• Employees are now entitled to Neonatal Care Leave if their baby requires neonatal care (hospitalisation within 28 days of birth). 

• This is a day-one right and provides up to 12 weeks of paid leave, in addition to other family leave entitlements. 

• Eligibility and details are governed by the new statutory provisions in the Employment Rights Act 1996. 

• Previously: Employees needed 26 weeks' continuous service to qualify. 

• Now: Paternity leave is a day-one right, meaning eligible employees can give notice of their intent to take leave from their first day in a new job. 

• Notice requirement remains unchanged: 15 weeks before the expected week of childbirth (or as soon as reasonably practicable). 

• Also removed: The restriction that prevented employees from taking paternity leave after taking shared parental leave. 

• Previously: Employees needed 12 months' continuous service to qualify. 

• Now: Unpaid parental leave is also a day-one right. 

• Employees are entitled to up to 18 weeks of unpaid parental leave per child. 

• Notice period remains unchanged: 21 days or as soon as reasonably practicable. 

While these rights are now active, other reforms proposed under the Employment Rights Bill, such as the introduction of a single worker status and further reforms to the parental leave framework, require secondary legislation and are not expected to come into force before 2026.