Organisation: Cafcass
Details: Looks after the interests of children in family proceedings in England. It works with children and their families, then advise courts on what it considers to be in children’s best interests. The website has information about Cafcass for children, teenagers, parents and carers.
Phone: 0844 353 3350
URL: http://www.cafcass.gov.uk
Organisation: Child Maintenance Options
Details: Information about your options for arranging child maintenance and making an agreement best suited to your circumstances. Information booklets, a maintenance calculator and a private agreement form are on the website.
Phone: 0800 988 0988
URL: http://www.cmoptions.org
Organisation: Child Support Agency National Enquiry Line
Details: Information about claiming child support through the Child Support Agency.
Phone: 08457 133 133
URL: http://www.direct.gov.uk
Organisation: Citizen’s Advice
Details: Information and advice on a wide range of issues including benefits and tax credits. Check your telephone directory for your local bureau or find details on the website.
Phone:
URL: http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk
Organisation: Community Legal Advice
Details: Telephone advice on benefits, housing, employment, debt, welfare benefits and family law for people who are eligible for public funding.
Phone: 0845 345 4345
URL: http://www.communitylegaladvice.org.uk
Organisation: Contact a Family
Details: Online support for parents and carers of disabled children.
Phone: 0808 808 3555, 0808 808 3556 – Textphone
URL: http://www.cafamily.org.uk
Organisation: Coram Children’s Legal Centre
Details: The child law advice line provides legal advice and information on all aspects of law and policy affecting children. Information is available on parental responsibility, contact and residence disputes.
Phone: 0808 8020 008
URL: http://www.childrenslegalcentre.com
Organisation: Dad.info
Details: A website for fathers including information on relationships, child development, becoming a dad, getting legal advice, making contact with your child and parenting. Discussion area where fathers can share ideas, find information and discuss parenting issues.
Phone:
URL: http://www.dad.info
Organisation: Family Lives
Details: Provides information and support on all aspects of parenting, including bullying, eating, exams, truancy, toddlers, teenagers and more.
Phone: 0808 800 2222
URL: http://www.familylives.org.uk
Organisation: Family Mediation Helpline
Details: Provides general information on family mediation and can tell you whether your case may be suitable for mediation. Can also give information about eligibility for free help, and contact details for local mediation services.
Phone: 0845 60 26 627
URL: http://www.familymediationhelpline.co.uk
Organisation: Family Mediator’s Association
Details: Provides information on family mediation, and directs to local mediation services.
Phone: 01355 244594
URL: www.thefma.co.uk
Organisation: Family Rights Group
Details: Advises parents and other family members whose children are involved with or require children’s social care services because of welfare needs or concerns. The charity provides confidential advice to those living in England and Wales.
Phone: 0808 801 0366
URL: http://www.frg.org.uk
Organisation: Gingerbread Single Parent Helpline
Details: Free information on a range of issues including maintenance, benefits, tax credits, debt, employment, education, legal rights and holidays. Open Mondays to Fridays, 9.00am – 5.00pm, with extended opening on Wednesdays to 8.00pm.
Phone: Freephone 0808 802 0925
URL: http://www.gingerbread.org.uk
Organisation: HM courts service
Details: Find information, court forms and guidance on how to complete them by looking on the website or visiting your local county court.
Phone:
URL: http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk
Organisation: Jobcentre Plus
Details: Processes new claims and claim renewals for welfare benefits.
Phone: 0800 055 6688 Benefits Enquiries England, 0800 012 1888 Benefits (Wales), 0800 882 200 for disabled people, Textphone: 0800 243 355
URL: http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk
Organisation: MATCH – Mothers Apart from their Children
Details: Charity offering non-judgemental support and information to mothers apart from their children in a wide variety of circumstances.
Phone:
URL: http://www.matchmothers.org
Organisation: Men’s Advice Line
Details: Confidential helpline for men who have experienced or who are experiencing domestic abuse. Provides emotional support and practical advice including how to make yourself safer, where to get legal advice, how domestic abuse affects children and information for gay and bisexual men.
