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Stronger parental leave rights delivered for millions of working families  

Published: 12 Jan 2026

Millions of workers who were previously denied time off for the birth of their child, or pay during illness, will become eligible for new day one rights to sick pay and parental leave from April. 

The changes, which are part of the recently passed Employment Rights Act and are being laid in Parliament from today, will ensure around 1.3 million additional workers in lower-paid or part-time roles are able to access Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) from the first day of illness.  

Parents will also no longer be forced to make the choice between being there for the first weeks of their child’s life or going back to work to avoid losing their job. They will be able to access Paternity Leave immediately, as a mother would with maternity leave. 

Day-one rights for paternity and unpaid parental leave are a positive step forward. Removing the 26-week qualifying period means parents can change jobs without losing essential leave entitlements, something we know has held many people back and can trap families in roles that no longer work for them.

One of our parent and carer advisory panel members said:

I missed out on paternity leave with my second child as I hadn’t been at the company long enough. He needed special care when he was born, and even though I didn’t qualify for any leave, I had to take four weeks off. I wish I’d been able to take more but financially we had no choice.

To build on this progress, the Government’s Parental Leave Review should ensure all parents can access a meaningful period of leave, including those in insecure work and the self-employed. Improving statutory rates across family leave would help make time away from work genuinely affordable, while a reserved, non-transferable block of paid leave for fathers and partners would support shared caring without creating a financial penalty for families.

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