Paternity and parental leave - understanding the law and proposed changes

Level - Foundation

As part of the reforms proposed by the Employment Rights Bill, the law on paternity and parental leave is due to change in April 2026. This will enhance protections for parents.

The key changes all employers need to be aware of include:

paternity and unpaid parental leave are expected to become day one rights
the restriction on taking paternity leave following shared parental leave is expected to be removed

Employers will need to make sure their policies are updated and that anyone managing staff knows how to handle these requests. This training will help you understand the existing law and the proposed changes.

Who is this best suited to?

Foundation level courses will help you gain an introductory insight into a topic. This training is suitable for beginners and people who are looking to refresh their knowledge.

This training would be especially suitable for:

team leaders
line managers
HR professionals
business owners
employees

What will I learn from this training?

Paternity leave
Parental leave
Neonatal leave
Possible future changes to parental leave

By the end of this training, attendees will be able to:

list the eligibility criteria for paternity and parental leave
explain steps for requesting and approving leave
describe the changes that are due to take effect in April 2026
apply the knowledge to update policies and procedures

Key course information

Trainer led – online via Zoom

Duration - 2 hours

The training session will include:

polls

Attendees will also receive:

a digital certificate
links to useful information
a copy of the PowerPoint slides

We aim to make our training accessible for everyone. If you have specific accessibility needs, please let us know on your sign-up form.

Closed captions can be turned on for all our sessions run on Zoom.

Run this training for your organisation

Organisations often book a number of people on our training courses at the same time. We encourage this as it can help share the learning amongst your teams.

We provide in-company training on the following topics:

Certificate in Workplace Mediation
Having difficult conversations
Management training for developing managers
Management training for new managers
Managing discipline and grievance
Staff representative training

Contact our Customer Services Team if you would like to discuss this further.

Does your organisation need more than training?

Our specialists can diagnose issues in your workplace and tailor practical solutions to address the challenges faced by you and your staff. To find out more, contact our Customer Services Team on 0300 123 1150 or complete our online enquiry form.

We also offer free e-learning on a wide range of employment relations topics. It's a great way to develop, enhance and refresh knowledge, providing an opportunity to work through theory, explore case studies and answer interactive questions.