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Free help for separated parents in the UK

Updated 14 October 2026 · About 6 minutes to read · Mainly England and Wales

Separating is hard, and it's even harder when you're trying to keep things steady for children. The good news is that there's a lot of free, reliable help in the UK, from parenting advice to money, legal information and safety support. Some well-known services have changed recently, so this guide brings together what's available now.

Parenting and family support

• Coram Family Lives (formerly Family Lives): free, confidential support on any family issue, including separation. Helpline 0808 800 2222, Monday to Friday 9am to 9pm and weekends 10am to 3pm, with WhatsApp and live chat at the same times. [1]
• Gingerbread, the charity for single-parent families, closed its phone helpline on 1 April 2025. Its website still has free information for single parents in England and Wales. [2]
• Cafcass (England) has free resources for separating parents, including the "Our Child's Plan" parenting plan tool. Its contact centre is on 0300 456 4000, Monday to Thursday 9am to 5pm and Friday 9am to 4.30pm. [3] In Wales, the equivalent service is Cafcass Cymru. See our parenting plan guide.
• Planning Together for Children is a free Cafcass course for parents, but at the moment it's only available if a court or a Family Court Adviser refers you. [4]
• Child contact centres: the National Association of Child Contact Centres (NACCC) can help you find a safe, neutral place for children to spend time with a parent or for handovers. [5]

Child maintenance and money

• Child Maintenance Service: start with the free "Get help arranging child maintenance" service on gov.uk. It's free to apply. The CMS helpline is 0800 171 2345 (Welsh: 0800 232 1979), Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm. [6] See our guide to splitting child costs.
• Citizens Advice: free, independent advice on money, benefits, debt, housing and family problems. In England, call Adviceline on 0800 144 8848, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. In Wales, call Advicelink on 0800 702 2020. [7]
• MoneyHelper, the government-backed money guidance service, has free information on money after separation and a phone line (0800 138 7777). Check its website for current opening hours. [8]
• Turn2us has a free benefits calculator and a grants search, which can help if your income has dropped. [9]

Mediation and legal information

• Family Mediation Council: find an accredited family mediator near you, including those who offer legal aid or online sessions. [10] You may be able to get up to £500 towards mediation through the Family Mediation Voucher Scheme. Read our mediation guide.
• Advicenow has free, plain-English guides to family law, including applying for a child arrangements order without a lawyer. [11]
• Coram Child Law Advice gives free legal information on family and child law in England. Family line 0300 330 5480, Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm. [12]
• Rights of Women runs legal advice lines for women in England and Wales, including on family law. Check its website for current numbers and times. [13]
• Legal aid: you may be able to get legal aid for family mediation, or for court cases in some situations, such as where there's evidence of domestic abuse. Check on gov.uk. [14]

Housing

• Shelter (England) gives free housing advice. Helpline 0808 800 4444, Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm. [15]

Your wellbeing

• Samaritans: free, any time, day or night, on 116 123. There's also a Welsh-language line on 0808 164 0123. [16]
• Relate offers relationship and family counselling, including for separated parents. Counselling is paid, and Relate's website explains its fees and has lower-cost self-help options. [17]
• Your GP can help if you're struggling with stress, low mood or anxiety, and can tell you about NHS talking therapies in your area.

Domestic abuse and safety

• National Domestic Abuse Helpline (run by Refuge): free and open 24 hours on 0808 2000 247, with live chat and a BSL service on weekdays. [18]
• Men's Advice Line (run by Respect) supports men experiencing domestic abuse: 0808 8010 327, Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm. [19]
• If you're thinking about a shared co-parenting app or mediation and there has been abuse, talk to a specialist service first about whether it's safe and right for you. Our guide to co-parenting with a difficult ex covers safety and practical steps.

Worried about a child?

• NSPCC Helpline for adults worried about a child: 0808 800 5000. [20]
• Childline for children and young people: free and confidential on 0800 1111. [21]
• If a child is in immediate danger, call 999.

More in one place

We keep a longer, regularly checked list of services, organised by topic, on our free help page. It's also built into the Handoverhub app, so it's one tap away when you need it.

Sources

1. Coram Family Lives: coramfamilylives.org.uk
2. Gingerbread, Talk to us: gingerbread.org.uk
3. Cafcass, Contact us: cafcass.gov.uk/contact-us
4. Cafcass, Help with Planning Together for Children: cafcass.gov.uk
5. National Association of Child Contact Centres: naccc.org.uk
6. Gov.uk, Contact the Child Maintenance Service: gov.uk/child-maintenance-service/contact, and How to apply: gov.uk/child-maintenance-service/how-to-apply
7. Citizens Advice, Contact us: citizensadvice.org.uk
8. MoneyHelper: moneyhelper.org.uk
9. Turn2us: turn2us.org.uk
10. Family Mediation Council, Find a local mediator: familymediationcouncil.org.uk
11. Advicenow: advicenow.org.uk
12. Coram Child Law Advice: childlawadvice.org.uk
13. Rights of Women, Call our advice lines: rightsofwomen.org.uk
14. Gov.uk, Legal aid: gov.uk/legal-aid
15. Shelter, Emergency helpline: england.shelter.org.uk
16. Samaritans, Contact a Samaritan: samaritans.org
17. Relate: relate.org.uk
18. National Domestic Abuse Helpline: nationaldahelpline.org.uk
19. Men's Advice Line: mensadviceline.org.uk
20. NSPCC Helpline: nspcc.org.uk
21. Childline: childline.org.uk

All sources checked on 8 October 2026.