Shared Parental Leave (SPL) evaluation
The Shared Parental Leave (SPL) evaluation report assesses whether the implementation of Shared Parental Leave achieved its original objectives.
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The Shared Parental Leave (SPL) Evaluation assesses the extent to which the implementation and take-up of Shared Parental Leave achieved its original objectives. This evaluation reports findings and conclusions on SPL relative to its stated objectives, by analysing a broad range of survey, administrative, qualitative and literature-based evidence sources to inform policymaking.
These objectives are:
- to give parents more flexibility in how they care for their child in the first year
- to encourage more fathers to play a greater caring role
- and to increase flexibility for employees and employers to agree how best to balance work and childcare needs
The evaluation reports the following key findings:
- parents have reported benefits for their work-life balance, including providing more choice and flexibility over balancing work and caring arrangements, and encouraging parents to share childcare responsibilities
- employers note advantages to the policy such as increased flexibility for parents and helping with staff recruitment and retention
- take-up rates are in line with predictions made when the policy was introduced: 5% of employee fathers and 1% of employee mothers report taking SPL
The Shared Parental Leave evaluation is informed by the following reports which provide additional information on matters raised in the evaluation:
- BMG Research and Institute for Employment Studies for the Parental Rights Survey
- Kantar and National Institute Economic and Social Research for the Management and Wellbeing Practices Survey
- Natcen for the Shared Parental Leave qualitative research
This evaluation provides information which is referred to in the response to the Parental leave and pay: government response. That consultation looked at options to reform the parental leave and pay system.
Updates to this page
Last updated 4 July 2023 + show all updates
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Added links to reports that support the Shared Parental Leave evaluation.
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First published.