Doncaster, England -- (SBWire) -- 04/23/2015 --The Legal Team, a consortium of lawyers within the UK, have made comment on some of the changes to parental leave that came into force on 5th April 2015.

Whilst the first two weeks of leave after the birth must continue to be taken by the mother, the rest of the leave can be shared between the mother and father. This means that up to 50 weeks of leave, with 37 of these weeks being paid, can now be interchanged between both parents.

Previously, the father would have only been allowed two weeks of paid paternity leave after the child was born. However, the changes allow both the responsibility and the bonding process to be shared, rather than being heavily weighted towards the mother. The change also sees the discontinuation of Additional Paternity Pay and Leave, which allowed the father to take paid leave from work if the mother returned to work before the end of her maternity leave.

Changes have also been made to adoption leave, which sees adoptive parents eligible for the equivalent of maternity pay, the right to share parental leave and up to five paid appointments with adoption agencies.

Similarly, surrogate parents – who were previously entitled to no statutory pay or leave – have now been granted the same privileges as those who have had children naturally or through adoption; this means the main named guardian is allowed standard statutory leave and pay, and bothparents are again able to share the leave between them.

A spokesperson for the Legal Team commented: "These changes to the system are really positive, allowing all families with new children that essential bonding time in the early months. Parents who adopt or use a surrogate birthing mother in order to have a child should receive the same rights as people who have been able to have children naturally; these people are obviously desperate to be parents, and should not be penalised because they cannot do so naturally.

"The entitlement to pay should help to alleviate financial concerns for some families and the option for parents to share leave should create a huge relief for the whole family. By allowing the mother and father equal leave, it creates time for both parents to bond with their child, and also allows the other parent time to return to work. Employment law changes such as these are a great way to promote family bonds and unity."

About The Legal Team
The Legal Team are a consortium of lawyers working within the UK to provide professional legal services including conveyancing and employment law services, for further information visit their website at http://www.thelegalteam.co.uk

PR Contact
Company name: The Legal Team
Tel: 01302320621
Website: http://www.thelegalteam.co.uk
Contact person: John McQuater
Email: j.mcquater@athertongorfrey.co.uk
Address: 8 Hall Gate
Doncaster
DN1 3LU