BIS has published further sets of draft regulations connected with the new SPL regime, available here. These extend the regime to parents fostering to adopt, adopting from overseas and using surrogacy.
They include draft regulations extending the current right to 18 weeks' unpaid parental leave to parents of children aged under 18 (currently this right is only available to parents of children aged under 5). The draft does not include any transitional provisions so it would appear that parents of children now aged 5 or over, who have unused leave entitlement, will be able to take their remaining entitlement once the regulations come into force, planned for 5 April 2015.
ACAS has published a detailed guidance note on the new shared parental leave rules, together with supporting material including standard letters and a policy document. These documents are available here. It is expected that BIS will publish a form for employees to use to give the required notices under the new regime by the end of this month.
Key contacts
Steve Bell
Managing Partner - Employment, Industrial Relations and Safety (Australia, Asia), Melbourne
Emma Rohsler
Regional Head of Practice (EMEA) - Employment Pensions and Incentives, Paris
Disclaimer
The articles published on this website, current at the dates of publication set out above, are for reference purposes only. They do not constitute legal advice and should not be relied upon as such. Specific legal advice about your specific circumstances should always be sought separately before taking any action.