'Overdue rethink' | Campaigners call for overhaul of UK parental leave system

A group of charities, academics and other rights organisations and campaign groups have come together to call for a comprehensive review of parental leave, including the maternity, paternity and shared parental leave and pay framework.  

Co-ordinated by Working Families, the UKs national charity for working parents, the signatories are offering expertise and evidence to support the Government’s promised review. 

It comes as the Working Families Index research found that four in 10 mothers didn’t feel they took the time they need with their new baby, seven in 10 fathers who took less than two weeks leave were worried about money, and 21% of fathers and 14% of mothers were not entitled to any parental leave.  

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'Long overdue' | New neonatal care leave and pay: a lifeline for parents with babies in hospital

The open letter, signed by 18 organisations, including the TUC, Save the Children, Pregnant then Screwed and The Dad Shift endorses the review promised by the government, but urges it to broaden the scope to ensure real change, including duration, statutory pay levels, eligibility criteria, and the capacity of employers to consider the needs of kinship carers and adoptive parents.