HomeDad.org.uk

Flexible working is increasingly important to today’s fathers who want to be more involved in taking care of their children, according to information published today by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

More than nine out of ten dads with children aged five or under believe it is important that fathers have the option to take paid paternity leave. And nearly two thirds believe that a dad’s relationship with their baby will suffer if they are not at home after the birth.

But it is not just fathers with young children who want to be involved. More than half of dads with children aged under 16 said that flexible working was an important aspect when choosing a new job.

However, while these findings show how important it is to fathers to spend time with their family, the poll found that there is still a lot of confusion over what rights fathers have in the workplace.

The survey revealed that:

• a fifth of dads with kids aged 16 or under - who, by law, are entitled to request flexible working from their employer - did not know if their company offered flexible working to fathers

• a third of dads with children aged 5 and under did not realised that paid paternity leave is a legal right

• nearly a quarter assumed that they only need to ask for paternity leave when the baby is born. In fact, to benefit from legal paternity rights, fathers must speak with their employer 15 weeks before the baby is due.

The research comes as the Government launches a campaign, called “Dads at Work” to raise awareness among dads of their rights at work to help them care for their child. Employment Relations Minister Lord Young said: “We know that rights for dads at work are valued by people and that businesses also see real benefits in offering them. But our research shows that there are still some dads out there that are not aware of what they are entitled to and therefore risk missing out.

“Our campaign is all about making sure dads know what they can do and to help them have more confidence as they weigh up what works best for them and their family. The key is to talk to their employer.”

Fathers are entitled to:

• Request flexible working if they have a child aged 16 or under. (Prior to April 2009 this right was only available to fathers with children under 5.) Flexible working includes flexi-time, part-time or working from home. By law, an employer must seriously consider the request.

• Paid paternity leave. New dads can take two weeks’ statutory paternity leave, introduced in 2003. They need to notify their employer 15 weeks before the due date. It is currently paid at £123.06 per week.)

• Parental leave. Fathers with more than one year’s service with an employer have the right to take up to 13 weeks unpaid parental leave until their child is five years old.

• From April 2011 the Government is introducing a new right to Additional Paternity leave for fathers of babies due on or after 3 April 2011. This will give fathers a right to take up to six months extra leave which can be taken in the second six months of the child’s life once the mother has returned to work. Some of the leave may be paid if taken during the mother’s maternity pay period. This will be paid at the same standard rate as SPP which is currently £123.06.

More information is available at www.directgov.uk/dadsatwork.