Finding support is essential when you are going through a separation. For parents, the challenges of separation multiply. Not only do you have to deal with your own pain, you also must support your children as you—their parents--part ways.
To help you find separation support, the caring staff of East Coast Law Family Law has written a resource guide that can assist you to find the help you need as you discover how to cope with divorce or separation. Here are some resources that may make it easier to deal with the struggles of separation.
Australian Parenting and Relationship Helpline: This phone-in service provides free counselling as well as helpful information to assist you to parent during your separation. Call them on 1300 365 859 to get in touch with a trained counsellor.
Relationships Australia: Even when you are separated, you still have a relationship with your former spouse when you are a parent. This support service organisation can help you navigate the changes in your relationship with your former spouse, even as you work together to parent your children. Visit them at www.relationships.org.au or call them on 1300 364 277.
Department of Human Services Child Support: This Government agency will help parents going through separation to provide the proper support for their children. The agency provides information about local services, legal help, and financial calculators for monetary child support.
Find them on their Website: https://www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/child-support
or call them on 13 12 722.
Beyond Blue: Parenting through a separation involves much more than determining care and living arrangements for the children. Both parents and children may suffer from anxiety, depression, insomnia, or other difficulties. Beyond Blue’s mental health professionals will listen to you, provide advice and information, and find local professionals who can help you further. Find them on the Web at www.beyondblue.org.au/getsupport or call them on 1300 22 4636.
Family Court of Australia: Find legal forms you may need during your separation, information about support services available in your community, as well as information about child custody mediation strategies and other procedures in all states except for WA. Their website is www.familycourt.gov.au, or phone them on 1300 352 000.
Legal Aid: This organisation helps connect people with trustworthy legal services in their local area. Contact them on the Web at www.nationallegalaid.org.
Kids’ Helpline: Children of all ages—even young adults—often have difficulty processing their parents’ separation. This organisation provides confidential, free online and phone counselling for children and young adults from five to 25 years of age. Your children can find them on the Web at www.kidshelpline.com.au or call them on 1800 55 1800.
Supporting Children after Separation: If your children or teens need some help navigating the changes that occur during a separation, this organisation can help. Individual counselling, as well as group therapy, often helps kids better cope with separation. Lower-income families can receive special arrangements to help their children receive services as well. Contact them on 1800 050 321.
https://www.separatedfamilies.info/
Separated Families: When separation occurs, family relationships change. This organisation provides several excellent resources that can help families through the transition and the aftermath. Find them on the Web at https://www.separatedfamilies.info/.
More than anything else, it is important to put your children ahead of your frayed emotions at this time. Give them extra love and assure them that no matter how their parents’ relationship with each other changes, your love for them will only grow stronger.
The caring staff of family lawyers at East Coast Law Family Law have created an e-book just for parents like you—who want to help their children through this tough time. Learn how to open a new chapter in your lives, even as you keep your children close to you both. Download Separation and Divorce: Putting Your Children First today.