By Toni Brown, Director, Parent Support, Child Support Agency
Family separation is an increasingly common experience for many Australians, and presents a challenging time, as many people experience significant emotional, financial and legal impacts as a result.
Randal Newton-John, Program Leader at Mensline Australia, said research shows that men are more likely than women to live alone post-separation and may be less likely to ask for help. International Men’s Health Week is June 13-19 and Mr Newton-John says, “It’s a good opportunity for men to take stock of their situation and consider their well-being, especially if they are going through separation”.
“The message for men is, don’t ‘tough it out’ – there is support out there when and where you need it. And the better off you are, the better off your kids will be,” Mr Newton-John said.
The Child Support Agency (CSA) can offer a range of assistance including connections and referrals to support services to help separated parents and their families in this situation.
While the primary role of the CSA is to support separated parents to transfer payments for the benefit of their children, the agency also cares about the wellbeing of separated families and works closely with a range of national and local counselling and mediation services including Beyondblue, Relationships Australia and Mensline Australia to provide assistance for separating families and their children.
If the CSA believe that any of their customers -- male or female – are distressed when they are talking to them about their child support matters, they can immediately transfer them to a specialist service for urgent counselling and support and ensure they get the support they need to get them through difficult times.
Mr Newton-John said there are a number of publications available that may provide more information or support options for men and for separated and separating families.
“The booklet Men and Separation, produced by Beyondblue, Relationships Australia and Mensline Australia, is for men who are going though separation or divorce, or anyone who is supporting a man going through separation,” he said.
“This booklet is designed to show men that they’re not alone, help guide them through constructive choices and raise awareness of support services.”
Separated men can contact, Mensline on 1300 78 99 78 or Relationships Australia on 1300 364 277 to obtain a copy of the booklet and find out more about support services for men.
The CSA also has a range of information and support products for separated families, including: The Me and My... booklet series, which have practical ideas and advice on parenting from a distance, money issues, forming a working relationship with your ex, and taking care of yourself after separation.
Other useful resources include:
The Parents Guide to Child Support, which can help parents better understand their rights, responsibilities and services available after separation.
For children under 12, the CSA’s interactive CD-ROM, A kid’s guide to changing families, and story/activity book, Our family’s changed are available at: www.csa.gov.au.
To order these or other free CSA publications go to: www.csa.gov.au/publications/ and http://www.youth.csa.gov.au/
Separating dads will also find useful information at the website: My family is separating — what now? : familyseparation.humanservices.gov.au/
The Mensline Australia website also has a range of self-help of worksheets and tip sheets: http://www.menslineaus.org.au/Home.html
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