If you are thinking about applying for a child arrangements order without a lawyer there are things you need to do first. Our guide explains what you need to do, how to reach an agreement, how to avoid delays and avoid the risk of court orders being made against you. This guide is for England and Wales only.

If you have a legal problem, you may be able to get help to pay for legal advice or even free family law advice, depending on your situation. Here we explain what help you may be able to get if you have a family problem – that’s a problem to do with things like domestic abuse, sorting out who your children are going to live with if you separate or how often you’ll see them, dividing any money and property, getting a divorce, or ending a civil partnership. It will help you understand what legal aid is, when it is available and who can get it. If you can't get legal aid, we suggest other places

Learn how international divorce works – if you and your ex are living aboard or in different countries. It is crucial to understand where you can get divorced and if you have options when it comes to choosing one country over another, which country may give you the best outcome. The information in this guide applies to England and Wales.

Understand the impact of moving in with your partner or stopping living with a partner. This information will also help if you are not living with your partner but the benefits office or DWP believe you are, or if you want your romantic partner to stay sometimes but you don’t want to break the rules and risk losing benefit. It will explain We also explain the rules if you have split up with your partner but are still living together because you can't afford not to. And the effect on your benefits of family or friends moving in with you. We want to help you avoid all the stress and difficulty

Understand what you need to think about and what the law says about your rights if you are separating from a partner you live with (but were not married or in a civil partnership with). This guide will be helpful if you are still living together after a break up or if one of you has moved out. It will help you to find ways of agreeing arrangements with your ex, remind you who you need to tell, and explain how to find the help you might need to plan for the future. Information applies to England and Wales.

Separating from your partner and need to sort how you look after your children in the future? Find ways to agree child arrangements after separation that work well for everybody especially your children, without going to court. People often still call these arrangements child custody, shared custody, residence and child contact, even though that isn’t what the law calls them anymore. Our expert guide covers what you need to sort out, mediation, parenting plans, common problems and what to do if you cannot agree. This guide is about the law in England and Wales only.

Looking for more legal help? Have you had a look at what's available on our site? You may be able to find what you need to answer your question or solve your problem yourself using our information. All legal advice services will be extremely busy and unfortunately cannot help everyone who needs them, so please make sure you have read all the available information about your problem before contacting them. If you need more help and advice after that, we explain where you may be able to get help with your legal problem below. For England and Wales only.

When you moved in with your partner, you may not have thought about the legal details for long. But if you’re not married or in a civil partnership, the choice you made about who does or doesn’t own the home could make a huge difference if you split up or if one of you dies, and could put you at a real disadvantage. This information applies to England and Wales.