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ARTICLE · 13 FEBRUARY 2015

Shared Parental Leave

RWK Goodman
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The new shared parental leave system has now come in to force, pursuant to the Children and Families Act 2014, and will apply to parents of babies due on or after 5 April 2015.

United KingdomEmployment and HR
Rose Branson
Rose Branson

The new shared parental leave system has now come in to force, pursuant to the Children and Families Act 2014, and will apply to parents of babies due on or after 5 April 2015.

The new system does not mean that the existing maternity and paternity leave and pay provisions will be repealed, and shared parental leave provisions will not automatically apply.

In order for the shared parental leave rights to kick in, a parent entitled to maternity leave and pay will need to cut short her maternity leave. This can only be done after the mandatory maternity leave period of (usually) two weeks' after childbirth. If more than eight weeks' of maternity leave remain unused, the balance can be split between eligible parents as shared parental leave.

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