Shared Parental Leave is a new right that will enable eligible mothers, fathers, partners and adopters to choose how to share time off work after their child is born or placed. This could mean that the mother or adopter shares some of the leave with her partner, perhaps returning to work for part of the time and then resuming leave at a later date.
The regulations are currently before parliament and are due to come into force on 1 December 2014. The options to use the new Shared Parental Leave rights will apply for parents who meet the eligibility criteria, where a baby is due to be born on or after 5 April 2015, or for children who are placed for adoption on or after that date. Employers could start to receive notice of eligibility and the intention to take Shared Parental Leave from qualifying employees from January 2015.
For more information go to:
http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=4911