Shared parental leave enables eligible mothers, staff who have given birth to a child, fathers, partners and adopters to choose how to share time off work after their child is born or placed for adoption.

Shared parental leave could involve returning to work for a period of time and then resuming leave at a later date.

How shared parental leave works

Shared Parental Leave can give parents more flexibility in how they share the care of their child in the first year following birth or adoption.

Parents can share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay and choose to take the leave and pay in a more flexible way.

Eligible parents can be off work together for up to six months or alternatively, stagger their leave and pay so that one of them is always at home with their baby in the first year.