Published 29 June 2023
Last updated 4 July 2023 — See all updates
Shared Parental Leave:
evaluation report
Shared Parental Leave:
accompanying HMRC data tables
Shared Parental Leave:
accompanying HMRC data tables
Details
The Shared Parental Leave (SPL) Evaluation assesses the
extent to which the implementation and take-up of Shared Parental
Leave achieved its original objectives. This evaluation
reports findings and conclusions on SPL relative to its stated
objectives, by analysing a broad range of survey, administrative,
qualitative and literature-based evidence sources to inform
policymaking.
These objectives are:
- to give parents more flexibility in how they care for their
child in the first year
- to encourage more fathers to play a greater caring role
- and to increase flexibility for employees and employers to
agree how best to balance work and childcare needs
The evaluation reports the following key findings:
- parents have reported benefits for their work-life balance,
including providing more choice and flexibility over balancing
work and caring arrangements, and encouraging parents to
share childcare responsibilities
- employers note advantages to the policy such as increased
flexibility for parents and helping with staff recruitment and
retention
- take-up rates are in line with predictions made when the
policy was introduced: 5% of employee fathers and 1% of employee
mothers report taking SPL
The Shared Parental Leave evaluation is informed by the following
reports which provide additional information on matters raised in
the evaluation:
This evaluation provides information which is referred to in the
response to the Parental leave and pay:
government response. That consultation looked at options to
reform the parental leave and pay system.
