Three government-backed Private Members’ Bills, which have now received Royal Assent, will provide new employment protections for parents and unpaid carers.
Business Minister, Kevin Hollinrake, said: “We know how stressful it can be for parents caring for a new-born in neonatal care, or someone who is trying to juggle work with caring responsibilities, and these additional protections will ensure they get the support they need.”
Shocking research from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), he went on, has shown that approximately one in nine mothers were either dismissed, made compulsorily redundant or treated so poorly they felt they had to leave their job.
In addition, charities have been calling for further support for carers, highlighting that they should not have to struggle between caring for the ones they love and working to provide for their families.
The new legislation
The following three Acts will, once they come into force, provide new protections in these areas.
The Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act will allow eligible employed parents whose newborn baby is admitted to neonatal care to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave, in addition to other leave entitlements such as maternity and paternity leave.
The Protection from Redundancy (Pregnancy and Family Leave) Act will allow the extension of existing redundancy protections whilst on maternity, adoption or shared parental leave to also cover pregnancy and a period of time after a new parent has returned to work.
The Carer’s Leave Act will create a new statutory unpaid leave entitlement for employees who are caring for a dependant with a long-term care need.
Mr Hollinrake confirmed that the Government will lay down secondary legislation “in due course” to implement these new entitlements.
How we can help
At S.E. Hunter Associates Limited we can help to navigate the legal obligations concerning parental and carers leave.
Some of the services we offer that can help with this are as follows:
- Creation of new policy, or amendment to existing leave policies;
- Facilitation of training sessions for management to understand an organisations new responsibilities;
- Formation of checklists for dealing with an employees request regarding leave for caring responsibilities;
- Advising process for return to work for employees following time off for dependants.
If you would like to discuss any of the above, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us, either by mailing info@sehunterassociates.co.uk or calling 07838184094.