John Duddington, the head of the law school at Worcester College of Technology, explains the impending changes in family rights for employees.

You probably think that, as an employer, you know all about the 'family friendly' rights that employees enjoy - maternity and paternity pay, maternity and paternity leave, flexible working arrangements and so forth.

But there are more to come. One important area is the extension from April 2007 of the right to request a flexible working arrangement to carers of adults.

This could allow a carer, for example, to ask for a change in working hours to fit in with the time when the cared for person attends a day centre.

But exactly who is the carer? This is to be defined in regulations.

Other changes extend existing rights. Fathers will be able to take up to six months' paid paternity leave during their child's first year in cases where the mother has returned to work.

Maternity and adoption pay will be extended from six months to nine months in April 2007 with the aim of extending it to a full year by the end of the present parliament. This is projected to be in 2009, but who knows?

These are only examples of the way in which the law is constantly changing and of how it affects the lives of all of us.

At Worcester Law School, we are committed to serving the local community by providing updates on changes in the law as well as our longer courses, such as the law degree, HND in law, legal executives courses, graduate diploma in law and diploma in criminology.