Shared Parental Leave

New Baby

Fathers are not taking advantage of rules that allow them to share leave with their partners, according to research published a year after the rights came into force.

Shared parental leave (SPL) was introduced on 5 April 2015 to give parents more choice and flexibility in caring for their children during the first 12 months after their birth. Parents can split 52 weeks’ leave, receiving some payment for 39 of those weeks. That is on top of the two weeks’ statutory paternity leave available to fathers.  More