Recommendations featured in The Centre for Social Justice’s Lonely Nation report should be implemented by the next government if it wants to deliver real improvements for families and the wider society, says OnePlusOne’s chief executive, Verity Glasgow.
The report published in May revealed startling statistics about the extent of isolation and loneliness experienced by people across the country.
It found British families to be ‘uniquely fragile and complex,’ citing family breakdowns as a contributory factor to the increase in loneliness and isolation people report feeling today.
OnePlusOne supports the Centre for Justice’s call for continuing investment in relationship support programmes, family hubs, and services that make it easier for people to connect with others. Continued funding for accessible, early support is essential.
Verity Glasgow, CEO of OnePlusOne, said: “We welcome many of the recommendations in this report, and would like to see the next government go even further to tackle loneliness, support young people, and encourage great social cohesion.
“Relationships are the building blocks of society. Equipping people with the skills to develop and maintain healthy relationships with others – whether that’s with family, friends, colleagues or their community – helps to foster a sense of belonging.
“Over recent years, there have been many challenges that have put relationships under strain. The Covid-19 pandemic, changes to work and study practices, and the impact of the cost of living crisis have all had an effect on how we interact with others.
“Committed relationships, whatever their form, can help people to cope with challenging times. From our own work helping to reduce parental conflict and improve relational capability skills we know how important it is to support people with the development of skills that allow them to relate with others effectively.
‘It is important that we break down the barriers to talking about relationship issues. We want to create opportunities for people to improve their relational skills in all areas of their lives. We urge the next government to commit to supporting this essential life skill to secure better outcomes for families, workplaces, and society.”
OnePlusOne specialises in creating digital resources to support relationships, including courses for parents to reduce conflict, and workplace training to improve relational capability skills. Parents who complete our courses demonstrate statistically significant improvements in their relational wellbeing. This includes improved relationship satisfaction, increased emotional readiness, improved couple coping and co-parenting, and reductions in couple conflict.
