These Regulations introduce a new entitlement for employees who are mothers, fathers, adopters, or prospective adopters, or the partners of mothers or adopters, or prospective adopters, to take shared parental leave in the first year of their child’s life or in the first year after the child’s placement for adoption. The Regulations are made in exercise of powers inserted into the Employment Rights Act 1996 by the Children and Families Act 2014.