Healthy relationships
Key information this page includes:
Bonding with your baby
In the first few years of your baby’s life it is really important to bond with them as it helps their development. Physical contact is a key part of bonding so you should try to hold and cuddle with your baby as often as you can. Have lots of eye contact and smile a lot, as these simple actions will help build a strong emotional connection with your child.
Sibling relationships
If you have more than one child, it can be difficult to manage the relationship between siblings. Build time to play together with your children so that they can learn how to play appropriately and safely with younger brothers and sisters. It is possible that an older sibling may feel that they are not getting enough attention as you have to care for your younger child more, so make sure you spend time with all of your children. Try to teach your children empathy, and talk to them about why a younger child may need things to be different. Encourage your children to do things together so that they grow closer and enjoy spending time together.
Support for separated/separating parents
If you are separated from your child’s other parent, it’s still important for both of you to be involved in your child’s life. Try to keep an open and honest relationship with each other so you can communicate well and do what’s best for your child.
Having clear routines is important if your child is spending time in different homes, as it helps them feel loved and supported by both parents. If your separation wasn’t easy and you aren’t on good terms, it might be helpful to get support.
Consent
It is important to talk to your child about consent, because you can teach your child at a young age that their body is their body and that nobody is allowed to do anything to them that they don’t like. Children learn how to relate and interact with other people from observing everyone around them and that is especially important when it comes to healthy relationship boundaries.
Teaching your child what consent means from a young age will help them to understand healthy relationships as a teenager.
Let you child make their own choices, because it’s important to teach your child that their body belongs to them and it’s their choice what they do with it. This will also help them to understand that other people make choices about their own bodies and we all should respect that.
For more information about how to talk to your child about consent, please follow this link How to teach your young child about consent - body autonomy (actionforchildren.org.uk)
Developed with children, parents, carers and teachers, Talk PANTS helps children understand that their body belongs to them, and they should tell a safe adult they trust if anything makes them feel upset or worried Let's talk PANTS with Pantosaurus! | NSPCC
Protective parenting
Protective parenting means protecting your children from harm or abuse in any form. This abuse could be physical, emotional or sexual, and protective parenting is important in reducing the risks facing children. The setting that a child is raised in can be assessed for risks and abusers can be identified. You can find out about protective parenting here: There is hope: How protective parenting assessments and interventions help protect children (lucyfaithfull.org.uk).
If you are concerned about your own child, or any child, you can call the Children's advice and duty service (CHAD) on 01782 235100 (Monday to Friday 8.30am to 6pm). If you need to contact us out of hours, then please call our emergency duty team on 01782 234234. Concerned about a child in Stoke-on-Trent | Concerned about a child in Stoke-on-Trent | Stoke-on-Trent