Phone: 0808 801 0327
URL: http://www.mensadviceline.org.uk
Organisation: Mind
Details: Information and advice on all aspects of mental health including postnatal depression, common signs, self-help tips, treatment and support.
Phone: 0845 766 0163
URL: http://www.mind.org.uk
Organisation: National Association of Child Contact Centres
Details: A network of centres across the UK that allow parents to see their children in a safe place.
Supervised and supported contact is available. Provides a neutral environment, usually with games and toys available for children.
Phone: 0845 4500 280
URL: http://www.naccc.org.uk
Organisation: National Domestic Violence Helpline
Details: The freephone 24 hour National Domestic Violence Helpline is run in partnership between Women’s Aid and Refuge. It is a national service for women experiencing domestic violence or their friends and families. A translation service is available.
Phone: 0808 2000 247
URL: http://www.nationaldomesticviolencehelpline.org.uk
Organisation: National Family Mediation
Details: This is a local network of not-for-profit family mediation services, which offers a practical approach to resolving disputes between separated or separating couples. Aims to help individuals reach joint decisions on issues associated with their separation such as children, finance or property.
Phone: 0300 4000 636
URL: http://www.nfm.org.uk
Organisation: One Parent Families Scotland Lone Parent Helpline
Details: Run by our partner organisation, the Lone Parent Helpline provides confidential advice and information for single parents in Scotland.
Phone: 0808 801 0323
URL: http://www.opfs.org.uk
Organisation: Pension, Disability and Carers Service
Details: Benefit enquiries for disabled people
and their carers
0800 243 355 Textphone
Processes welfare benefit claims
Phone: 0800 882 200
URL: http://www.gov.uk
Organisation: Relate
Details: Provides a counselling service especially for children and young people who are having problems at home. Also offers a range of services for couples, families and individuals and supports them at all stages of their relationships.
Phone: 0300 100 1234
URL: http://www.relate.org.uk
Organisation: Resolution
Details: Association of solicitors specialising in family law, who adopt a constructive, non-confrontational approach to family problems. It can provide a list of local members. The website contains free information on issues such as splitting up, parenting apart and child maintenance. Resolution produce a booklet, Separation and divorce – Helping parents to help children, a practical guide to handling the emotional aspects of separation or divorce.
Phone: 0845 758 5671
URL: http://www.resolution.org.uk
Organisation: Reunite
Details: Charity providing advice, information and support to parents who fear their child may be at risk of abduction. Also advises on international contact issues and cases of ´permission to remove´. Provides advice to those who have had their child abducted, as well as parents and guardians who may have abducted their child.
Phone: 0116 2556 234
URL: http://www.reunite.org
Organisation: Rights of Women
Details: Free, confidential legal advice by telephone for women on a wide variety of issues. Specialist areas include family law, lesbian parenting, divorce/relationship breakdown, children/contact issues and domestic violence.
Phone: 020 7251 6577
URL: http://www.rightsofwomen.org.uk
Organisation: Shelter
Details: Gives details of local housing advice centres throughout the country and provides information and advice on a range of housing issues and signposting service for further help and advice.
Phone: Freephone 0808 800 4444
URL: http://www.shelter.org.uk
Organisation: Stonewall
Details: Runs a free information service for individuals, employers and organisations. Information includes a guide to civil partnerships, parenting, solicitors and local lesbian, gay and bisexual support groups and services.
Phone: 08000 50 20 20
URL: http://www.stonewall.org.uk
Organisation: The parent connection
Details: The website supports parents through separation and parenting difficulties. It can also be used by parents who are just worried about their relationship. There are a range of resources including articles, videos and support to develop a new parenting relationship after separation, along with practical ideas to overcome barriers.
Phone:
URL: http://www.theparentconnection.org.uk
Organisation: Young Minds
Details: Young Minds provides information and advice about mental health and emotional wellbeing for children, young people and their carers. Their publication ‘Keeping in touch’ is a parents’ guide exploring how separation and divorce can affect children. It suggests how to make contact arrangements with both parents that cause least distress for the child. The website contains resources for both parents and young people on things to ask your doctor, mental health
treatments, choosing the right option, young people rights and real life
stories.
Phone: 0808 802 5544
URL: http://www.youngminds.org.uk