Budget's parental leave a 'step in the right direction' as dads' charity prepares to open in Ribble Valley

Self-employed fathers gaining access to paternity pay is a “line in the sand” - but time will tell if it will lead to something bigger.

That’s according to Kieran Anders, lead at Dad Matters, who said yesterday’s autumn budget marked the start - but not the end - of a conversation around fathers’ rights in the UK.

Dad Matters is a support programme for fathers with children under the age of two, powered by the UK family charity Home Start.

It offers one-to-one peer support for families, and works with professionals to make healthcare settings more inclusive of fathers.

“It’s a really good start,” he said. “It’s a good step in the right direction, acknowledging that self-employed dads haven’t got the financial means to support themselves if they have a baby.

“If they’re not in a job that they can leave, they’re heading back to work as soon as they can. That’s a real pressure. At least this gives them the opportunity to say, ‘right, I can claim this and I can take that time off and be present’.”

Until now, the only fathers or partners who could benefit from paternity pay were those who had been employees for at least 26 weeks before the birth of their baby.

They are then entitled for up to two weeks of paid paternity leave, receiving either £194.32 a week, or 90 per cent of their average weekly earnings - whichever is lower.

Yesterday’s budget saw Chancellor John Healey extend this right to fathers and partners who are self-employed - though details on when this change will kick in, or who will qualify, have not yet been revealed.

While optimistic about more parents being included than before, Kieran said it wasn’t the “be-all and end-all” of the conversation.

“Babies need that bonding time with their dads as well as their mums, and having dads go straight back to work can be detrimental to that. But it’s not the be-all and end-all - there are so many other things that we need to be looking at and supporting.

“There are two things particularly. The first one about paternity leave is giving dads six weeks or more of paid leave so they can bond with their baby, but also give mums time to recover.

“It gives mums time to access support from their partner when they need it, and it’s less pressure around finances in the very early days, which are very stressful.

“The second thing is around how we support fathers to be seen within services. Fathers’ data is not collected routinely, so we need a way of making sure dads’ details are attached to babies so that people like GPs, health visitors, and mental health services can see the parental links there.

“That’s the second thing I think we can probably look at. But six weeks for dads is a massive campaign at the moment.”

Changes to parental leave are expected to affect thousands of families in the UK, though when the new rules will come into place has not been revealed.

Support for new fathers and partners is available across Lancashire, with Dad Matters announcing this month they will be opening a new service in East Lancashire, to match their existing base in Blackpool, Fylde, and Wyre.

From November, families in Burnley, Pendle, Ribble Valley, Hyndburn, and Rossendale will be able to benefit from their support services thanks to a three-year, £29,121 package from the 1,001 Critical Days Foundation, Pendle Borough Council, and the Foundation for Ribble Valley Families.

In a statement the group said: “The early weeks with a new baby are precious, and having time to bond, adjust and find your feet as a family can make a real difference.

“Extending paternity leave to self-employed dads, and parental leave to adoptive parents and those who have recently started a new job, is a very welcome step towards giving more parents that time together.

“It’s an important step forward in helping every baby get the best possible start in life – but there is still more to do to make this a reality for all families.”