Are you separating and looking for online help for the things you need to think about, discuss with your ex and action? I’ve put together a list of key websites to find help when you separate.
Websites To Find Help When You Separate
1. Family Relationships
Family Relationships provides much useful information and support for couples planning to separate. It covers the basics of family law, including parental, property and financial matters, laying out various options and offering guidance on how to separate without going through the Court.
Issues such as separating through family mediation, drawing up parental orders and the emotional impacts are covered in detail, warning couples of the pitfalls of a drawn out, stressful and expensive litigation.
https://www.familyrelationships.gov.au/separation
2. Health Direct
Health Direct offers help with the oft-forgotten emotions that impact on the entire family during and after separation. It helps recognise the symptoms partners and children may experience, offering advice on dealing with the sudden changes in their lives.
It also gives tips on managing post-separation conflict and provides information about support groups that are specifically designed to assist people to cope with issues such as anxiety, depression, domestic violence, health and various children’s matters.
https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/coping-with-divorce-or-breakup
3. Women’s Legal Service WA
This organization runs regular clinics on Family Law, mainly on property and financial matters, and is designed for women in WA, who need legal advice but cannot afford a lawyer. One-hour clinics are held on a monthly basis by family lawyers who donate their time.
These legal clinics are not suitable for women with complex Court proceedings. Once they have assessed your situation and are able to assist you, they will appoint a lawyer suitably qualified to deal with your specific needs.
https://www.wlswa.org.au/what-we-do/legal-clinic/
4. Family Court
Under the family law, a couple needs to have been separated for at least 12 months before an application to divorce can be submitted. The WA Family Court website is most useful in helping couples to understand the often complex definitions as to what exactly constitutes a separation. It also explains the various time-frames and the documentation the law requires.
https://www.familycourt.wa.gov.au/S/separation.aspx
5. Federal Circuit & Family Court Of Australia
This website lays out a frank and realistic overview of what couples can expect to face and the decisions they need to make when ending their relationships. It strongly urges them to try to resolve as many disputes on their own, through family mediation, thus avoiding lengthy, expensive and stressful litigation.
It also provides contact details of various support services that can assist couples and families deal with all issues associated with separation, be they emotional, financial or legal, as well as all children’s matters.
It is of limited application in Western Australia where we have our own Family Court.
https://www.fcfcoa.gov.au/fl/ss-overview
6. Services Australia
Services Australia provides information on the financial impact on a family following separation. It provides a guide to issues separating couples need to attend to in dealing with their finances, living arrangements, getting and managing child support, advising Centrelink, applying for divorce and numerous other matters.
It also provides contact details of various support centres that deal with family matters.
https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/separated-parents
7. The Separation Guide
The Separation Guide asks users to complete a quick questionnaire so they can fully understand their circumstances. The guide then helps navigate through divorce or separation, connecting parties with legal, financial, or property support professionals, to suit your individual needs.
The site also provides a divorce checklist to assist in calculating your asset pool and comparing the costs of the various ways of divorcing.
https://theseparationguide.com.au/
8. Legal Aid
This government-funded, independent body, provides free or low cost legal aid to the community, particularly to disadvantaged people who cannot afford a lawyer. Their panel of qualified lawyers offer valuable advice, information and assistance on all Family Law matters, helping people to find practical solutions when separating.
https://www.legalaid.wa.gov.au/find-legal-answers/family/separation-and-divorce/separation
9. Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation
Superannuation is an oft-forgotten aspect of separation and divorce. This website explains in clear language the intricate and complex legal issues regarding superannuation after separation. It explains if and how super is quantified and divided between spouses or de facto partners.
It provides valuable information on issues, such as methods used to value the different types of superannuation interests, tax implications and the process required to ensure any superannuation splitting proposal complies with the Family Law Act.
https://www.csc.gov.au/Members/Superannuation/Your-home-and-family/Separation-and-Divorce
10. Relationships WA
Relationships WA has a website that offers valuable assistance and support to separating couples in WA. The site covers counselling, mediation, parenting and family relationships, domestic violence, Aboriginal Community support, mental health and many other issues related to divorce and separation.
It is a helpful website helping separating couples cope during and after going through possibly the most stressful event of their lives.
https://www.relationshipswa.org.au/Services/Separation
11. Citizens Advice Bureau
This organisation provides a wide range of information and services on family, community and commercial matters. The Bureau provides mediation services and may refer clients who need further assistance to the various government and non-government organizations best-suited to their specific needs.
The Q&A section explains in detail the various ways of separating, from the simplest way of doing it online, to the most complex way of going through the Court. It also provides the relevant forms and information required for each process.
https://www.cabwa.com.au/get-help/divorce
12. Landgate
Do you own a property? Landgate gives an in-depth guide on preparing and submitting a Transfer of Land document, following a separation or divorce. It urges people to take extreme care when preparing such documents, warning that once submitted, they are legally binding. It also warns of the complexities of this process, strongly suggesting the use of a competent professional to prepare all land transfer documents. Links to download the various forms are also available.
I hope you find this list of websites to find help when you separate useful. If you need help with your separation and would like to choose family mediation as your preferred method of separation, get in touch with me today for a confidential discussion.
