Employment Rights for Parents and Carers Extended

On 24 May 2023, three Private Members’ Bills extending the employment rights and protections for parents and carers received Royal Assent.

The extension of employment rights and protections for parents and carers introduced three new pieces of legislation:

1. The Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023.
2. The Protection from Redundancy (Pregnancy and Family leave) Act 2023
3. The Carer’s Leave Act 2023

The implementing regulations required to bring these new Acts into force have not been drafted and a date for implementation of the provisions is yet to be announced.

The new employment rights and protections for parents and carers included in these three new Bills include the following:

• The Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023 will introduce a new ‘day one’ right for employees to take up to 12 weeks of paid neonatal care leave where a child or a child for whom they have parental responsibility is admitted to neonatal care, so that they can spend more time with their baby at what is a hugely stressful time. This is in addition to other leave and pay entitlements such as maternity and paternity. Implementation is currently planned for April 2025.
• The Protection from Redundancy (Pregnancy and Family leave) Act 2023 will introduce redundancy protection for pregnant women and new parents with the extension of existing redundancy protections to cover pregnancy and a period of time after parents return to work. Implementation will not be before July 2024.
• The Carer’s Leave Act 2023 will introduce a new ‘day one’ right for unpaid carers who are caring for a dependant with a long-term care need to take a week of flexible unpaid leave in any rolling 12-month period. This will enable carers to better balance their caring and work responsibilities, supporting them to remain in employment.  Implementation will not be before April 2024.

These new rights will be widely welcomed by parents and carers who play an important role in society and their introduction will undoubtedly help alleviate the burden of their responsibilities, improve their quality of life, and ultimately benefit the individuals they care for and they will also promote a more inclusive and compassionate society that values the wellbeing of all its members, including those who may need extra support and care.