The Paternity Leave (Amendment) Regulations are due to take effect from 8 March 2024. These were enacted following the government’s response to a consultation leave and pay in June 2023.

The Regulations will come into force alongside several other family-friendly regulations and will bring in the following changes to the right of fathers or partners to take paid paternity or adoption leave:

  1. Enable fathers and partners of children born or adopted on or after 6 April 2024 to take paternity leave in two non-consecutive blocks of one week at any point in the first year after the birth or adoption of their child. Currently, fathers are only entitled to take one continuous block of paternity leave of one or two weeks which must be taken within the first eight weeks after birth. The new Regulations will introduce greater flexibility into the process and allow fathers or partners to spread the leave out across the 52 weeks following the birth or adoption of their child.
  2. Provide a shorter notice period to be given by an employee who wishes to take paternity leave than currently required. Under the new legislation, fathers or partners must give 28 days, or four weeks’ notice of their intention to take paternity leave rather than the 15 weeks that must be given. In domestic adoption cases, the notice period for leave will remain within seven days of the adopter having received notice of being matched with a child due to the greater uncertainty inherent in the adoption process.
  3. Enable fathers or partners who have given initial notice to vary any dates provided they give 28 days’ notice of the variation. This will allow them to change planned dates to best suit the needs of their families.

These Regulations will come into force on 8 March 2024, but the changes they bring into effect will only apply to fathers or partners of children born or adopted on or after 6 April 2024. For children born or adopted before this date, the current legislation is still applicable.

For more information, please contact Matthew Ottley or call 0161 475 7663.

The Regulations will come into force alongside several other family-friendly regulations and will bring in the following changes to the right of fathers or partners to take paid paternity or adoption leave:

  1. Enable fathers and partners of children born or adopted on or after 6 April 2024 to take paternity leave in two non-consecutive blocks of one week at any point in the first year after the birth or adoption of their child. Currently, fathers are only entitled to take one continuous block of paternity leave of one or two weeks which must be taken within the first eight weeks after birth. The new Regulations will introduce greater flexibility into the process and allow fathers or partners to spread the leave out across the 52 weeks following the birth or adoption of their child.
  2. Provide a shorter notice period to be given by an employee who wishes to take paternity leave than currently required. Under the new legislation, fathers or partners must give 28 days, or four weeks’ notice of their intention to take paternity leave rather than the 15 weeks that must be given. In domestic adoption cases, the notice period for leave will remain within seven days of the adopter having received notice of being matched with a child due to the greater uncertainty inherent in the adoption process.
  3. Enable fathers or partners who have given initial notice to vary any dates provided they give 28 days’ notice of the variation. This will allow them to change planned dates to best suit the needs of their families.

These Regulations will come into force on 8 March 2024, but the changes they bring into effect will only apply to fathers or partners of children born or adopted on or after 6 April 2024. For children born or adopted before this date, the current legislation is still applicable.

For more information, please contact Matthew Ottley or a member of our employment law team.

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