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Relationships Matter

Relationships within families matter and are important for wellbeing, development, and life chances.  We know that parental conflict if frequent, intense and poorly revolved has a negative impact on children’s emotional wellbeing, social skills and school achievement.

Relationships are an important part of a healthy lifestyle for both our physical and mental health.

The relationships we have with those around us make a big difference to how happy we are, how our children thrive and how we get though the challenges in life we sometimes face.

We all have disagreements and fall out with people, it’s a natural part of relationships. Disagreements can be big and small, whether it’s how we want to bring up our children, to who spends the most money, to who last did the washing up! Not all disagreements are damaging, it’s how we deal with them that is important.

When disagreements are not resolved, happen frequently or there are long periods of the ‘silent treatment’ they can turn into conflict. Whether parents are together or separated, the way you and your partner communicate can impact on your children.

Parental conflict is not the same as domestic abuse – if you are afraid of your partner or feeling that they control your life then this is more likely to be domestic abuse and support is available for you. Please seek help by:

Online Support for you

Flintshire County Council have worked with oneplusone to provide the following FREE online courses. oneplusone programmes help you with advice and support in strengthening your relationships and to manage conflict better.

Oneplusone

Visit OnePlusOne

Kids talk | OnePlusOne

Kids talk | OnePlusOne from OnePlusOne on Vimeo.

Me, You and Baby Too

Who it’s for

  • New and expectant parents.

What you’ll learn

  • What babies pick up from you, even before they are born.
  • Why stress should be a shared burden.
  • How you and your partner can best support each other.
  • How to talk to bring up difficult topics.
  • How arguments start, and how to stop them.

Content

  • Changes for me and us.
  • Coping with stress.
  • Conflict and communication.

Arguing Better

Who it’s for

  • Parents who want to learn healthy ways to cope with stress.

What you’ll learn

  • Where stress comes from and how it can affect you.The impact of stress on your family and relationship.
  • How to support each other during stressful times.
  • The best way to talk about problems so that you can find solutions together.

Content

  • Understanding stress.
  • Coping with stress together.
  • Arguing better.

Getting it Right for Children

Who it’s for

  • Separating or separated parents experiencing high levels of conflict.

What you’ll learn

  • How stay calm and listen as well as talk.
  • Why it’s helpful to see things from a different point of view.
  • What to do to stop a discussion from turning into an argument.
  • Skills for finding solutions and making compromises.

Content

  • Stay calm.
  • See it differently.
  • Negotiate.
  • Work it out.

Other online resources

(We do not endorse the content of these websites. Parents have told us they have found them useful).

Relate

Relate

Relate is the largest provider of relationship support in England and Wales and they help millions of people every year to strengthen the relationships that mean the most to them.  You can use the Relate AI Chatbot to share what you're going through and get answers, support, and advice to help you get through conflicts with your partner or co-parent. The ‘in the middle’ Bot is a chatbot that’s trained on how your child experiences your relationship. With a small amount of information and zero judgement, you can get insight into how your child might be feeling. Relate, 2024

Relate

See it differently

Take some time to watch these videos from see it differently which highlight how these issues affect children and their families.

Visit the See it differently website

Family Lives

Family Lives provide targeted early intervention and crisis support to families who are struggling.  The issues they support families with include family breakdown, challenging relationships and behaviour, debt, and emotional and mental well-being.

Visit the Family Lives website

Gingerbread

Gingerbread are a charity that help single parent families to live secure, happy and fulfilling lives. They give free and confidential support and expert advice on anything from dealing with a breakup to going back to work or sorting out child maintenance, benefit or tax credit issues. If you plan to use the helpline, mornings tend to be busy, so sometimes calling in the afternoon can help.

Visit the Gingerbread website

Facing money issues as a couple

Facing money issues as a couple - useful ideas on getting help, talking about money, making a budget and taking time for each other.

Read more about facing money issues as a couple

Click Relationships

Click Relationships website - share questions and stories with the community, try fun and helpful activities, or get private support from a Click listener.

Visit the Click Relationships website

Dad Info

Dad Info Website - Europe's largest advice and support website for fathers. Includes a free online course for separated parents.

Visit the Dad Info website