New Family Friendly Legislation Given Royal Assent

Three new Acts giving further employment rights to parents and carers received Royal Assent last week. Once in force, parents and carers will benefit from the following new protections:

• The Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act allows eligible employed parents whose newborn baby is admitted to neonatal care to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave, in addition to other leave entitlements such as maternity and paternity leave.
• The Protection from Redundancy (Pregnancy and Family Leave) Act allows the extension of existing redundancy protections whilst on Maternity Leave, Adoption Leave, or Shared Parental Leave to also cover pregnancy and a period of time after a new parent has returned to work.
• The Carer's Leave Act creates a new statutory unpaid leave entitlement for employees who are caring for a dependant with a long-term care need.
• The secondary legislation which will set out the details and the commencement dates for each Act will be laid down "in due course". Keep an eye on our updates for further information.

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