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Education in schools
At least one child in every class has experienced, or is experiencing, some form of domestic abuse at home. We offer schools a unique interactive programme that has supported thousands of local school children to better understand the differences between a healthy and unhealthy relationship.
What is the Healthy Relationships programme?
Our Healthy Relationships programme teaches children about relationships and acts as an early intervention tool. We look at equality, making choices, and at secondary level, how to keep safe online.
All staff who deliver the programme have a teaching qualification and the programme is mapped to the national curriculum. During the delivery, teaching and support staff attend a short training session to build understanding and confidence in working with children who are affected by domestic abuse.
Who’s it for?
There are two different variations of the programme for primary (Years 5 and 6) and secondary (Years 9 and 10) school children across Bolton.
What’s it about?
Each session is diverse and interactive with activities and resources designed to keep children engaged and involved. Examples include games, discussions, videos and role play. We discuss British values with an emphasis on the importance of acceptance and tolerance.
Primary – Years 5 and 6
- The impact of behaviours
- The importance of equality
- Recognising choices
- Responsibility and understanding domestic abuse
- Being safe online
Secondary – Years 9 and 10
- Respect Me – Program co designed with Bolton Youth Voice covering – consent, healthy relationships, explicit image sharing and misogyny
- Stalking and Harassment – types of stalkers and behaviours, how to stay safe, why young people are vulnerable, and street harassment
All sessions are delivered by children’s workers who specialise in domestic abuse. They include a minimum of four one-hour teaching sessions, a scheme of work and individual lesson plans, plus teacher training.
Join the programme
For more information please contact our Schools team on 01204 365677 or email info@fortalice.co.uk
Bespoke educational support packages
We offer a variety of educational packages available to meet your school’s individual needs and will happily tailor sessions to suit. Common themes include hate crime, bullying and internet safety. Please contact us to discuss your school’s needs.
Support for children and young people
Additional support is freely available to children who have been affected by domestic abuse, including our Breaking Free programme, children’s and young person’s counselling and play therapy .
Survivor’s story
“I know what to do now if he comes back, I’ve got my safety plan on my bedroom wall, so me and my brother can be safe”
Faye’s* mum and dad always used to fall out and dad hurt mum. They split up because her mum said it wasn’t fair on the children, but then a few weeks later, dad came back and promised her he’d change. He didn’t and things got bad again.
Faye shared that he was always letting her down and promising he would take her places, but then he would just take her to the pub and leave her while he got drunk. He slapped her and made a big mark and swore at her.
Since then, her mum and dad have broken up again and she hasn’t seen her dad for a few months. He’s not allowed to pick her up from school. He recently turned up at the house and started to shout and throw things around. Faye was scared and didn’t know what to do if he came back again.
Following this disclosure, we notified the Safeguarding team in school. They were unaware of the situation but were now able to monitor events. One of our workers returned to complete a safety plan and discuss trusted people, ensuring that a member of school staff was a trusted person. Faye shared, “I know what to do now if he comes back, I’ve got my safety plan on my bedroom wall, so me and my brother can be safe.”
*Names changed to protect identity