The Government is embarking on widespread reform of the benefits available to new working parents with paternity pay and leave set for an increase. Additional paid time-off will be introduced for parents whose newborns are premature or sick and in neonatal care, while changes to improve the take-up of shared parental leave are being considered. The amount of time-off and pay for new fathers could be raised to encourage more to share childcare responsibilities. They are currently entitled to a minimum of two weeks paternity leave on statutory pay of £148.68 a week. Shared parental leave benefits could also be reformed, giving each parent their own pot of time and pay. As it stands, the mother and father split up to 50 weeks between them, with up to 37 weeks paid at £148.68 a week. However, this has not been popular and only 4pc of new parents used the scheme. This is often because the mother received “enhanced” pay from her employer … [Read more...] about Government plans major shake-up of paid parental leave
parenting
Parents blast airline KLM over breastfeeding on flights policy
Parents have blasted airline KLM after it said breastfeeding mums could be asked to cover themselves to avoid 'offending' other passengers. The Dutch carrier, which operates flights out of Manchester Airport's Terminal 3, says it permits breastfeeding on board but 'not all passengers feel comfortable' with it. It follows a Facebook post in which an American passenger claimed to have been asked to cover up by KLM staff on a flight from San Francisco to Amsterdam. The woman, named Shelby, said she felt 'extremely uncomfortable and disrespected' when asked to cover up while feeding her one-year-old daughter, and complained to the airline when she got home. "I was told that I needed to be respectful of people of other cultures and that this flight attendant's response was in line with company policy," she wrote. "So instead of standing up for and protecting breastfeeding mothers and our children, already under the duress faced by flying with our young children, KLM would rather hold up … [Read more...] about Parents blast airline KLM over breastfeeding on flights policy
Bill Linnane: ‘Family life’s a lot like an open prison’
Our stay here is half board, presumably named because within 48 hours of dining in the resort, you will be half bored of the entire concept of food. This isn't helped by me, Ireland's meanest dad, trying to maximise the investment I made in breakfast and dinner by insisting that all the kids eat is meat. Obviously this didn't work, as they figured out that the buffet- style meals mean that, really, they could eat whatever they want, and there was nothing I could do about it because I am painfully middle class, and the only thing I fear more than not getting value for money from a buffet, is looking like an angry oik in front of other parents. So I choke down the rage and a fourth helping of veal, counting down the seconds until the mini-disco winds down and I can properly give out to them as they fall asleep in my arms. I had some grand delusions coming here; I was going to get so much work done. I would be sitting in the hotel lobby, enjoying some excellent coffee and deep thoughts, … [Read more...] about Bill Linnane: ‘Family life’s a lot like an open prison’
The weird pregnancy craving women can’t seem to get enough of
When we hear of pregnancy cravings our thoughts usually turn to food. And we've all heard of partner's making that emergency trip to the supermarket to get their hands on that must-have chocolate bar, fruit or ice cream. But it's not always items of the edible variety that mums-to-be find themselves wanting. It seems sponges are at the top of the shopping list for many pregnant ladies - and they love nothing more than soaking them with water and giving them a good chew. One mum-to-be was so disturbed by her craving that she put a shout-out on a mum's Facebook forum to see whether any other ladies had felt the same. And to her relief, she was inundated with responses from women who'd felt the same. Some of them admitted to eating bits of the sponges too, even taking a liking to the green scourer part of a cleaning sponge. Manchester mum Christine Silcock had a craving for sponges in all three pregnancies, starting with her eldest Ben, now 10. The 32-year-old, from Dukinfield, said: "It … [Read more...] about The weird pregnancy craving women can’t seem to get enough of
Calls for all schools to have gender neutral uniforms
There are calls for every UK school to have a gender neutral uniform after new government guidelines in Wales. The statutory government guidance, which will come into force at the start of the new academic year in September, states that schools should not have different uniform requirements for boys and girls. Instead Welsh schools have been instructed to make uniforms gender neutral. Where gendered uniforms currently exist, the new guidance gives all pupils a choice over which uniform items to wear, so girls could wear trousers, or boys could wear skirts. The move follows similar news last month where a primary school in Ireland is introducing a gender neutral uniform policy - allowing boys and girls to wear either a skirt or trousers. St Brigid’s National School in Greystones, Dublin, took the step to be more inclusive of children questioning their gender and to make kids feel 'comfortable and happy'. The new Welsh guidance, published on Wednesday, July 10, … [Read more...] about Calls for all schools to have gender neutral uniforms