Respectful Relationships: Series Breakdown

Want to know all about the new series in Learning for Life - ‘Respectful Relationships’? Keep reading!

What Do We Talk About in Respectful Relationships?

In this module, we build on what we've already learned in Caring Friendships, Families, and Growing Up and Keeping Safe. Looking at how we can tell if someone is a real friend. Then, we take a closer look at romantic relationships.

We explore the different types of love and how they can make us feel. We talk about how our actions and words can affect others. We also begin to look at what makes a healthy romantic relationship and introduce the idea of consent— what it means to give and get permission when starting a relationship or with early touch.

We give young people the words and confidence they need to begin and end a romantic relationship in a respectful way.

We also talk about more difficult topics, like obsession and mate crime—when someone pretends to be a friend to take advantage. We share simple, clear strategies to help learners stay safe and know when and how to ask for help.

Please note: we’ll be covering more detailed lessons on sexual consent later. In this module, we focus only on the kind of consent needed for starting a romantic relationship and early physical contact.

We couldn’t do this important work without the support of our funders and partners. Thank you for helping us give young people the knowledge and confidence they need to thrive in adult life.

Produced with Down’s Syndrome Scotland and using Widgit symbols alongside signing, this series dives into both the positive and negative sides of friendships and relationships. The topics covered have been directly informed by the RSE curriculum, as well as the experiences of DS Scotland in working with their young people.

As always, we encourage you to differentiate the teaching to the needs and learning level of your young person/people. This is encouraged throughout the Learning for Life project, but as we begin to cover more complex and sometimes distressing topics, such as mate crime and obsession, this needs to be particularly noted. Please consider the level of discussion beforehand, to ensure you cater effectively to your learner; the project is made to be age-appropriate right up to young adulthood, so make sure you personalise the experience and make it meaningful to their lives.

'Respectful Relationships' consists of the following videos:

1. Respectful Relationships

2. Respectful Friendships

3. Mate Crime

4. Social Media

5. Phone Etiquette

6. Types of Love

7. Starting a Relationship

8. Ending a Relationship

9. Obsession

How to Use the Learning for Life Series

We recommend working through the Learning for Life series in order. Start with:

1. Growing Up and Keeping Safe

2. Emotions

3. Caring Friendships

4. Being Healthy

5. The Changing Adolescent Body

6. Families

7. Understanding Health & Prevention

8. Respectful Relationships

Each module builds on the learning from the one before it. This helps young people gradually grow their knowledge and skills.

However, you know your learner best. You can choose the order based on what suits their needs and what they already know. What’s most important is that they have already explored the basics about growing up, friendships, and relationships before starting Respectful Relationships.

We also encourage you to think carefully about your learner’s individual experiences. If there are any topics that could be upsetting or triggering—because of past experiences or specific needs—please take extra care and adapt the content as needed.

This series is here to support you and your learner every step of the way.