STARTING earlier this month, two new changes took effect. They are designed to help support modern working families, and have been introduced by the Government.
It has extending paid maternity leave to nine months for hundreds of thousands mothers who gave birth on or before April 1, 2007, and extended the right to ask for flexible working to 2.65 million carers and their families since April 6.

The Government recognises that the modern working family is faced with many demands, which is why it is supporting them to balance their work and family demands.
In the last 10 years it has doubled the amount and period of maternity pay, and tripled the length of maternity leave for all employed mums.
It has brought in paid paternity and adoption leave for the first time, and introduced the right to request flexible working for parents.
Extending the right to request is the next step and it will make a real difference to parents of young or disabled children.
It will take the number of people with the right to request flexible working to more than six million since it was first introduced in 2003. Good businesses realise flexible working makes sense for them too.
Flexible working is changing the workplace up and down the country for the better.
Through careful consultation, balancing the needs of working parents and their employers, we have built up a package of support and help that works for both.
This builds on the measures already introduced by the Government to support modern working families, including:
l The right to request flexible working for parents with children under the age of six and parents of disabled children under 18.
l Two weeks paid paternity leave for dads.
l Adoption leave introduced for the first time, at the same level as maternity and paternity pay and leave.
l Parental leave up to 13 weeks from 1999
l Time off for family emergencies.
This Government supports working families and is proud to.