Editorial & Corrections Policy

How Pages Are Produced

PlainMaternity's data pages are generated from HMRC + GOV.UK statutory maternity, paternity, and shared parental leave rates. This is a small, fixed set of six statutory leave schemes, not a large scraped dataset: our editorial team reads each figure directly from the HMRC uprating publication and the relevant GOV.UK pages, then manually enters it into our database with its source URL and the date it was checked. The figures you see, counts, rankings, rates, dates, and breakdowns, are quoted directly from those published records; they are not estimated or interpolated by us.

This is a data-publishing model: the same template renders every leave-type page so that all six schemes are covered consistently. We are transparent that these entity pages are template-rendered from the curated database rather than written individually. The editorial work goes into sourcing, verifying, and keeping each figure current, documented into the methodology, and into the written guides.

Sourcing Standards

• Primary sources only. Every figure comes from HMRC + GOV.UK statutory maternity, paternity, and shared parental leave rates, not third-party aggregators.
• Attribution in context. Pages name the source and link to it where applicable, and show the date the data reflects.
• Derived values are labeled. Numbers we compute ourselves, rankings, trends, ratios, are presented as our analysis of the source data, distinct from the publisher's own figures.
• No invented data. Where a field is unavailable for a record, the page says so rather than filling the gap with an estimate.

Update Cadence

We refresh the underlying data on a regular schedule as the source publishes updates, so there can be a lag between an official release and its appearance here. Historical records remain in our database for reference, and the data-vintage date is shown on the relevant pages.

Corrections Process

If a record on PlainMaternity looks wrong, please tell us. Because our pages are generated from the source datasets, a genuine error almost always traces back to either the source data or our processing of it, so this is how we handle a report:

1. Report. Use the contact page with the page URL and the value that looks off.
2. Verify. We compare the record against the published source.
3. Fix at the source. If the value is wrong on our side, we correct it in the database and pipeline that generate the page, not just on the single page, so every affected page is fixed at once. If the record faithfully reflects the published data, we explain that and point to the primary source.
4. Note it. Material corrections are reflected the next time the page rebuilds.

We aim to acknowledge data-error reports within a few business days.

Editorial Independence

PlainMaternity is an independent publisher and is not affiliated with the agencies or organizations that publish the underlying data. We do not accept payment, sponsorship, or promoted placement from any covered entity. Our only revenue is contextual display advertising served by Google AdSense; advertisers do not influence what we cover or how we present it.

Appropriate Use

PlainMaternity is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, investment, or other professional advice. Details can change after we ingest a record. For any important decision, confirm the current information with the primary source or a qualified professional (such as a licensed accountant or financial adviser). See our full disclaimer.