A free online course designed to help RAF couples deal with the challenges of family life has hit a milestone after its 300th family reached out for help.
Building Stronger Families, launched by the RAF Benevolent Fund with the help of national relationship charity Relate, is tailored to the needs of RAF families to give couples the skills and knowledge they need to deal with common relationship issues, including communication, conflict and family life.
The RAF Benevolent Fund has funded Relate for nine years to provide free counselling sessions for those who feel professional help would be a benefit. Building Stronger Families was introduced two years ago to equip couples to have healthy relationships, helping them to face any difficulties that may arise, and preventing problems from developing into something more serious.
Air Commodore Paul Hughesdon, Director of Welfare and Policy at the RAF Benevolent Fund, said: “The success of Building Stronger Families has been great, and the response from participants has been overwhelmingly positive. We know that serving personnel face several challenges in their lives, and that includes at home, which is why we want to encourage more couples to access this free, easy-to-use programme and target any issues before they evolve.”
The course is particularly ideal for couples at the start of a new relationship, or those who are experiencing a change at home, such as one partner being deployed and facing the challenge of maintaining a long-distance relationship.
In addition to offering the free online course, the RAF Benevolent Fund funds up to six counselling sessions with Relate for serving personnel and/or their partners experiencing relationship problems. You can use the service if you are married, living together, in a same-sex relationship, separated, divorced, single or widowed.
For more information or to access the service, call 0845 077 5556 or email contracts@relate.org.uk quoting your service number. Alternatively you can access the course online at: https://www.rafbf.org/how-we-help/serving-raf-community/relationship-support
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For more information and high res images please contact:
Rebekah Sharrock, PR Officer, RAF Benevolent Fund
E: rebekah.sharrock@rafbf.org.uk | T:020 7307 335 | M: 07595 657979
RAF Benevolent Fund: The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund is the RAF’s leading welfare charity. We exist to support current and former members of the RAF, their partners and dependants, whenever they need us. In 2016 we spent £17.6m supporting more than 65,000 members of the RAF Family. For more information visit: www.rafbf.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/RAFBF
