Prime Minister, put relationships at the heart of Government.
Open letter from The Relationships Alliance
Relationships shape our lives. They influence how safe we feel, how we cope with difficulty, how our children grow up and whether we have someone to turn to when life becomes overwhelming.
As leaders of some of the key relationship support charities across the UK, we see this every day. Across our work with individuals, couples, families and communities, relationships are often central to both the difficulties people experience and the support that helps them move forward. We believe public policy needs to reflect that much more consistently.
Last week, The Relationships Alliance came together around a shared conviction: good quality relationships, in all their forms, are fundamental to a thriving society and parental relationships, whether together or apart, is one of the most important influences on children’s mental health, wellbeing and future relationships.
Our ambition is to put relationship support firmly on the political agenda; with the recognition, investment and long-term commitment it deserves.
See the relationships within the policy
Government has significant ambitions for children’s wellbeing, mental health, reducing poverty and strengthening communities. The relationships within people’s lives need to be part of how those ambitions are delivered.
Consider a child experiencing persistent conflict between their parents. Support for that child matters enormously and so does helping the adults around them build healthier ways of relating to one another. Or consider someone struggling with their mental health. Alongside treatment, we should ask about the relationships that sustain them, the isolation they may experience and whether home feels safe.
A relational approach asks policymakers to look at the connections between people, as well as their individual needs. It also recognises the pressures families face. Poverty, racism, discrimination and unequal access to services can make it harder to build and sustain good quality relationships. Effective support must be inclusive, accessible and grounded in those realities, with safety underpinning all work.
We welcome the Health Secretary’s announcement to bring back Sure Start to every family hub in England and extending Best Start Family Hubs and the Healthy Baby programme to all local authorities by the end of 2028.
Three asks of Government
Our message to Prime Minister Andy Burnham and his Government is clear: put children, and the parental relationships that shape them at the heart of social policy.
First, visible leadership. Identify a clear political champion for relationship support and ensure that relationships are explicitly considered across government departments. Children’s policy, health, education and employment all offer opportunities to strengthen the relationships people depend on and unlock the fiscal benefits of doing so.
Second, sustained investment. Make a cross-department commitment to relationship support in the next Spending Review. Services need the stability to retain skilled people, reach families earlier and build support around changing needs.
Third, work with the sector. Bring Government, relationship support organisations, researchers and people with lived experience together to shape a practical programme of action. We want to contribute our expertise, share evidence and help turn ambition into delivery.
At our meeting, we heard about Scotland’s approach to whole-family support. The Scottish Government’s Whole Family Wellbeing Funding provides a useful starting point for a conversation about what England can learn and adapt.
There is experience to draw on and a sector ready to contribute. We would welcome a meeting with ministers to explore these commitments.
An invitation to join us
The Relationships Alliance wants to build a wider movement. If your organisation works with children, families, mental health, poverty, housing or communities, relationships are likely to be central to your work too.
We would love to hear from organisations that share our vision and want to help influence policy, strengthen the evidence base or campaign for better access to support.
Together, we can make a stronger case, connect learning across services and help Government see where a relationships approach could make a difference.
Michelle Hill, Chief Executive, TLC: Talk, Listen, Change
Mark Molden, Chief Executive, MarriageCare
Verity Glasgow, Chief Executive, OnePlusOne
Stuart Valentine, Chief Executive, Relationships Scotland
Leandra Box, Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Programmes, Race and Equality Foundation
Andrew Balfour, Chief Executive, Tavistock Relationships
