Recommendation 5

HM Government · verbatim extract Accepted

The Government agrees with the Committee that parents need to be able to understand their options when making decisions about the amount of time that they take off work, which parent takes time off work, and about returning to work. GOV.UK contains a wealth of information for prospective and new parents and their employers and this information is rigorously user tested before publication to ensure that it meets user needs. A feedback loop is built into guidance and tools for parents and other users to ensure that the guidance continues to be fit for purpose. This ensures that the guidance is kept under review and that changes and improvements are made if any issues come to light. We have previously explored whether it is possible to put all relevant guidance in one place and ruled this out. Whilst we completely agree with the rationale for having a ‘one stop shop’, in practice this can be confusing for parents who are faced with a lot of detailed information—most of which is not of interest to them or relevant to their particular circumstances. We have, therefore, continued with the format that users are now familiar with, which involves having discrete guidance on a specific topic which signposts users to other guidance which may be of interest to them. For example, the GOV.UK guidance on Maternity Leave not only includes information on other related topics such as other sources of financial support for new parents but signposts users to information on Shared Parental Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave. This guidance can be found at: https://www. gov.uk/maternity-pay-leave/extra-help. GOV.UK also contains guidance on other policies which help parents balance work with their caring responsibilities, such as the right to request flexible working. Her Majesty’s Treasury (HMT) has also produced specific guidance on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) which includes information for employees who are on, or returning from, family-related leave or have caring responsibilities. Again, this is hosted on GOV.UK. Where the guidance on GOV.UK does not meet the needs of an individual user, they are able to contact the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) who provide tailored, impartial, advice to employers and employees and early conciliation services.