New laws have been passed which will enable adopters to take parental leave just like biological parents
New laws have been passed which will enable adopters to take parental leave just like biological parentsThe Children and Families Act, which received Royal Assent last week, will enable people who adopt children to share parental leave with their partners just like biological parents from April 2015.
Adopters will also be entitled to adoption leave and pay comparable to that available to birth parents, with no qualifying period and 90 per cent of their salary for the first six weeks.
The new laws have been welcomed by Coram, the UK’s leading adoption charity.
Jeanne Kaniuk, the Head of Adoption at Coram, said:
“We are pleased that adopters will have equal entitlements to leave and pay when their children come to live with them and more flexibility in their work/care arrangements. Adoption is a completely new chapter in a child’s life and the more support their parents receive in all senses of the word, the better able to help them to settle and thrive in their new family.”
Under the new Act all employees will gain the right to request flexible working hours from 1 July this year. Employers will be legally required to consider any requests for flexible working hours in a reasonable manner.
Couples set to become parents via surrogacy or foster to adopt arrangements will also be entitled to leave and pay arrangements under the new Children and Families Act.