YOUNG PEOPLE’S RELATIONSHIPS
supporting young people as they have their first relationship

 

Appendix 1 – Focus group and interview questions

Young people

  1. What do you think young people want to get out of having a relationship?
  2. Where do you learn about relationships?
  3. Where do you go and/or who do you go to if you have a relationship issue?
  4. What are effective ways to support young people with relationship issues? What works and what doesn’t?
  5. What sort of support or information about relationships do you want from your parents and/or other people in your family?

Additional prompts:

  • Consider the four key settings within which young people live: school; parents, siblings and wider family members, whānau; peers; community including media (TV, movies, magazines), texting, social networking, internet, gaming, service-providers, church, sports clubs etc.
  • Are different things appropriate at different ages, or for boys and girls?
  • What are the top three relationship issues for young people?

Parents and whānau

  1. Where do young people learn about relationships?
  2. What skills and information do you think teenagers need so they can develop healthy relationships? Are different things appropriate at different ages?
  3. Who should have the responsibility to teach teenagers about relationships?
  4. What are effective ways to support young people with relationship issues? What works and what doesn’t?
  5. Do you think parents find it difficult to talk about relationship issues with teenagers? Why?
  6. What would help to make you feel more confident to talk with your teenager about relationship issues?

Professionals working with young people

  1. Where do young people learn about relationships?
  2. What skills and information do you think teenagers need so they can develop healthy relationships? Are different things appropriate at different ages?
  3. Who should have the responsibility to teach teenagers about relationships?
  4. What are effective ways to support young people with relationship issues? What works and what doesn’t?