Lib Dems offer ‘daddy month’ of paid parental leave for new fathers
12 May 2017
As part of their manifesto, the Liberal Democrats will introduce an additional month of paid parental leave especially for fathers to encourage greater sharing of parental responsibilities.
The party has said that the policy will build on their achievement of introducing Shared Parental Leave in order to ensure that new parents can make the decisions which work best for their family.
Jo Swinson, who introduced the original Shared Parental Leave in the Coalition Government, said:
“The Liberal Democrat introduction of Shared Parental Leave was a massive step towards more equal parenting, and recognising the vital role that fathers play. Parents across the UK have already benefitted from greater flexibility and freedom in how they share the care for their new baby.
But more needs to be done in order to encourage men to take leave when they become a dad, to bond with their child during the early weeks and months of their life. Research shows that fathers being more involved in their children's lives is good for children's development and good for the health and happiness of the whole family.”
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CIPP comment Shared Parental Leave was introduced in 2015 and recent research by Working Families found that 52% of fathers would make use of the scheme. The Chief Executive of Working Families said that Shared Parental Pay should be a day one right and pay should be equal to statutory maternity pay. |