Government launches Shared Parental Leave and Pay portal for working families
A new online tool will make it easier for expecting parents to understand and plan statutory Shared Parental Leave and Pay, it has been revealed.
The online portal, launched by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), can be found here.
It follows research suggesting that almost all parents who take advantage of Shared Parental Leave and Pay would recommend it, but few families are aware of its existence.
Under the Shared Parental Leave and Pay scheme, working parents can share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay in the first year of their child’s life – or within a year of placement if the child is adopted – giving families “more choice and flexibility” over the care of their child and helping to level the playing field between working mothers and fathers.
Using the new online tool, parents will be able to check their eligibility for the scheme “in five minutes”, calculate their pay entitlement, and access employment documents to hand to their employer.
Commenting on the scheme, Labour Markets Minister Paul Scully said: “Nothing is more special than seeing your child hit those major milestones like smiling for the first time or starting to crawl – and both parents should get to share in that joy.
“Shared Parental Leave gives working parents the power to balance and share childcare and work, and this new tool will mean it’s quicker and easier to get that precious time with your baby.”
Jane Gratton, Head of People Policy at the British Chamber of Commerce (BCC), added: “Shared parental leave supports parents to balance family and career priorities and helps employers retain skills. This tool is a welcome initiative that will hopefully simplify the SPL process, improve access and take-up, and encourage diversity in the workplace.”
For more information on the Shared Parental Leave and Pay scheme, please click here.
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