Workshop
Healthy Relationship Education
The PLF Healthy Relationship Education Inspire workshops have been designed in line with the Government’s statutory guidance for relationships and sex education, RSE, in educational settings, which became a mandatory requirement on the curriculum in September 2020, as stipulated in the Domestic Abuse bill.
Educational Tools
The Paul Lavelle Foundation Healthy Relationship Education Workshop
The workshops support the early intervention work set out in the VAWG strategy, to help to break the cycle of domestic abuse. They are aimed at primary and secondary schools, colleges, plus other children and young people’s educational settings and are suitable for children and young people with additional learning needs.
The workshops are designed to inspire positive behavioural change in children and young people and look at the key issues surrounding domestic, sexual abuse, understanding healthy relationships and the consequences of abuse.
The workshops are an engaging way to start conversation about difficult issues in a non-threatening environment. They are designed to be accessible for a variety of ages.
There are 2 versions of the workshop. One version for primary aged children, years 5 & 6 and another for secondary school age and older, including into adulthood.
Primary
Teaches pupils the knowledge they need to recognise and to report abuse, including emotional, physical and sexual abuse ensuring children and young people understand that they have rights over their own bodies. They also include understanding boundaries in friendships with peers and also in families and with others, in all contexts, including online. It is an excellent introduction to topics of unhealthy relationships and red flags. Children are also taught about acceptable and unacceptable behaviours, privacy, cyber safety, how to manage negative emotions and how to identify trusted adults to disclose concerns.
Topics Discussed
- Qualities in healthy relationships
- Identifying negative behaviours
- Negative behaviours in friendships
- Positive family environments
- Dealing with anger
- Personal safety
- Cyber safety
- Bullying
- Gender equality
- Identifying a trusted adult and safe place
- Understanding risky situations
- Dangers of knife crime
Secondary – Adulthood
Builds on the learning from version 1 and helps participants learn about what is abuse, the prevalence of abuse. It covers each subject of abuse under the domestic abuse act, such as physical, emotional, coercive control, economic, sexual, consent, exploitation and more. Participants are made aware of any relevant laws related to each topic which is being taught.
Topics Discussed
- Definition of Domestic Abuse
- Physical Abuse
- Emotional Abuse
- Psychological Abuse
- Sexual Abuse
- Sexual Harassment
- Coercive Control
- Financial Abuse
- Inappropriate Sexual Behaviours
- Cat Calling
- Gas Lighting
- Stalking and Harassment
- Misandry / Misogyny
- Consent
- Cat Fishing
- Grooming / Exploitation
- How to speak out about unhealthy relationships and DA
- Where to seek support
- How to support others with unhealthy relationships and DA concerns
Participants are given advice and guidance on how and where to seek support. They are encouraged to download a specific healthy relationship APP which has been designed and created to complement the workshop and reaffirm the learning. The APP has a menu of advice and guidance, a list of local and national support agencies for easy access, as well as interactive quizzes, to determine whether user’s relationships and friendships are healthy
Workshops can be delivered up to a maximum of 30 participants in our workshops and the assemblies cover whole year groups.
Due to the emotive topics discussed they are always delivered using 2 trained facilitators, in case of disclosures that may need addressing or 1:1 support, for any participants who are affected by any of the topics. A safeguarding lead is always requested to be present or easily accessible whilst delivery is underway.
We have been delivering these workshops since January 2020 and the feedback collated has been exceptionally positive from both pupils/students and teachers/tutors.
We regularly partner with Merseyside Police and the Merseyside Police Safer Schools Officers delivering the workshop on their Pathfinders programmes and other PSHE carousel learning days.
Our workshop was nominated by Wirral Police and received a ‘National Youth Anti-Violence Educational Award’ as part of the UK Knife Angel campaign.
Outcomes and impact we hope to achieve from our workshops
Children & young people have awareness and understanding of characteristics of healthy relationships.
Children and young people can identify the different types of abuse that can be displayed in an unhealthy relationship.
Children & young people are able to recognise abusive behaviour and are able to seek appropriate support from trusted adults.
Teachers are able to identify vulnerable students and support appropriately
Less Children and Young People will become victims of abuse and exploitation
More young people will feel increased confidence in appropriate personal relationships resulting in increased self-esteem.
Young people championing characteristics of positive healthy relationship
