In the Community
Relate, through its nationwide network of Centres, reflects and responds to local communities with services, initiatives and joint projects.
In Schools
A number of Centres in the Relate network work with schools to provide relationship courses or workshops. These cover topics like assertiveness, self esteem, sex, stress, conflict and relationships. They are mainly run in secondary schools with groups of 30 students for an hour or two.
Peer listening schemes are also developed for schools aiming to get everyone involved in getting on better and improving relationships with one another. The school selects training modules which deal with issues that are a priority for them such as bullying, family breakdown or drugs.
Members of staff make up a support team to assist the Peer Listeners and eight pupils are trained to deal with issues that pupils may come to them to talk about. Peer Listeners are not there to give advice, just to listen and refer people on, if necessary, to other sources of help and of course its confidential.
In Prisons
Since 2002 Relate has been working with UK prisons including Ashwell, Acklington and Winchester building a programme to ensure prisoners are able to maintain and build links with their families. Read more about Relate's work in prisons.
Working with Homelessness
In March 2002 the Government report "More than a Roof" set out a new approach to homelessness. This focussed on the personal problems that homeless people face alongside their need to access suitable housing.
Family breakdown is a major contributor to homelessness. Surveys routinely show that around half of homeless people ascribe their homelessness to relationship breakdown (Crisis, A Future Foretold, 1999).
Working in partnership with housing professionals Relate services alleviate communication and relationship issues which cause homelessness, helping Local Authorities to make a positive impact on homelessness in their communities.
Our Services for Local Authorities Working with Homelessness:
Relate for Families: works where relationship breakdown in a family is creating significant risk of homelessness, or where there is a potential for reconciliation.
Relate for Young People: helps young people resolve the causes of relationship breakdown before it leads to them leaving the family home, or to develop healthy relationships reducing the likelihood of homelessness in the future.
Relate Groups: enable people to learn skills for healthy relationships and how to manage the impact of children on a relationship
Working Relationships: provides front line employees with skills to support people who are experiencing relationship difficulties.
Through these services, Relate helps vulnerable individuals, families with children, and young people to tackle the causes of relationship breakdown which may result in homelessness, reconcile relationships with families and friends to enable households to be rebuilt and find ways to continue to live together, where it is safe to do so.
Supporting Professionals and Volunteers
Relate provides training and support for volunteers and professionals working in the community through a range of courses and workshops:
Supporting Families - skills for working in the Community: For volunteers who visit people in their homes to equip them with communication skills and awareness of the issues when working with families
Understanding Relationships - the theory of how relationships work: For professionals offering underpinning knowledge and skills for working with couples and families
Looking Beyond the Problem - solution-focussed helping skills for working in the community: For professionals who would like to broaden their range of skills for working to support families and couples
