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Shared parental leave policy (birth)

A model shared parental leave policy setting out employees’ rights to shared parental leave and pay following the birth of a child, including eligibility and notice requirements.

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By Stephen Simpson, Brightmine Principal Editor

Consultant editor: Jo Broadbent

This model policy helps employers set out employees’ rights to shared parental leave and pay following the birth of a child, explaining eligibility, notice requirements and how leave can be taken.

When to use this model shared parental leave policy

Use this model policy to set out employees’ rights to shared parental leave and pay following the birth of a child. A separate model policy is available for shared parental leave in adoption cases.

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  • Policy wording
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    • Notes
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Latest updates

Updated to reflect the right to take paternity leave after shared parental leave under the Employment Rights Act 2025, effective from 6 April 2026.

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About the author

Stephen Simpson, Acting content manager - employment law and compliance at Brightmine

Stephen Simpson
Principal editor – Employment Law and Compliance, Brightmine

Stephen is a principal editor who has worked on the Brightmine employment law and leading practice resources for over 20 years. After growing up in Northern Ireland in the 1980s, he trained as a solicitor in England in the 1990s but soon moved into legal publishing. He was among the first recruits to Brightmine in the year before it was launched as XpertHR in 2002.

Stephen has worked on a wide range of employment law and leading practice resources, including overseeing the creation and expansion of the HR templates resource types (Policies and procedures, Letters and forms, and Contract clauses). He has written up over 1,000 reports on employment law cases and created practical guidance on a range of HR issues for the Commentary & insights tool. He also had a stint working on Personnel Today.

Connect with Stephen on LinkedIn.

About the author

Jo Broadbent

Counsel Knowledge Lawyer, Hogan Lovells

Jo Broadbent is a counsel knowledge lawyer in the employment team at law firm Hogan Lovells. In addition to keeping clients and the team up to date with legal developments, she has extensive experience of developing and presenting internal and external client training courses and workshops.

Jo is a former chair of the Employment Lawyers Association training committee. She is a co-author of the book “Informing and consulting employees: the new law” and frequently writes articles for the HR and legal press. She has a particular interest in shared parental leave and other family-friendly rights.

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