New parents in the UK are set to gain stronger, day-one rights to time off work, with landmark reforms to paternity and bereavement leave due to come into force from April. The changes aim to stop parents having to choose between being there in their child’s first days and protecting their jobs, and are expected to benefit hundreds of thousands of families across England, Scotland and Wales.
What is changing in the Employment Rights Bill?
From April, parents will gain new rights under the government’s Employment Rights Bill, which became law last year and applies across England, Scotland and Wales. The reforms focus on two main areas: paternity leave and a new form of bereavement leave for partners who lose their loved one in their baby’s first year.
Unpaid parental leave will be available from the first day of employment, rather than after a qualifying period. The package is designed to give families more flexibility to share childcare and respond to tragedy without relying solely on employers’ discretion.
Day-one paternity leave to be enforced in the UK
Under the new rules, fathers will be entitled to paternity leave from their very first day in a new job, bringing their entitlement into line with maternity leave. Previously, they had to complete 26 weeks with an employer before being eligible.
The government estimates that around 32,000 more fathers each year will be able to access paternity leave immediately. In total, about 1.5 million parents are expected to gain more flexibility to share caring responsibilities thanks to day-one rights to unpaid parental leave.
Ministers say this will help ensure parents are no longer “forced to make the heart-wrenching choice” between being present in the first weeks of their child’s life and returning to work to avoid losing their jobs.
Supporters of the reforms argue that removing the 26-week qualifying period will make it easier for parents to move jobs without sacrificing crucial leave. That could help prevent families from feeling trapped in roles that no longer fit their needs simply to protect their entitlement.
Simon Kelleher, Head of Policy and Influencing at Working Families, called day-one rights for paternity and unpaid parental leave “a positive step forward”.
He said the change addresses a key barrier to job mobility and emphasised the importance of the Government’s ongoing Parental Leave Review in ensuring all parents can access a meaningful period of leave.
New bereaved partner’s leave
A major new protection, Bereaved Partner’s Paternity Leave, will be introduced from April for fathers and partners whose loved one dies before their child’s first birthday. It will give them up to 52 weeks of leave to grieve, care for their child and begin to rebuild their lives.
The new entitlement is designed to close a gap in the system, where bereaved partners often depended on their employer’s goodwill to take time off. Campaigning by bereaved parents, including single father Aaron Horsey, was central to shaping the change.
The bereaved partner provision follows the experience of Aaron Horsey, who discovered in 2022 that he had no legal right to take leave after his wife, Bernadette, died while giving birth to their son. His case highlighted how vulnerable partners could be left without guaranteed time off at the moment they most needed support.
Mr Horsey said the new Bereaved Partner’s Paternity Leave ensures “a clear route for support at one of the most difficult moments imaginable”, giving parents space to grieve, care and rebuild “with dignity”.
He added that embedding this protection in law shows how listening to lived experience can lead to “practical, compassionate change” that will support families for generations.