What are your rights? Parents of young children have a number of rights when it comes to their employment, including parental leave and the right to ask for flexible working.

In this article

Flexible working

Parental leave

Parents of children under the age of six, or disabled children under the age of 18, have the right to apply for flexible working and employers are obliged to take such requests seriously.

You don't have the right to flexible working, only the right to ask for it

You don't have the right to flexible working, only the right to ask for it - but it's a chance to be heard and to make a good case.

You must make your case in writing and your employer must arrange a meeting to consider your request within six weeks.

Think how flexibility might benefit your workplace. If you're thinking of asking for compressed hours, for example, you could point out that it would give the company telephone cover during lunch hours.

Try to find someone else in your organisation who's already successfully working flexibly and find out how they went about it.

You can also talk to your company’s human resources department. If you're a member of a union, speak to its equal opportunities official.

Before your meeting think about your employer's likely objections. When talking about your request, remember to:

• Thank your boss for considering your ideas
• Stay calm and try not to get emotional
• Aim high so you have room to negotiate and still get a deal that's an improvement on your current situation

Directgov has further information on your rights when requesting flexible working.

If you're a parent of a child under five - or a disabled child under 18 - you have the right to take unpaid leave to care for them.

You can take a total of 13 weeks for each child in short or long blocks up to their fifth birthday. If your child has a disability, you can take a total of 18 weeks up to their 18th birthday.

Directgov has information to help you find out if you're eligible for parental leave and details on how to inform your employers.

Disclaimer: The BBC Parenting site is provided for your general information only. The information contained on this site should not be treated as a substitute for medical, legal or other professional advice. The BBC is not responsible or liable for the contents of any websites of third parties which are listed on this site.