Free support
Free and low cost help with separation, from people who know what they are doing.
Please note: This site is for information only and is not legal or financial advice. Please seek legal advice from a qualified solicitor about your own situation.
These organisations offer free or low cost help. We checked every phone number, opening time and cost on each organisation’s own website on 29 October 2026. Details can change, so please check their website before you call. None of these services pays to be listed here.
If you are in danger
If you or someone else is in danger now, call 999.
National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247. Free, confidential and open 24 hours a day. Run by the charity Refuge. You can also use live chat on nationaldahelpline.org.uk, and there is support in British Sign Language, Monday to Friday, 10am to 6pm.
Men’s Advice Line: 0808 8010327. Freephone, Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm. For men experiencing domestic abuse. Run by the charity Respect.
If you need to talk
Samaritans
Call 116 123, free, day or night, 365 days a year. The number does not show on your phone bill.
Welsh Language Line: 0808 164 0123, free.
Relate
Counselling for individuals, couples, families, and children and young people, including online counselling in England and Wales.
Call 0300 100 1234 (England) or 0300 003 2340 (Wales), Monday to Thursday 9am to 7pm, Friday 9am to 5pm.
Relate does not list a single price on its website. Ask about cost when you book. Some people can get free counselling through Relate’s partner organisations.
Help with the divorce itself
GOV.UK: apply for a divorce
You can apply online or by post. The court fee is £628. You may get help with fees if you get benefits or are on a low income. You do not need a solicitor to apply.
Civil Legal Advice
Civil Legal Advice can tell you if you can get legal aid, and helps with problems including domestic abuse. Call 0345 345 4345, Monday to Friday 9am to 8pm, Saturday 9am to 12:30pm. You can ask them to call you back.
Citizens Advice
Free advice by phone, online chat and through local offices.
England: 0800 144 8848, usually 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Wales: 0800 702 2020, 8am to 7pm Monday to Friday, 9am to 1pm Saturday.
Both lines are free from mobiles and landlines, and closed on public holidays.
National Family Mediation
A charity offering family mediation across England and Wales. Call 0300 4000 636.
It says most people pay £600 to £1,000 each in total, including the MIAM. Mediation can be free if you qualify for legal aid, and families with children can usually get one voucher worth up to £500, shared between both people.
Sources
- Get a divorce: how to apply, GOV.UK. Checked 29 October 2026.
- Civil Legal Advice, GOV.UK. Checked 29 October 2026.
- Contact us, Citizens Advice. Checked 29 October 2026.
- Contact us (Wales), Citizens Advice. Checked 29 October 2026.
- Family mediation costs, National Family Mediation. Checked 29 October 2026.
- Family Mediation Voucher Scheme, National Family Mediation. Checked 29 October 2026.
- Contact us, Relate. Checked 29 October 2026.
- Relate home page (services), Relate. Checked 29 October 2026.
- Contact a Samaritan, Samaritans. Checked 29 October 2026.
- National Domestic Abuse Helpline, Refuge. Checked 29 October 2026.
- Men’s Advice Line, Respect. Checked 29 October 2026.
Please note: This site is for information only and is not legal or financial advice. Please seek legal advice from a qualified solicitor about your own situation.