Divorce and separation support

Civil Legal Advice

Civil Legal Advice is a free and confidential advice service in England and Wales.  If you are living on a low income or benefits, you may be eligible for free specialist advice from legal advisers on issues such as: benefits and tax credits; debt, education; housing; employment; and family problems.

Childline (for young people)

ChildLine is a counselling service for children and young people. You can contact ChildLine by phone  on 0800 1111, send an email, have a 1-2-1 chat, send a message to Ask Sam and you can post messages to the ChildLine message boards. Young people can contact ChildLine about anything - no problem is too big or too small. 

Child Support Agency

Part of the Department for Work and Pensions, the Child Support Agency is responsible for making sure that parents who live apart from their children contribute financially, by paying child maintenance.

Divorce Recovery Workshop

Divorce Recovery Workshop is a self-help course to help people deal with the emotional trauma of a relationship that has broken down. The workshop helps you to understand what you are going through, provides support from others in the same situation and helps to you adjust. It is designed to be complimentary to professional help and does not provide legal advice or formal counselling. National Helpline: 0333 335 0489 (local call).

Families Need Fathers

Help with shared parenting issues arising from relationship breakdown whether you’re the mum or dad, married or unmarried. Support, guidance and advocacy for parents navigating family separation. Join families need fathers to connect, share experiences and find solutions together. Helpline:  0300 0300 363.

Family Lives

Family Lives provides help and support on a range of family issues, including parenting, health and well-being, behaviour, mental health, bullying, school – and separation and divorce. The have a free helpline: 0808 800 2222 and live chat (Monday to Friday, 10:30 am to 9:00 pm, also closed on bank holidays. You can also email for support.

Family Mediators Association 

Family mediation is a voluntary process by which couples in dispute, particularly those going through separation or divorce, are helped to deal with arrangements for their future. NFMA has a network of over 60 not-for-profit Family Mediation Services in England and Wales offering help to couples, married or unmarried, who are in the process of separation and divorce. General Enquiries:  01355 244 594. Find a mediator.

Gingerbread

Gingerbread is the charity which works nationally and locally, for and with single parent families, to improve their lives. They also achieve change by championing their voices and needs and providing support services. Single parents’ helpline:  0808 802 0925. The website also offers the facility to chat to an adviser.

Gov.uk – Get a divorce

Practical and detailed advice about getting a divorce in England and Wales. Includes how to apply, what happens after you apply, applying for a conditional order or decree nisi and finalising your divorce. Also includes information if your partner lacks mental capacity. Also help for making child arrangements if you divorce or separate and the Child Maintenance Service.

Kinship

Kinship is the leading kinship care charity in England and Wales. They are here for all kinship carers – the grandparents and siblings, the aunts, uncles, and family friends who step up to raise children when their parents aren’t able to. Helpline:  0300 123 7015. Get help and advice.

LawAndParents

The law provides many rights, responsibilities and protections for children - and parents can often find themselves confused as to what the state requires. LawAndParents offers a comprehensive information source for parents wishing to learn about their legal responsibilities and their rights in relation to their children.

The Mix (for young people)

Helpline:  0808 808 4994. The Mix is the UK’s leading support service for young people. They are here to help young people take on any challenge – from mental health to money, from homelessness to finding a job, from break-ups to drugs. Talk to The Mix via our online community, online chat, on social or our counselling service. You can contact the crisis messenger 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by texting THEMIX to 85258.

National Association of Child Contact Centres

More than a million children have no contact whatsoever with one of their parents after separation, which can lead to behavioural issues including antisocial behaviour, distress, unhappiness, and both physical and emotional problems. NACCC provides safe spaces where children can meet the parents they don’t live with. They oversee around 300 contact centres across the UK, run by a network of nearly 3,000 volunteers.

National Family Mediation

National Family Mediation helps families in conflict, especially those divorcing or separating. Their family mediation service reduces conflict, and your family stays in control of arrangements over children, property and finance. They work right across England and Wales and its family mediation service has over 30 years’ experience providing expert, professional family mediation service. Tel:  0300 4000 636.

Netmums

A unique local network for Mums (or Dads), offering a wealth of information on both a national and local level. Once registered, you can access details for all kinds of local resources, from child-friendly cafes to childminders, places to go and so on.

OnlyMums and OnlyDads

Not-for-profit social enterprise supporting families through separation. OnlyMums and OnlyDads work in close partnership with a wide range professionals nationwide to bring you practical, up-to-date information, guidance and signposting on separation and divorce.

Relate

The largest provider of relationship support in England and Wales, Relate helps millions of people every year. They have centres across England and Wales and a network of licensed local counsellors offering in counselling in person, over the phone and online. They also have lots of self-help resources. Services include relationship counselling for individuals and couples, family counselling, counselling for children and young people and sex therapy. Find your local Relate centre.

Restored Lives

Restored Lives helps people recover from relationship breakdown. By supporting people and their children through separation or divorce, when a relationship is beyond repair, they help reduce the negative effects on individuals, children and communities. They offer support courses for adults and workshops for 12–30-year-olds.

Resolution

Help finding family law experts from 6,500 members. Resolution’s members are family lawyers committed to the constructive resolution of family disputes. The members follow a code of practice that promotes non-confrontational approaches to family problems. Its members encourage solutions that consider the needs of the whole family - and in particular the children.

Rights of Women

Rights of Women offers free confidential legal advice to women on its advice lines. They offer specialist advice in family law, divorce and relationship breakdown, children and contact issues, domestic violence, sexual violence, discrimination and lesbian parenting.

Young Minds

Information and advice to support families going through divorce or separation. Includes tips for telling your children, looking after their wellbeing and taking care of yourself. The Parents’ Information Service gives advice to parents or carers who may be concerned about the mental health or emotional well-being of a child or young person.

Wikivorce

The UK's largest and most visited divorce site. An extremely useful resource for those going through a separation or divorce. It has links to solicitors, ‘how to’ guides and a library of free information, as well as forums and support groups. It has a tool to help you calculate your assets and how they would be divided in the event of a divorce.