Our previous article, which can be found here, sets out several new family-friendly regulations that will be coming into force on 6 April 2024.

The government is continuing with its agenda of extending family-friendly rights. Draft regulations concerning statutory paternity leave, which are proposed to come into force in March 2024, have been laid before Parliament.

The draft regulations make the following changes:

• Fathers and partners will be allowed to take their leave as two one-week, non-consecutive blocks (rather than be taken in one block of one or two weeks).
• Fathers and partners will be allowed to take their leave at any point in the first year after the birth or adoption of their child (rather than only within the first eight weeks after birth or adoption).
• In most cases the notice period required will be shortened for each period of leave to four weeks, meaning leave can be taken at shorter notice to accommodate the changing needs of the family.
• Where initial notice is given by a father or partner, the dates already given can be varied if they give 28 days’ notice of the variation, enabling them to change the planned dates at a later stage to best suit the needs of their families.
• Employers should note that the regulations are currently in draft form at present, however, we anticipate that once these are approved, the proposed changes will come into force.

If you require any assistance preparing for these new regulations around paternity leave, please contact Rajveer Basra at RajveerBasra@schofieldsweeney.co.uk.