Shared parental leave

The Shared Parental Leave Regulations 2014 came into force on 1 December 2014 and apply in respect of babies expected to be born on or after 5 April 2015.

The regulations provide that, subject to qualifying service of 26 weeks at the 15th week before expected birth, parents can share maternity leave as they choose, subject to the mother taking the first two weeks. In other words they can share the remaining 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of pay as they choose. However, only the mother can take six weeks at 90%.

This could mean taking time off at the same time for example at the time of the birth, both working part-time for the majority of the leave, the father taking time off at the birth and then later. However all of this is dependent on the employer’s ability to deal with such flexibility.

Each parent must give eight weeks’ notice of his or her intention to take the leave (for the mother this is in addition to notice for maternity leave). There is no need for each employer to contact the other.

The Labour Research Department has produced a booklet — Leave and pay for working parents — which covers the new rights along with maternity rights, paternity leave, surrogacy leave and pay, parental leave, time off for dependants, the health and safety of new and expectant mothers, breastfeeding, leave for fertility treatment and time off for family emergencies.

www.lrdpublications.org.uk/all_issues.php?pub=BK&year=2014