Shared parental leave and pay administration

The government is publishing this consultation on administering shared parental leave and pay. Shared parental leave and pay will give parents more choice and flexibility in how they share the care of their child in the early stages following birth. This will:

• enable both parents to retain a strong link with the labour market
• encourage more fathers to play a greater caring role (both pre-natal and in the early stages)

The consultation sets out proposals for how shared parental leave and pay will work in practice. We announced our intention to implement measures to encourage sharing parental leave and pay on 13 November 2012 in the government response to the Modern Workplaces Consultation.

This consultation is about getting the detail right and making shared parental leave work for both parents and the people who employ them.

Alongside this Acas are also consulting on a Draft Code of Practice for flexible working. For further information see the Acas consultations page.