It doesn't feel like that long ago that my husband and I were excitedly listening to the sonographer's description of what we were seeing on the screen at our first antenatal scan. Hearing that heartbeat for the first time is amazing, but planning for your new arrival brings a certain sense of trepidation, along with the excitement – especially as people are constantly telling you your life is never going to be the same again, with a knowing smile.
Parents-to-be who are going through this at the moment can now choose how they split the leave from work after baby is born in a way that suits them. To benefit from Shared Parental Leave - which kicks in on April 5 - you need to give your employer 8 weeks' notice. So, if your baby is due in April, you should let your employers know as soon as possible.
Shared Parental Leave will mean that - while mums still have to take at least two weeks of maternity leave immediately after birth - working couples can split up to 50 weeks of shared parental leave and up to 37 weeks of pay after that. With each parent able to take up to three separate blocks of leave, families now have a real choice in how they spend the first year of their child's life.
Beyond this, I believe that Shared Parental Leave will be a catalyst for the wider cultural change we need - where fathers feel empowered to take time off to look after their children and not constrained by outdated stereotypes. Our survey found that public attitudes have changed significantly; most now see childcare as an equal responsibility of both parents.
We also know that many employers are supportive and are keen to offer mums and dads more flexibility to keep talent in their organisation. Maintaining a strong link to the workplace, whilst playing a full part in the early stages of their child's life, is really important for women and men who plan to return to work. There are many mums who want to be able to balance being a hands-on parent with a dynamic career and there are many working dads who want to be able to spend more time bonding with their baby in the early months of their child's development. Employers see the benefit in terms of staff loyalty and providing women with the option to return to work earlier, which is why many are embracing the changes.
These changes are close to my heart. I've campaigned for them for years, and I'm delighted to have been able to change the law as the government minister responsible. Becoming a mum myself has only reinforced how important it is: the archaic assumption that childcare is only an issue for women fails to recognise the crucial role that dads play. While ‘having it all’ might seem like an impossible challenge, at least we now recognise that women might want both a fulfilling job and family life. With just two weeks of paternity leave and popular culture that far too often brands dads as hapless and bumbling, men are written out of the family script with worrying regularity. Research clearly shows that fathers playing a more active role has a positive impact on a child's development.
However as the Family and Childcare Trust recently reiterated, the cost of childcare is rising, and for many families, who takes leave and for how long remains a financial decision. Even in difficult economic times, we have made a start in tackling this problem by extending free early years education to the most disadvantaged 2-year-olds. There is clearly a long way still to go, though, and the Lib Dems have ideas about how tackle this in the next parliament.
At the moment, there is a gap in paid support for parents from the end of paid maternity or parental leave at 9 months, before free childcare hours kick in at 2 years. The Lib Dems propose to fill that gap with 15 hours of free childcare for all working parents. On top of this, it is our ambition to increase free childcare to 20 hours a week for all 2, 3, and 4-year-olds, and for children from 9 months to 2-years-olds in the case of working parents. We're the only party with a comprehensive offer to help parents with the care of their child right through from birth to school.
In the meantime, I believe that Shared Parental Leave will help kick-start a cultural shift in the workplace; ultimately making it just as normal for fathers to take on childcare responsibilities as mothers. When mothers and adopters have real choice about when they return to work, and when fathers have more time to bond with their baby, children will have better outcomes. Employers should benefit from lower staff turnover and having a workforce that is more flexible and motivated. The arrival of a little person turns your life upside down (albeit in a wonderful way), so giving families choice about how they make it work is essential.
Please do share your experiences and ask questions on the thread below - I'm interested to hear whether our ambition matches your reality.
Find out more about Shared Parental Leave and check your eligibility here.