Getting further help

Action for Children's’s family mediation and children’s support services help children and their parents work things out when mums and dads decide to live apart. Contact your nearest centre for help.

Helplines and websites

Childline
Call Childline's free 24 hour helpline on 0800 1111. Lines are busy so please keep trying and you will get through. Childline’s website at www.childline.org.uk includes advice on living in a stepfamily.

Children and Family Court Advisory and Support (Cafcass)
If your parents are going to court because they can’t agree on who will look after you, visit the children’s section at www.cafcass.gov.uk. Cafcass looks after the interests of children in family courts.

Divorceaid.co.uk
Read the children’s section at www.divorceaid.co.uk/child/children.htm on this site, which is all about divorce. It discusses your emotions and has details of helplines, online advice, useful sites and books

National Youth Advocacy Service
Advice and info for young people, including free legal advice, on 0800 61 61 01 or www.nyas.net or email help@nyas.net

NSPCC
Call the NSPCC’s free 24 hour helpline on 0800 800 500. You can email help@nspcc.org.uk for advice and they will reply within 24 hours.

Visit www.worriedneed2talk.org.uk, the NSPCC’s site for young people that includes lots of info about all sorts of problems, including family break-ups.

CD-rom

Many schools have a copy of a CD-rom called Coping with family change. Try looking in the school library for it, or ask a teacher. You can download a clip from the CD-rom at www.coping-with-life.org.uk

Remember, it’s not your fault.