As a result of the Government’s Good Work Plan: Proposals for Families, legislation allowing fathers or partners to split their statutory paternity leave into two blocks has been enacted this month. The Paternity Leave (Amendment) Regulations 2024 came into force on 8 March 2024 and will apply in relation to children whose expected week of childbirth is after 6 April 2024 and children whose expected date of placement for adoption, or expected date of entry into Great Britain for adoption, is on or after 6 April 2024.

These reforms aim to increase paternal involvement in childcare, provide families with greater flexibility, support mothers to return to work and stay in work, prevent discrimination, and narrow the gender pay gap. Fathers and partners will be better placed to accommodate the changing needs of their family life and rebalance the traditional family childcare dynamic. This blog post will explore the changes and what both employers and employees need to know.

Key Reforms for Fathers and Partners

Flexible paternity leave: Fathers and partners will be able to take paid paternity leave as two non-consecutive blocks of one week, rather than having to choose between taking one or two weeks.

Extended timeframe: Paternity leave and pay can now be taken at any point within the first year after the birth or adoption of a child, rather than only within the first eight weeks.

Reduced notice period: In most cases, the notice period required for each period of leave and pay will be reduced to 28 days (previously 15 weeks before expected week of childbirth) allowing employees to decide when to take their leave at shorter notice. For domestic adoption cases, the notice period will remain within seven days of the adopter being matched with a child.

Flexible leave date changes: Employees will have increased flexibility to change their leave dates by giving 28 days’ notice of the variation. This enables employees to change planned dates at a later stage to best suit the needs of their families.

Employer Responsibilities

Policy review: Employers should prepare for these changes by reviewing their family-related leave policies to ensure alignment with the new regulations.

HR and line manager training: HR and line managers handling paternity leave and pay should be briefed on any new processes arising from the reforms.