Divorce and Separation
There maybe many issues and concerns relating to a relationship
breakdown, especially when children are concerned. The
information below is there to help you, from money and housing
worries, to counselling and support for your children
Money and Housing
- The Money Advice
Service provide impartial information if you're going through,
or thinking about, a divorce or separation, to help you with
your finances.
My Divorce and Separation Calculator can help you draw up a
budget to help you stay on top of your finances, work out what you
have and what you owe and create scenarios for splitting what you
have.
- Child Support Agency– The Child
Support Agency's role is to make sure that parents who live apart
from their children contribute financially to their upkeep by
paying child maintenance. Child Maintenance Options is
another site to support parents make maintenance options and to
make arrangements to best suit their needs.
- Since April 2010, income from child maintenance
payments will be completely disregarded from benefit
calculations, meaning money paid to parents to support their
children will no longer be taken into account when calculating
benefit entitlement
-
Shelter have information about the impact of a
relationship breakdown on housing issues.
Counselling and support
-
Parenting Plans: Putting your Children First - A guide for
separating parents. The guide provides information to
help you think about all aspects of your children's lives, and the
arrangements you are making for them. It also gives tips on how you
can best support your children through the transition and beyond,
and gives suggestions for where you might go for support and
help.
- Cafcass looks after
the interests of children involved in family proceedings. They
work with children and their families, and then advise the courts
on what they consider to be in the best interests of
individual children.
- Relate offers
advice, relationship counselling, sex therapy, workshops,
mediation, consultations and support face-to-face, by phone and
through this website.
- Kids in the Middle aims
to support children whose parents are fighting and to support
parents to avoid getting into that situation in the first
place. They produce leaflets, including A Guide
for Parting Parents and their Children (PDF, 1.3MB).
- The Couple Connection - An
interactive service where couples can find out how to manage their
relationship more positively.
Other useful information
- One Space has a interactive
parenting resources, support and a lively online community for
single parents.
- Gingerbread
provides expert advice and practical support for single
parents. If you have just separated from your partner, or are
looking for work, or needing to claim benefits, they can help. You
may feel like you have so much to do you don’t know where to start
but they can assist you to find your way through.
- The National Association of
Child Contact Centres provides information on child contact
centres and services. They are neutral places where
children of separated families can enjoy contact with their
non-resident parents and sometimes other family members, in a
comfortable and safe environment.
- Only Dads and Only
Mums are two organisations celebrating single parenting,
offering lots of advice and support on issues relating to
lone-parent families.
