13 Oct 2015
Working grandparents could be permitted to make use of shared parental leave and pay in order to help care for their grandchildren, under new plans.
The plans would form an extension of the current system, which enables parents to share leave and statutory parental pay between them.
This shared leave was introduced in April 2015, allowing working mothers to end their maternity leave early and to share parental leave with their partner instead.
Under the new extension, grandparents could potentially receive up to 18 transferable weeks of shared leave and families would be able to split statutory shared parental pay.
The option to share leave with the child’s grandparents will provide the possibility for parents to return to work more quickly.
The policy is expected to benefit single mothers who cannot currently choose to share parental leave, but will be able to do so with their child’s grandparents under the new scheme.
Chancellor George Osborne stated that more than half of all mothers rely on grandparents to look after their child when they initially return to work after having a baby.
‘In many families, grandparents play a central role in caring for their grandchildren and helping to keep down the costs of childcare,’ Osborne said.
‘Allowing them instead to share leave with their children will keep thousands more in the workplace, which is good for our economy.’