For adults / parents locally

Relate Jersey

• • • Counsellors provide a confidential, supportive and non-judgemental environment to help navigate relationship difficulties.
    • It’s the counsellor’s role to help people work out their feelings in relation to divorce or separation allowing reflection on what is happening to them and to consider alternative ways of doing things.
    • If the couple decide that the relationship has ended, counselling is available to help couples separate amicably.

Joint, individual or family therapy

• • • Other local therapists offer joint, individual or family therapy.
    • Get in contact to find out more if you think you could benefit from any of these services.

The Jersey Centre for Separated Families

• • • Services are available to parents who are caring for their children alone, those who are sharing care and those who are not able to spend time with their children.
    • Parents, carers, grandparents or anyone else with concerns about family separation are welcome.
    • Support Group Meetings are available to parents and they are welcome to bring a friend for support.
    • The service offers support on;
    1. Parenting apart – parenting plans, helping children live in two homes; and
    2. Children – telling them, what they can expect, how they might adjust.

Children and Families Hub

• • • Provides information, advice and support for families and young people.
    • Their aim is make sure children and families get the right help, at the right time.
    • The hub offers courses to help parents navigate parenting and how to keep children in mind when separating.

Brighter Futures

• • • Support can be accessed from Brighter Futures by contacting them directly or any professional who knows you can make a referral.
    • Every client at Brighter Futures is allocated a key worker who will work to identify the right support and help to achieve set goals.
    • Brighter Futures offers a number of groups and programmes that deal with a range of topics such as wellbeing, parent and child relationships and personal development.

Listening Lounge | L.I.N.C. (linc.je)

• • • If you are struggling with your mental health and need someone to talk to, the Listening Lounge aims to support islanders with their mental health and wellbeing.
    • The team of counsellors and peer workers provide a range of different support options which can all be accessed free of charge and without the need for a referral.
    • The Listening Lounge is open from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m., 7 days a week.

Separation and divorce (gov.je)

• • • The Government website includes lots of information on the court process including – legal guidance, the requisite forms, the court processing fees and information on tax and social security on divorce.

Family court: how children’s interests are represented (gov.je)

• • • The Jersey Family Court Advisory Service (JFCAS) looks after the interests of children involved in family court proceedings.
    • Click on the website above to find out general information or here Jersey Family Court Advisory Service Operating Framework (gov.je) if you want to find out more about their operating framework.

National support for adults / parents 

(although references to the law, legal processes and legal concepts do not apply in Jersey)

Home – Voices in The Middle – For Young People When Parents Split Up

• • • Excellent Conversation Guide for parents of teenagers created by Voices in the Middle young people.
    • Useful questions to ask, tips on how to plan the conversation and advice from young people who have been through their parent’s separation.
    • Lots of other support, help and guides to help parents of teenagers including teenager’s rights and information on the importance of other family relationships.

Helping Your Child Cope with Your Divorce or Separation | NSPCC

• • • Includes useful content around separation / divorce and children.

Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families

• • • World leading mental health charity for children and families and has developed and delivered pioneering mental health care for over 70 years.

Divorce advice | Family Lives

• • • If you are thinking about separating or divorcing your partner, or you are already doing so, this website has lots of advice on things which might be worrying you.
    • Read about where to find support, how divorce affects your children and ways you can help them through the process as well of lots of other topics such as new partner, shared parenting and coping with holidays.

Parenting through separation | Resolution

• • • Excellent and detailed guide to help parents navigating separation.
    • Covers topics such as communication, how to tell children, the impact divorce/separation has on children at different stages of their lives and what to look out for, parenting plans and much more.

Supporting your children through divorce and separation – Cafcass – Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service

• • • CAFCASS – advice around support you can offer your child(ren).

OnlyDads

• • • Only mums and only dads has lots of articles written by professionals who answer many of the frequently asked questions they receive in their inbox.
    • It also contains useful links to organisations offering support and advice to parents and children.
    • If you are a victim of domestic abuse and need some legal advice to clarify what your options are, you can contact one of the professionals on their Green Phone.
    • They have a publication called ‘101 Questions Answered About Separating With Children’ which is a very good starting point for any parent; full of advice, tips; answers to many FAQs and a comprehensive listing to a wide range of additional support organisations.

Co parenting apps

Most of the co-parenting apps offer four basic features:

• • 1. a shareable calendar and scheduling tools;
    2. a messaging function that keeps a record of all your messages and replies;
    3. an expenses record so that you can collate and share expenses;
    4. a storage function for key documents for example medical records and also for sharing photos and memories.

Our Family Wizard

• • • Probably the market leader in the UK and has had plenty of publicity. It covers all of the features listed above.

WeParent – Co-parenting made simpler

• • • WeParent helps you manage events and appointments, documents, expenses, schedules, and messaging and is another popular option.

Co-Parenting App

• • • It has features that cover the basic elements above.

Custody Connection

• • • It is the simplest of its kind and features a calendar that you can sync with your co-parent so you are both kept up to date.

Co Parently

• • • Covers all of the features listed above.

Talking Parents

• • • Talking Parents describes itself as a co-parenting communication service. Many of their premium level functions are not accessible in the UK, but they cover all of the basic functions above in a free basic level service.

Two Houses

• • • It covers all the basic elements.

Other services

• • • Parenting Coach to help parents parent together after separation or divorce.

• • • Parenting Co-Ordination to help parents interpret parenting plans, amend them as children’s needs change and find ways to resolve ongoing issues.

For children locally

YES – Advice & Support for Young People in Jersey Channel Islands

• • • The YES project provides young people with free confidential, information, advice and counselling.

NSPCC Jersey

• • • Sometimes children find it hard to talk to someone in the family about their parents separating. They can always contact child line on 0800 111

Other local support for children

• • • Counselling at school
    • GP
    • CAMHS
    • Support lines
    • Literature / documentaries

National support for children

Voices in The Middle – For Young People When Parents Split Up

• • • A place where children can read helpful articles about when their parent’s split up, have a voice and connect with and help others.

Children whose parents are splitting up | Gingerbread

• • • For children and young people whose parents have split up or are splitting up.
    • The website includes information about divorce and separation, what happens to children, children’s feelings and much more.

Childline

• • • Helps anyone under 19 with any issue they’re going through.
    • Their trained counsellors are there to support children and young people.