This petition was submitted during the 2019-2024 parliament

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Petition Extend maternity pay to 12 months

For the government to extend the current maternity pay to 12 months of pay rather than the current 9 months of pay. Many women are forced to go back into work earlier than they would like as they become financially strained.

More details

Having discussed this topic with many women and groups, everyone seems to say the same thing. “ I would love to have a year at home with my baby but the bills are creeping up and we need the money”.

It’s a shame some mothers are given no choice but to return to work after 9 months when in fact they’d want to be with their baby, watching their baby grow just that little bit longer.

Many women also expressed that they weren’t happy putting their baby into childcare so young.

This petition is closed This petition ran for 6 months

5,930 signatures

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Petitions Committee announce follow-up session on the impact of covid-19 on new parents

The Petitions Committee will hear from petition creators and expert witnesses on the impact of covid-19 on new parents and childcare providers on Wednesday 14 July.

Watch the session (on Wednesday 14 July from 9.30am): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lERhUe98ASU&feature=youtu.be

The evidence session marks one year since the publication of the Committee's report into the impact of covid-19 on maternity and parental leave.

Read a summary of the Committee’s full report: https://houseofcommons.shorthandstories.com/how-has-maternity-and-parental-leave-been-impacted-by-coronavirus-/index.html

The session will investigate what progress has been made against the problems identified and recommendations made to the Government in the report.

Witnesses include petition signatories, and representatives from campaign and sector bodies Pregnant then Screwed, the Early-Years Alliance, Adoption-UK and others. A full list of witnesses is available on the Petitions Committee website: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/news/156378/committee-announces-evidence-session-on-the-impact-of-covid19-on-new-parents/

Survey on the impact of covid-19 on new parents

Last month, we asked you to share your experiences through an online survey to help inform the session. We also asked the experiences of Mumsnet users. Key findings from this engagement include:

  • Access to baby and toddler groups, which provide vital support for both parents and children, remains limited even as restrictions ease. 68% of respondents told us they strongly disagreed with the statement that “I have been able to access baby and toddler groups over the past 12 months”
  • 77% of respondents told us they strongly agree or agree with the statement that “The cost of childcare has prevented me from getting the kind of childcare I need”
  • 72% of respondents who said they ran or worked for a childcare setting told us they expected the pandemic to have a major or moderate effect on their setting’s long-term financial sustainability

You can read a full summary of what new parents and childcare providers told us on our website: https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/37718/pdf/

What are evidence sessions?

Evidence sessions are open meetings with experts, officials or people with personal experiences with the topic being examined. Evidence sessions help select committees like the Petitions Committee to understand how laws and Government policies are working in the real world, and what needs to change to make things better.

Further information

Find out more about the role of the Petitions Committee: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/role/

Follow the Committee on Twitter for real-time updates on its work: https://www.twitter.com/hocpetitions

Find out more about select committees: https://www.parliament.uk/about/how/committees/select/