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Parenting

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Original poster

Additional Paternity Leave - thoughts?

9 replies

samandi · 12/07/2011 16:16

Anyone taking this up?

Is 20 weeks a good time for the father to take leave for childcare, in your opinion or experience?

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minipie · 12/07/2011 16:25

just marking my place as I'm very interested to know how many couples will choose this option.

my DH's view is that his work would pretty much write him off if he did it (he works in a particularly male dominated, workaholic place)

Firawla · 12/07/2011 19:56

is this something new thats being offered?
personally by 20 weeks i think things tend to be all settled down and adjusted to new baby etc so i would have not really needed the extra paternity leave from my dh? although extra time to spend as a family is always a bonus, but he can use annual leave for that anyway... 2 weeks paternity leave at the start i do think is v important, sounds really bad how they used to get none in the past but i dont see the need for more at 20 weeks, seems a bit random?!

springboksaplenty · 12/07/2011 20:22

Is this the additional paternity leave that your husband can take instead of you taking mat leave? If it is, then we would have taken it up. I earn more than my dh and we could not afford to just go on my dh's salary and statutory mat pay. We could however afford for us to be on my salary and dh to receive stat mat pay. We were actually upset that it came in mere months after ds was born otherwise we would have done it easily - my dh grumped about it for ages!

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LabMonkey · 12/07/2011 21:28

My DD is ten weeks today and I will be going back to work when she is 6 months. My DH is then taking either 3 or 6 months APL. I only get stat mat pay but have a higher salary than DH. His employers (gov agency) still haven't worked out if they're offering any APL enhancement similar to that available for AML so we'll wait and do the sums once they've made up their minds. My main reason for going back at 6 months is financial but I also suspect I would be landed with a hideous job change which I don't think they can do if I only take OML. I've got enough annual leave to work 3 days a week for the first 2 months back (but paid full time) which is great since it means that all 3 of us will have 4 days a week together until the end of the year. I also think it's important that DH and DD get that time together.

sarahken · 12/07/2011 21:55

has this come into effect yet or is it up to the employer. I'm in the same boat as you and earn more than my husband and with 3 kids to support will probably be going back within the 1st few months. My husband is my childrens main carer as he looks after them everyday and then works from 5.30pm so it makes more sense for him to take the time off. Plus what he will receive in paternity pay is only slightly less than he earns now. He is not keen to take it as he works for a small business and is worried how it will effect them and his job. I have looked through the inital info from my booking in appts and the financial folder they give you, but can't find any info on it.

LabMonkey · 13/07/2011 07:52

This is available for any baby born after 3? April 2011. I'm pretty sure it was 3rd or 4th April.

FidgetPie · 13/07/2011 08:02

I think it is fantastic - I earn more than DH and we would have loved to do this last time but DD was a year earlier than this came in (so i went back to work when she was 8 months and she went to nursery as DH couldn't persuade his work to let him take a career break / go part-time). We are looking forward to being able to take it up if we have another baby so they get to have a full year at home with mummy/daddy.

LabMonkey · 13/07/2011 19:51

My understanding is that it only applies to the second 6 months of maternity leave and cannot be taken during the first 6 months of the child's life. I also think it's not allowed to overlap with maternity leave so you can't both be off at the same time. I might be wrong as we knew what we were going to be doing so didn't look into it too deeply.

lechatnoir · 13/07/2011 21:03

Another one who definitely would have used this option if were available as I earn more than DH and we couldn't afford a full year on just DH's salary & my SMP but we could have managed on my salary & DH on SPP. Finanaces aside, I also think it's really great for dad's to have a bit of one-to-one time with their children for bonding and to see exactly what childcaring entails!

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