An employee who has a child born or expected to be born or placed for adoption on or after 6th April 2003 and who satisifes certain conditions is entitled to take either one week or two consecutive weeks (at his choice) as paternity leave. Statutory paternity leave can be taken any time up to 8 weeks after the date of birth or placement for adoption (or if the baby is born prematurely up to 8 weeks after the originally expected date of birth).

The employee must give his employer at least fifteen weeks notice before the expected week of the child's birth (there is a concession if it is not reasonably practicable to comply with this requirement).

The rules which give employees the right to paternity leave on adoption of a child are separate from and in addition to the rules which give their spouses or partners the right to adoption leave .

In most cases the employee will be entitled to statutory paternity pay (''SPP'') during his leave (or even her leave because, bizarrely, in spite of the title it is possible for a woman to be entitled to statutory Paternity leave).

New mothers will have the right to transfer the second half of their year-long maternity leave to the father from April 2011 (see notes at Paternity Leave/2010 Additional Paternity Leave ).

See also, generally, notes at Acts of Parliament etc/Paternity & Adoption Leave Regulations 2002/notes .