Modern Families: Learning the legal consequences of different family forms - An update

In November 2022, the Modern Families lesson plans were rolled out nationally, having gained the PSHE Association Quality Mark as an educational resource for 14 to 18-year olds to assist in dispelling the common law marriage myth among young people. This successful collaboration between the University of Exeter and Resolution helps pupils to recognise that families come in all shapes and sizes: consider some of the myths and misconceptions around 'common law marriage' and 'non-qualifying ceremonies'; and enable them to make informed decisions about future relationships. In this article, I report on the benefits of this project to date.

The resources have made a difference in the classroom by providing school pupils with valuable lessons on, and a safe space to discuss and explore issues related to relationships and family law. The project enables schools to facilitate lessons for students, providing them with a toolkit of skills and knowledge to navigate conflicts and make informed choices about relationships in a healthy way. The lesson plans are the only PHSE Association quality marked lessons on this subject and are therefore a much-needed evidence-based tool to fill the gap in resources.

'Modern Families' launched on 17 November 2022 to the PSHE Association's 27,000 members and has already received excellent feedback. Five thousand members accessed links to the resources on launch; there have been 480 organic page views of the page listing at the PSHE Association and 930 downloads of the resources on the University of Exeter website which hosts the lesson plans since November of last year. The PSHE Association has specifically requested to be able to showcase these materials as part of their Annual Roadshow across seven regions this summer.

Pupils are encouraged to discuss through interactive exercises whether they think there are (or ought to be) any differences in the legal rights that flow from the various relationship forms considered. They explore the range of different family forms, both mixed-sex and same-sex (including single parent families, blended families, married couples, civil partners, cohabiting couples, and couples who have had a non-legally binding ceremony). They discuss the need to respect that some families will look different than others and the commonalities that different family forms share: provision of love, security and stability. They examine the hallmarks of positive family relationships including mutual support, trust, respect and equality.

In feedback, teachers have expressed gratitude for making this resource available, highlighting the status of the trusted PSHE Association quality mark assurance, the importance of the subject area and the lack of resources covering this topic. Feedback from teachers has included 'Can I say thank you very much, this is something I have been attempting to create and use with our students'.

It is hoped that 'Modern Families' will reach thousands of children in England and Wales, helping them to develop into young adults with a better understanding of family forms, rights, and relationships.

I extend my thanks and gratitude to the following for their work on this project: Dr Jan Ewing, Professor Anne Barlow and Professor Rebecca Probert (all at University of Exeter); Yuliya Osudina and Kingsley Napley; Sarah Marchant and Hannah Saxe of Resolution's Cohabitation Committee; Nazia Rashid from Resolution's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee; Mary Raymont, Co-Chair of Resolution's Training & Learning Committee; Rachel Rogers, Resolution's Head of Policy, and Sara Baba, Resolution's Marketing Manager.

For more details of the background and development of the Modern Families project, please click on the link below to read Sarah Marchant's article for The Review November/December 2022 Issue, for which Resolution have dropped their paywall: Resolution hits the classrooms … | Resolution. To download a copy of the free to access resource, please go to Modern Families | Network on Family Regulation and Society | University of Exeter or the PSHE website.