Teaching about healthy relationships should be part of the curriculum in schools in Wales, according to a National Assembly committee.
The Equalities, Local Government and Communities Committee has been looking at the effectiveness of the law on violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence, which came into force in April 2015.
One of the main areas covered by the Committee is healthy relationships education. The Committee highlights the importance of teaching children and young people about heathy relationships, which it believes is key to preventing violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence. It is concerned that healthy relationships education is not being taught in all schools in Wales and recommends that compulsory healthy relationship education is included in the new curriculum, which is currently being developed.
The Committee heard from a number of sources that the legislation could lead to a rise in demand for specialist services to support survivors of violence and abuse as awareness and understanding of these issues increases. If this does happen, the Committee is concerned that, particularly in the voluntary sector, organisations that provide support to survivors may not be able to cope.
During its inquiry, the Committee met with survivors who shared their experiences and heard first-hand about the effects of abuse and violence on individuals and their families.
“The Violence against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Act is recognised internationally as a ground-breaking law,” said John Griffiths AM, Chair of the Equalities, Local Government and Communities Committee.
“It has the potential to bring about real improvements in the protection and support for survivors. However, we question whether the Act in itself is enough to bring about the societal change that we believe is necessary to prevent abuse.
“We see healthy relationship education as crucial to address this issue and we believe that it should be taught in all schools and at an age before unhealthy attitudes towards sex and relationships have developed.”
The Committee makes 16 recommendations in its report, including:
- The Welsh Government should provide public authorities with guidance on how they can align training packages, needs assessments and outcomes frameworks with the Social Services and Well-being Act and the Well-being of Future Generations Act;
- The Welsh Government should provide a timescale for when the Advisory Board will complete its work into a sustainable funding model for the specialist sector (and when this will be communicated).
- The Welsh Government should commit to including teaching about healthy relationships in the new curriculum under the ‘Health and Well-being’ Area of Learning and Experience (AoLE), and should ensure this is delivered in all schools.
The report will now be considered by the Welsh Government.
Final Report (950KB)