Healthy Relationships

Healthy relationships and reducing parental conflict

Everyone has arguments from time to time - they are a normal part of relationships. It's how they are resolved that's the most important thing to ensure family stability. A stable family environment (whether parents and carers are together or not) is key to delivering the best outcomes for children and young people.

When arguments are managed and resolved there are few, if any, lasting effects on the relationship or on children. However, where arguments are frequent, intense, and poorly resolved, children can be affected in many different ways; they may feel responsible, become withdrawn, sad or angry. These effects can have many impacts including their ability to form and maintain healthy relationships of their own.

If you are starting to consider if your relationship is healthy, ask yourself:

do you sometimes argue/have conflict?
do you have these moments of parental conflict when the children are present?
is there an unspoken reason as to why you are experiencing this conflict?
is there a better way to manage arguments when you do have them, especially around your children?

Healthy Relationships e-learning for Professionals - find out more here.

Unhealthy relationships

Sometimes a relationship can become unhealthy or abusive. It is important to pay attention to your own emotions and how the other person makes you feel. If you are concerned about your relationship and whether it is healthy or abusive, there is confidential support available to help you.

The national Women’s Aid Organisation have some questions and guidance that can help you understand your relationship better. You may then be able to better decide if you need help.

The national ManKind Initiative is also available to support.

Visit the COMPASS website to speak to someone in Essex or phone them on 0330 333 7 444.

Healthy relationship advice for young people

How do you know you have a healthy relationship? Ask yourself, ‘how does this person make me feel?’ Happy, excited, supported, loved, appreciated or sad, alone, jealous, worried, hurt or even fearful? This video co-produced by Essex Youth Service and SETDAB aims to support young people in maintaining positive relationships along with identifying and leaving unhealthy ones. The animation highlights five key messages, to develop healthy relationships:

Be honest

Be open

Be respectful

Be brave

Believe in yourself.

View the animation and further information.

“Relationships can be confusing. Especially if you really like someone but they do things you're not comfortable with. We're here to help you think about what feels right for you.” - Childline

“Free, safe and anonymous support” - Kooth

“We’re here to help everyone across Essex access the free information, support and treatment they need to stay safe, healthy and protected” - Essex Sexual Health Service

Essex Sexual Health Service

Essex Sexual Health Service Outreach and Education Team offer a wide variety of training to anyone that supports young people around their relationships or sexual health.

For more information or to book onto upcoming training please visit the ESHS website.

From 14th September, the Essex Sexual Health Service will be launching their Relationships and Sexual Health eLearning please click here for more information

For more information about the service or to request in-house training please contact provide.eshsoutreachteam@nhs.net

The Essex Sexual Health Service has developed some videos for parents about healthy relationships and the importance of Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) and how to have conversations at home. There are six videos which can be found on the Essex Sexual Health Service website (scroll to the bottom).

ESHS e-Learning Platform – Free Online Courses
Looking to build your knowledge and confidence around relationships and sexual health? The Essex Sexual Health Service e-Learning Platform launched on Monday 14 September, offering free, flexible online courses for professionals and education staff.
Courses are self-led and easy to fit around your schedule, with short modules and video presentations delivered by our experienced team. The first course, Sex, Consent and Confidentiality, is now available..
Schools and educational establishments working towards their Bronze, Silver or Gold RSHE Recognition Certificate can access the full range of ESHS courses, with completed e-learning contributing towards their RSHE Recognition application.
👉 Sign up for free and start learning - https://ec-cardapp.com/e-learning/eshs/register

ESHS Online RSHE Broadcasting Programme
Essex Sexual Health Service are now offering a FREE Online RSHE Broadcasting Programme for the 2026–27 academic year, where educators of young people (including educational settings and home educated parents and carers) can sign their young people up to access our online education sessions. There are a variety of subjects you can choose to access, and these will be available to access at various times of selected days.

The live RSHE broadcasts are delivered by experienced sexual health educators and provide young people with engaging, evidence-based information on important topics. They can be watched together with a class or a home for those who home educate their children and may be used to complement existing RSHE provision.
The sessions provide an accessible and interactive way to explore important sexual health topics, encourage informed conversations, and support learning in a safe and inclusive environment.
Simply register, join the live session at the appropriate time, and our experienced educators will guide students/young people through the session.

To register click here: https://essexsexualhealthservice.org.uk/live-broadcasting-registration/

You can also watch an example clip of one of our Live Broadcasts - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAJMxzH2ZEw

This year's programme

Date	KS4 – 10:15–10:55	KS5 – 13:40–14:20
Friday 18 September	Healthy Relationships	Healthy Relationships
Thursday 26 November	Consent	Consent
Thursday 14 January	Contraception	Contraception
Thursday 29 April	Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)	Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)

Resources to help reflect on your relationship

Click Relationships - advice and information on relationship issues that can be difficult to discuss.

See it Differently - video scenarios demonstrating different family conflicts and how these impact children and could be resolved more constructively.

Support services

Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service - information and support for families with children aged 0 – 19, and up to 25 years with special education needs. Advice includes support with relationships, parenting, child developmental checks and emotional wellbeing

Directory of Services - local and national services for children, young people and their families

Citizens Advice - information on housing, the law, benefits, work and more.

Family Lives - support and guidance to parents on topics such as pregnancy and birth, school, play, behaviour, health, bullying and more.

MoneyHelper - help and information on money such as debt, borrowing, budgeting, saving, divorce and separation, pension choices and more

Relate - support and guidance families and individuals may need about their relationships. This includes counselling services, online resources, and a live chat function to talk to the team online.

The Change Project - works across the spectrum of relationship issues.

Reducing Parental Conflict Training - Healthy Relationships e-learning for Professionals.

Capa First Response | Together for safer families - Capa First Response - Free specialist tailored support for parents and carers of children including neuro-diverse young people up to 25yrs.

Healthy Relationships