The government has launched an advertising campaign to encourage more parents to take up Shared Parental Leave in their baby’s first year.
The 1.5 million advertising campaign encourages parents to “Share the joy” and aims to reach them through digital website advertising, social media, adverts in train stations and on commuter routes. A new website will provide detailed information and guidance.
According to research by the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy department, around 285,000 couples are eligible every year for Shared Parental Leave, but take up is currently lagging somewhere between 2 and 8 per cent of eligible parents.
This is perhaps not surprising, given that the same research found that although almost half of eligible couples had heard of shared parental leave, only 8 per cent knew much about it. Around half of the general public were unaware that the option was even available to parents.
Shared Parental Leave was introduced in 2015 to offer choice to eligible parents when it comes to childcare and allow mothers to return to work sooner if they wished to. Other policy goals included retaining female talent in the workforce, thereby contributing to closing the gender pay gap.
Under the Shared Parental Leave Regulations 2014, parents can share up to 50 weeks of leave, taking it in up to three separate blocks, or sharing the time to have up to six months off together, although mothers still have to take at least two weeks of maternity leave immediately after the birth.
Couples can also share up to 37 weeks of Statutory Shared Parental Pay, paid at £140.98 per week - the same as the last 33 weeks of Statutory Maternity Pay. To be eligible, they both have to be employees and must have worked continuously for their employer for around 40 weeks.
Gerard Airey of Thompsons Solicitors commented: “The statistics show that only a limited percentage of people know about their shared parental leave rights and any campaign aimed at informing parents of their rights is welcome. Hopefully this will draw more attention to this issue, bring up the levels of knowledge in this area and lead to increased take up of these rights which are aimed at providing more equality to all.”
Visit the shared parental leave website for more details on shared parental leave and to find out who is eligible.