A copy of the government response and the administration consultation document can be found on the GOV.UK website .
CIPP comment Whilst these details do not come as a surprise to the CIPP, indeed we have been advising our members of the intricacies of Shared Parental Leave for some time now, we are still concerned at the burden these complex provisions may pose for employers.
Children and Families Act 2014 approved by Parliament
19 March 2014
Shared Parental Leave and extending the right to request flexible working to all employees are two of the measures brought in under the Act to help individuals balance their work, home and family life. From April 2015, mothers, fathers and adopters can opt to share parental leave around their child’s birth or placement. This gives families more choice over taking leave in the first year - dads and mothers’ partners can take up to a year or parents can take several months at the same time.
From 1 October 2014, prospective fathers or a mother’s partner can take time off to attend up to 2 antenatal appointments.
Adoption leave and pay will reflect entitlements available to birth parents from April 2015 - no qualifying period for leave; enhanced pay to 90% of salary for the first 6 weeks; and time off to attend introductory appointments. Intended parents in surrogacy and ‘foster to adopt’ arrangements will also qualify for adoption leave and pay. From 30 June 2014, the right to request flexible working will be extended to all employees. The current statutory procedure, through which employers consider flexible working requests, will be replaced with a duty on employers to consider with requests in a ‘reasonable’ manner.
Further information:
Overview of the Children and Families Act Video ‘Children and Families Bill: a look back’ Children and Families Act 2014
Shared Parental Leave In Touch days to be called SPLIT days
28 May 2014
BIS has confirmed to the CIPP that working days under the Shared Parental Leave scheme due to come into force in 2015, will be known as SPLIT days.
Parents are to be allowed to have up to 20 days at work per parent whilst on shared parental leave. The days that will be available to parents on shared parental leave will be renamed SPLIT days to distinguish them from KIT (Keeping In Touch) days for use during the maternity leave period. The SPLIT days on shared parental leave will be in addition to the 10 KIT days which will continue to be available to a woman whilst she is on maternity leave.
Guide to Shared Parental Leave and Pay
CIPP Policy News Journal
08/04/2015, Page 465 of 521
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