A new free legal service is launching to support new and expectant parents who are being sidelined or mistreated at work.

The Pregnant and Protected service launches this week and will offer up to one hour of confidential, free legal advice to parents. 

According to research by campaign group Pregnant Then Screwed, over 1 in 2 mothers say they have experienced discrimination during pregnancy, maternity leave or when they return to work, and around one in five are forced to leave their job for this reason - additionally over 74,000 mothers a year are kicked out of work for having kids. 

The launch comes at a vital time for the marketing and advertising industry where redundancy is disproportionately impacting people with caring responsibilities, often women. According to Major Players 2025 salary survey, there has been a 5% decrease in the number of women and non-binary individuals across the Creative Industries, equivalent to 120,000 departures.

When some of those departures are women on maternity leave, understanding your rights has never been more important.

The Pregnant and Protected service has been set up by acclaimed employment solicitor Danielle Ayres, a leading voice in pregnancy and maternity discrimination cases. Danielle will be joined by a team of experienced solicitors at Primas Law to advise parents who are struggling with workplace issues such as unfair dismissal, redundancy during pregnancy, maternity or parental leave, or disputes over flexible working requests.

Danielle Ayres, Solicitor and Founder of Pregnant and Protected, explains, “Pregnancy and parenthood should not be a barrier at work, but sadly, for many, it is. What is meant to be one of the happiest times of someone’s life can quickly be marred by hostile working environments or difficult bosses. The biggest challenge is that often, people don’t know where they stand or what they’re legally entitled to, so they don’t know how to tackle it. We aim to create fairer workplaces by offering quick access to qualified legal advice, ensuring parents understand their rights and have the support to defend them.” 

The rules around pregnancy and maternity in employment are complex, and many employers misunderstand the law, leaving pregnant workers and new parents vulnerable. Often, employees are confused by the rules too, so illegal practices go unchallenged. With even just an hour of legal advice, parents can understand more about what they’re allowed to ask for and what they can do if their employer isn’t following the rules.  

The service is available to all working parents or expectant parents who are facing work-related issues. Parents in need of legal advice can fill out a short online form and will then be able to book a telephone call with one of Pregnant and Protected’s lawyers. Issues covered include understanding rights regarding time off for antenatal appointments or pregnancy-related illnesses, maternity leave rules, whether the correct procedures have been followed for redundancy, and raising grievances.

Parents can also ask for advice on more general concerns at work, such as flexible working arrangements, equal pay, menopause issues, IVF or surrogacy, and adoption rights.

Companies can access this legal helpline for advice too, to help them understand the correct procedures to use to support parents, and to follow the correct procedures for everyone involved. 

For more information, visit the Pregnant and Protected website here.