Marriage and relationship education in Australia has the potential to make a major contribution to the health and well being of the nation's people. To realize this potential the field needs to evolve the range and quality of services it provides.
Historically, the field of marriage and relationship education began from advice offered by religious marriage celebrants to marrying couples. Over time the services offered by relationship educators have broadened and evolved, and continue to evolve, in many important ways. One aspect of this evolution is that different approaches to marriage and relationship education have developed, and there has been systematic research evaluating some of these approaches. The field needs to place increasing emphasis upon providing empirically supported approaches to relationship education. This means expanding the availability of skills training approaches to relationship education, which have been found to be effective. It also means conducting more research to evaluate promising methods of relationship education, such as the use of inventories. Should this research show these other approaches are effective than dissemination of those approaches should be encouraged.
A second aspect of the evolution of the field has been the broadening of opportunities of when in a couple's life span they might access relationship education. Pre-marriage courses remain the most common time when couples access relationship education, but education to support couples across life transitions and times of crisis have been developing. There is some research evaluating programs for transitions such as becoming parents, coping with unemployment, and health crises. The field needs to develop and evaluate programs that support couples right across the life span.
Related to the diversification of the timing of entry to relationship education is the development of notions of continuity of contact with couples. Traditionally relationship education has been a brief contact of a session or series of sessions with an educator. (Though many religious marriage celebrants provide ongoing pastoral care to couples). The possibility of couples returning for relationship education across time as the need arises has not been adequately explored by the field, and is a likely trend in the future evolution of relationship education.
A third aspect of the field's evolution is diversification of the modes of relationship education provision. Relationship education is still predominantly delivered in face-to-face programs for either a single couple, or a group of couples. Computerized scoring of relationship assessment inventories and provision of computer-generated reports for couples were the beginning of the application of information technology to relationship education. Recent developments of video and web based relationship education resource materials are expanding the opportunities for couples to access relationship education. However, the field is only just beginning to recognize the potential utility of flexible delivery of selfdirected learning materials. This is likely to be a major area of growth in the field of relationship education.
Another aspect of the field's evolution is the increasing professionalism and raising of standards in provision of relationship education. Professional associations are promoting the accessing and use of research to guide practice. Greater access to training, continuing education and the definition of professional competence standards by marriage and relationship educators all hold the possibility of enhancing the quality of service provision. The increased funding for relationship education provided by the federal government has been accompanied by increased requirements of accountability for the quality of services delivered. Again, in the long term this should lead to better relationship education services.
The field of marriage and relationship education also is evolving to be more responsive to the diversity and multi-cultural nature of Australian society. Relationship education is responding to the diversity of pathways by which couples enter committed relationships. Attempts are being made to adapt the content and the process of providing relationship education so that education is culturally sensitive and appropriate. There is considerable challenge to providing relationship education that recognizes diversity, is culturally appropriate, and is an empirically supported effective form of relationship education. However, there are examples of programs that successfully have combined community involvement in the development of programs with utilization of empirically supported approaches to family skills education.
The funding of relationship education also is evolving. Originally most education was provided on a voluntary basis, and many religious organizations still provide services through clergy and unpaid lay volunteers. Professional relationship educators fund their services both through payment by couples, and by government funding. A few more entrepreneurial relationship educators have forged partnerships with other services to fund relationship education, and keep down costs to couples. Breaking down the barriers between relationship education and other services such as parenting programs, employee assistance, preparation for retirement, and health services is likely to expand the range of sources of funding for relationship education. Diversification of the sources of funding for relationship education is just beginning.
Relationship education in Australia at the beginning of the third millenium is an exciting field. The rate of evolution of the field is accelerating. The range and quality of services available to couples are likely to continue to expand. There is much work to do to realize the potential of the field of relationship education, but Australia is well placed to develop the best relationship education services in the world. The projects suggested in this report are intended to be steps in the evolution of diverse, accessible and excellent relationship education services.