The concept of Shared Parental Leave (SPL) was introduced in April 2015 and enables mothers to end their maternity leave in order to share leave and pay with their partner.
It is now proposed that by 2018, SPL will also be extended to working grandparents to assist parents to return to work more quickly and to encourage grandparents to stay in work rather than leaving to help with childcare.
It is also proposed that families will also be able to split statutory shared parental pay which is currently £139.58 or 90% of average weekly earnings, whichever is lower.
It is thought that this proposal will be of particular benefit to single mothers without a partner to share leave with. It is reported that more than a half of mothers rely on grandparents for childcare when they first return to work after having a baby and that some two million grandparents have reduced their hours or taken time off work to look after their grandchildren.
Written by
Rachael Jessop
13th October 2015