Work & Families Act
New rights for parents and people who need to balance caring and working added added 13.08.07The Work and Families Act 2006 has extended the maximum period of statutory maternity pay, statutory adoption pay, maternity and adoption leave, and the right to request flexible working to carers of adults with effect from 1st April 2007. Carers of adults will need to have completed a minimum of 26 weeks' employment. The regulations provide that an employee can apply to their employer to work flexibly if they care, or expect to care, for an adult who is:
either married to, or the partner or the civil partner of, or a relative of, or living at the same address as, the employee;
is a 'near relative' - parent, parent-in-law, sibling, grandparent, etc;
falls into neither category but lives at the same address as the employee. The DTI does not propose to extend the to right to parents of older children 'at this time'. For more details log on to www.dti.gov.uk/employment/employment-legislation/workandfamiliesact/index.html