More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. The government has outlined how its new system of shared parental leave will work for employees and employers when it comes into force in April The proposals for shared parental leave and flexible working are included in the Children and Families Bill , which is currently going through Parliament.
The details will be set out in regulations. The new leave system will allow eligible working families to have more choice about how they balance their work and caring commitments. Parents can choose to be at home together or to work at different times and share the care of their child. The current statutory procedure will be repealed to lift the burden on employers, and the government has asked the Advisory, Consiliation and Arbitration Service Acas to produce a code of practice to help organisations manage this new extended right.
Acas will also produce a non-statutory good practice guide with practical examples of managing this in the workplace. We want to create a fairer society that gives parents the flexibility to choose how they share care for their child in the first year after birth. This is good for families, good for business and good for our economy. I anticipate there will be issues for employers in navigating the new regulations in the short term, but in the long term this should be something that becomes manageable for employers.
The introduction of flexible parental leave is a really significant step in achieving gender equality for parents within the workplace. The assumption that women should be the stay-at-home parent is misguided in the modern working world; it is only right that families are able to make a decision based on what suits their needs.
The current system of maternity and paternity care is outdated, and both men and women have felt limited by the choices that they can make as a result of this. From April , the fact that a woman can share her maternity leave with the father will have a big impact both on the traditional role of women within a family unit but also within the workplace.
