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Practical guides for separated parents: money, kids, legal basics and rebuilding. No theory. Just what to actually do.
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01-Survive
The first 30 days after separation: what to actually do
The first 30 days are mostly an organisation problem dressed up as an emotional one. Start with the bank account, the passwords, the screenshots, the budget, and the kids’ rhythm. Not the whole future. Just the next thing.
Read the guide · 14 min read
01-Survive
The first 30 days after separation: what to actually do
The first 30 days are mostly an organisation problem dressed up as an emotional one. Start with the bank account, the passwords, the screenshots, the budget, and the kids’ rhythm. Not the whole future. Just the next thing.
All guides
Oldest first, so they read in order
01-Survive
Seven things you forget about money when you separate
You get the obvious stuff right. Separate bank accounts, dividing the mortgage, who pays what until settlement. Most people sort that in the first week. It's
Kids
Kids week on, kids week off: the logistics nobody warns you about
Everyone tells you the schedule. Week on, week off. A week with you, a week at the other house. It sounds manageable when it's written in
02-Stabilise
You don't need a routine. You need a structure.
Every piece of advice you'll read about getting through separation tells you to build a routine. Wake up at the same time. Exercise in the morning.
05-Atlas framework
The four phases of rebuilding after separation
Most "stages of separation" content is about grief. The five stages, the seven stages, the twelve emotional milestones. Much of it borrows, sometimes loosely, from the
01-Survive
What child support actually costs you — and how the formula works
The letter from Services Australia arrives and the number is wrong. Not wrong in a clerical sense — wrong in a "that can't be right"
Identity
Your social life after separation: the invitations stop before you notice
About three months in, you'll notice it. Not the big absence — you've been managing that. The smaller one. The Saturday afternoon that used to
Housing
Setting up your place: how to make a rental work for you and the kids
You're standing in an empty flat. Two bedrooms if you were lucky with the budget, one if you weren't. No furniture beyond what you
Identity
Who are you now? The identity question nobody prepares you for
Someone asks what you do on weekends. Not your ex, not your lawyer — a person at work, or someone you've just met. And you pause. Because
01-Survive
The 2025 family law changes: what separated parents actually need to know
Reviewed October 2026. This explains the law as it stood then. It isn't legal advice, and family law changes, so confirm how it applies to you
Articles
The Waiting Room
You're sitting at the dinner table. The kids are talking about something from school. Your partner is asking if you remembered to call the plumber. And
Articles
What happens to the family home when you separate
This article won't tell you what to decide. It will tell you what your options actually are, what each one costs, what the legal mechanics look like, and what most people get wrong.