New Government-backed Hub Launches to Help Businesses Support Working Parents

A new government-backed digital hub has just launched to help businesses across the country discover practical ways to help support working parents during their children's crucial early years, while strengthening staff retention, productivity and business performance.

Business Backs Families, delivered by good business charity ReGenerate, supported by the Department for Education (DfE) and philanthropic funder Ethos Foundation, aims to show how employers can play a positive role in children's development while creating stronger, more successful businesses.

The new digital hub brings together practical ideas, examples from businesses and ready-to-use resources to help employers explore what might work for their organisation, whether a small business with a handful of employees or a large company with an established HR team.

The launch comes as businesses continue to face challenges around recruitment, retention and productivity, while working parents balance the demands of employment with raising young children.

Rather than advocating a single approach to family-friendly working, Business Backs Families recognises that every organisation is different. The hub offers a range of ideas that employers can consider and adapt according to their workforce, resources and commercial needs.

Practical workforce strategies and phased parental return models

Among the practical approaches featured are:

• Work 80%, Earn 90%: An option for employers to offer parents returning from leave a phased return, working 80% of their normal hours for 90% of their pay until their child turns two. This could help parents balance work and family responsibilities while enabling businesses to retain experienced employees.

• Banked Family Hours: Giving working parents up to two additional hours each month for important family commitments, such as medical appointments or school events, offering flexibility without significantly disrupting business operations.

• Expanded Caregiver Definition: Extending family-related support to kinship carers and others with caring responsibilities, recognising different family circumstances and helping employers build more inclusive workplaces.

These examples of approaches businesses may wish to explore, rather than prescribed policies, will help employers understand the potential benefits, practical considerations and different ways of supporting their staff.

A particular focus will be on small and medium-sized businesses, demonstrating that supporting working parents does not necessarily require expensive new policies or substantial changes to existing working arrangements.

Research cited by ReGenerate suggests that businesses offering flexible working and family-friendly policies report increased employee satisfaction (94%), higher productivity (65%) and stronger engagement (72%). With 60% of working parents saying they would consider changing jobs for better parental benefits, supporting families can also help businesses attract and retain experienced staff, reduce recruitment costs and build a more productive workforce.

Alongside the digital hub, Business Backs Families will deliver a series of regional roadshows during 2026 and 2027, giving employers the opportunity to hear from other businesses, share experiences and explore approaches that could work for them.

Up to 2,000 businesses are expected to take part in the initiative, backed by local authorities across the country. Regional engagement will begin in the North West, including Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region, before rolling out nationally. Five major business networks, including the British Chambers of Commerce, Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and CIPD, are also supporting efforts to engage employers.

The first five years of a child’s life are critical to their development, with 85% of brain growth occurring by the age of three, laying the foundations for communication, learning and emotional wellbeing. With an estimated 2.5 million parents of children under five in the UK workforce, employers have an important role to play in supporting families during these formative years.

Early Education Minister Paul Waugh said:

“Business Backs Families will help employers take practical steps to support working parents, while attracting and retaining talented people.

“Together with our expansion of childcare and the rollout of Best Start Family Hubs, this will help give parents reassurance that their employer will help them balance work and family life, so they can be present for those precious early years and every child can get the best start in life.”

The Government’s Women’s Employment Ambassador, Mariella Frostrup explains:

"Support during pregnancy, parental leave and the return to work can shape a woman's career for years to come. Employers who get this right keep the skills and experience they have invested in and attract new talent.

"Business Backs Families will bring together practical advice for employers of all sizes. It covers parental leave and family-friendly policies, with simple, low-cost steps that help women stay in work and progress.

"By creating more supportive and informed workplaces, we ensure that more women can build their careers alongside family life."

Ed Boyd, CEO of ReGenerate, says:

"The first five years shape the rest of a child's life, and employers have more influence over those years than many realise. With 2.5 million parents of children under five in work, the support businesses provide can make a real difference to family life.

"What's exciting is that many of the things that help working parents can also be good for business. Whether it's retaining experienced staff, improving productivity, or building a more committed workforce, employers and families can both benefit.

"Business Backs Families is about making those opportunities easier to explore, sharing practical ideas and examples so businesses can decide what works best for them. We want to see thriving businesses and growing families, and there's a real opportunity to bring the two together."

Fiona Howarth, Founder, Octopus Electric Vehicles, said:

"The early years fly by, and they're a real juggle. Backing parents through them isn't a perk – it's how you keep great people."

Jo Farmer, Managing Partner, Lewis Silkin, said:

"We don't just have an equal parental leave policy; we advocate for it. When people take that time with their children in the early years, they come back stronger and more loyal. It's good for families, and it's good for business."

Asha Musoni, Chief People Officer, CBI, said:

"Employers know their people are their biggest asset. Supporting parents through the early years keeps experienced talent in work, and that's good for families and good for growth."

Businesses can explore the ideas and resources available through the new Business Backs Families digital hub and find out more about upcoming regional events.

Visit the Business Backs Families digital hub here.