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Relate Manifesto for Strong Couple and Family Relationships
"Strong communities are built through the influence of healthy resilient families. Adults make the weather in families. If we are expecting families to bear the responsibility for creating strong communities, the political parties must commit to providing relationship and family support as of right to all who need it, regardless of their ability to pay for it."
Angela Sibson, Chief Executive, November 2004
Relate is the leading agency for the provision of advice and support for couple and family relationships and we reach more than 3 million people a year.
Relate believes all parties should set out specific policy proposals which would recognise the importance of healthy couple and family relationships in the context of a omprehensive cross-departmental national family strategy. A range of relationship support services should be available to people when they need them and regardless of their ability to pay for them.
Context: The major political parties now recognise that healthy family and couple relationships form the heart of thriving communities. Services to support couple and family relationships are currently provided mainly by the Voluntary and Community Sector and funding is difficult to obtain to provide for direct counselling services for clients for those who cannot afford these services. A national family strategy needs to determine how clients who cannot afford to pay for services will get access to them in the future, how these services can be delivered in the best interests of families, and provide the resources needed so that every family that wants help, gets it.
Outcome: Families will know where to turn to, and the range of services on offer. They will feel empowered to make decisions about their family in the best interests of all members. Resilience will be built within families to withstand the life changes that occur for them. Children will live in stable families that are willing to seek support when they need it.
Click here to read the full Relate Manifesto.
For further information contact:
Jenny North, Head of Public Policy
jenny.north@relate.org.uk
The following have given their support to the Relate Manifesto:
- Darren Johnson (Assembly member, Green Party)
- Baroness Gould,
- Earl Listowel,
- Lord Northbourne
- Hilton Dawson MP
- Peter Bottomley MP
- Bob Russell MP
- Baroness Sharp of Guildford
- Alan Beith
- Doug Naysmith
- Ross Cranston
- Ron Dearing (Lord)
- NSPCC
- Scottish Marriage Care
These are the 8 policy initiatives we see as essential to securing strong and resilient families.
1. Helping families with young children
Family counselling is an effective way to achieve healthy family relationships on which so many other social outcomes depend, for example curbing anti-social behaviour and teenage pregnancy. Relate would like to see family counselling services made available and accessible at every Sure Start scheme, Children's Centre and Extended School with specific targets for providers that are related to the support of adult relationships.
2. Public Health Policy on relationship wellbeing
Relate would like to see a major overhaul of the way health is presented and understood in Britain to include relationship and family wellbeing. Relate believes this would alleviate some of the fear of seeking help around relationship issues and encourage people to look after their relationships by getting early help and support.
3. Relationship Support available in every PCT
Relate would like the Government to ensure that every PCT is recommended to "contract in" specialist relationship support for their patients.
4. Relationship Support for first time parents
Relate would like to see first time parents receiving relationship support as part of the package of pre and post-natal support provided to them. Relate knows that encouraging parents to nurture their relationship at this time of change and transition will mean that they can meet new and developing family needs and avoid potential relationship problems that often occur after the birth of a baby.
5. More relationship education in schools for young people
Relate believes that the present provision of sex education in schools does not give young people a complete understanding of relationships and family life and that every school should include relationship education as a compulsory part of the curriculum alongside sex education to link sex with relationships in an effective way.
6. Employment law must encourage better work-life balance
Government must place greater and clearer commitment on work-life balance to ensure employees are able to carry out their work safely and in reasonable working hours without damage inflicted to family-home life.
7. Better support services made available to separating couples
Relationship breakdown is having far-reaching consequences on the structure and functioning of our society. It is essential that all separating couples have full access to a range of relationship support services that would allow them to manage family transition effectively.
8. Poverty, poor housing and relationship breakdown
Relate wants to see a greater policy emphasis given to the link between poverty, bad housing and relationship breakdown.
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