• 
  Separation can be as upsetting for your children as it is for you
• Talking helps them understand what will be happening in their lives
• Let them know you will both still be there for them.

 

Relate have lots of information available to help support and guide you to make this difficult transition easier for you and your family:

 

• Affairs: supporting your children
• Children with an absent parent
• Involving children in decisions
• Understanding your child's needs and behaviour
• When children want Mum and Dad reunited
• When the other parent walks away
• Your child’s self-esteem

• 
  Feeling overwhelmed
• How do I move on after divorce?
• I'm struggling with low self-esteem
• I'm worried that our kids will suffer
• What next?

 

 

Relate have provided ideas for negotiating where children live and making contact arrangements to help you and your family:

 

• Helping children live in Two homes
• Keeping celebrations happy
• Moving house and Relocation
• New partners
• Parenting apart
• Prevented from spending time with my children
• Taking children abroad
• When children don't want to visit

A Parenting Plan is a written plan worked out between parents (and sometimes grandparents and other family members) after they separate. The Plan covers practical issues of parenting.

Cafcass have provided a free Parenting Plan online

 

Child Maintenance Options advise that child maintenance is about providing help with a child's everyday living costs. This includes things like food and clothes, and helping to provide a home for your child or children, for more information please see below:

• Ways to pay child maintenance
• How much child maintenance should be paid?
• Comparing your options
• Child maintenance and the law
• Child maintenance and benefits
• Helping someone you know

Tools and guides

Child Maintenance Options have provided some tools, leaflets and information to help you find out how to calculate and talk about child maintenance, record a family-based arrangement and manage your finances:

• Benefits table
• Leaflets and guides
• Child maintenance calculator
• The cost of raising your child

View more helpful tools and guides.

Live Chat with a trained relationship counsellor from Relate in real time. A Live Chat session costs £40 for 45 minutes and is completely confidential. 

Live chat

 

The parenting support section provides information, resources and links to organisations that could help with a range of different topics. 

You can find further information and support in relation to Coronavirus here.

• Stress and anxiety (child)
• Stress and anxiety (parent)
• Talking with teenagers

Getting the right help at the right time - contact Family Connect now!

Online enquiry form

• Telephone: 01952 385385
• Email: [email protected]
• Text: 07537 453177

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Cafcass - Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service

• Telephone: 0300 456 4000

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Child Maintenance Options

• Telephone: 0800 953 0191
• Webchat
• Online form
  Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm

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Family Lives

• Telephone: 0808 800 2222

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The Healthy Child Programme (0-19 years) Service

The Public Health Nursing Service, who will be delivering the contract, is made up of Health Visitors, School Nurses and Family Nurses.

• Telephone: 0333 358 3328

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Shropshire Mediation Service

• Telephone: 01952 952958 or 07808 033075