and those in lower paid work changes from 6 April 2003, with the introduction of ...

Further advice and information (436 words)

The Labour Research Department (LRD) publishes regular booklets on legal, health and safety, equality and bargaining topics. Relevant titles include Work-life balance - a ...