Skip to main content
N I Direct government services

Main navigation

  • Home
  • News
  • Contacts
  • Help
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • RSS

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Family, home and community

Dealing with relationship problems

If you are having problems in your relationship, acting early and seeking counselling may help prevent it breaking down. If the relationship is definitely over, mediation can help make the split less painful and less damaging for all concerned.

Counselling

A counsellor can help you discuss emotive issues and will help couples that want to save their relationship.

Counsellors are professionally trained, though some offer their services voluntarily. They are trained to listen and to help you to work out your own solutions to relationship problems. They don’t negotiate for you or tell you what to do.

Family support is counselling that can help the whole family deal with problems and prevent relationships breaking down and families splitting up.

Tackling problems early is important to save a relationship. The longer a problem is left unresolved, the harder it usually is to deal with it.

Counselling can also help a family to accept what is happening to them and to deal with the emotional stress that separation or divorce can cause within a family.

Attempting to work things out through counselling or mediation could lead to better family decisions and long-term relationships after the divorce.

Search for counselling and other family support services in your local area:

  • Family Support NI

Relate NI

Relate NI provides counselling services for individuals, couples, families, children and young people. 

Funding is available for any individual, couple or family that has or is a young person under 18.

The funding for this is provided by the Department of Health and allows up to 10 counselling sessions, at sites across NI. 

You can be referred to this free service by your GP, social worker or other appointed health or social care professional. 

  • Relate NI  

Parentline NI

Parentline NI is a free service and freephone number which provides advice, support and guidance to parents, carers and family members. 

Calls to Parentline NI are answered by qualified and experienced staff. The team is selected for having qualities that include good listening skills, empathy and commitment to putting children and families first. 

Staff receive specialist training including child protection, domestic violence, substance abuse and mental health issues.

Parentline NI offers support on all types of family problems. These range from coping with crying babies, through to dealing with behaviour problems, bullying, drugs, the effect of separation and divorce, a child's sexuality or abuse. 

You can call as many times as you need and likewise staff might agree a call back to make sure you’ve been able to progress your situation and offer further support if required.

  • Parentline NI

Mediation

You can negotiate directly with your partner and reach agreement without any outside help about issues such as your children’s care and splitting property and finance. That is usually the best way. You may not be able to reach agreement on everything, but it can still help to make issues easier to resolve even if you go to court.

Mediation can be used when you have decided to go ahead with a divorce, dissolution or separation by helping you to work out solutions in ways that reduce confrontation.

Couples who have separated but have not yet begun Court proceedings, are eligible for free family mediation sessions.

This service is delivered by Family Mediation NI and funded by the Department of Health.

  • Family Mediation NI

Tax credits and relationship breakdown

If you received tax credits as a couple but have now split up and you want to make a claim as a single person, you don't need to fill in a new claim form. You can make your new claim over the phone by calling the Tax Credit Helpline.

  • Changes that affect your tax credits

More useful links

  • Child Maintenance Service
  • Domestic and sexual abuse support
  • Relationship counselling
Share this page Share on Facebook (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share on Twitter (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share by email (external link opens in a new window / tab)

Family, home and community

  • Animal welfare and pets
  • Dealing with relationship problems
  • Family history, heritage and museums
  • Getting involved in your community
  • Leisure and recreation
  • Moving abroad
  • Noise nuisance and neighbour disputes
  • Parenting and childcare
  • Staying warm in winter
  • Support and safety in your home
  • Technology and online services

Translation help

How to translate this page

Help improve this page - send your feedback

What do you want to do?
Report a problem
Which problem did you find on this page? (Tick all that apply)

Messages

You will not receive a reply. We will consider your feedback to help improve the site.

Don't include any personal or financial information, for example National Insurance, credit card numbers, or phone numbers.

What is your question about?

What to do next

Comments or queries about angling can be emailed to anglingcorrespondence@daera-ni.gov.uk 

If you have a comment or query about benefits, you will need to contact the government department or agency which handles that benefit.  Contacts for common benefits are listed below.

Carer's Allowance

Call 0800 587 0912
Email 
dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

Discretionary support / Short-term benefit advance

Call 0800 587 2750 
Email 
customerservice.unit@communities-ni.gov.uk

Disability Living Allowance

Call 0800 587 0912 
Email dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

Employment and Support Allowance

Call 0800 587 1377

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Contact your local Jobs & Benefits office

Personal Independence Payment

Call 0800 587 0932

If your query is about another benefit, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

Comments or queries about the Blue Badge scheme can be emailed to bluebadges@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk or you can also call 0300 200 7818.

For queries or advice about careers, contact the Careers Service.

For queries or advice about Child Maintenance, contact the Child Maintenance Service.

For queries or advice about claiming compensation due to a road problem, contact DFI Roads claim unit.

If you can’t find the information you’re looking for in the Coronavirus (COVID-19) section, then for queries about:

  • Restrictions or regulations — contact the Department of Health
  • Travel advice (including self-isolation) — contact the Department of Health
  • Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccinations — contact the Department of Health or Public Health Agency

If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk and for queries about your certificate, email covidcertni@hscni.net.

For queries or advice about criminal record checks, email ani@accessni.gov.uk

Application and payment queries can be emailed to ema_ni@slc.co.uk

For queries or advice about employment rights, contact the Labour Relations Agency.

For queries or advice about birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates and research, contact the General Register Office Northern Ireland (GRONI) by email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk

For queries about the High Street Spend Local Scheme,  email HSSS.mail@economy-ni.gov.uk.

For queries about:

  • Car tax, vehicle registration and SORN
    contact the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Swansea
     
  • Driver licensing and tests, MOT and vehicle testing
    contact the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA), Northern Ireland

If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk.

 

For queries or advice about passports, contact HM Passport Office.

For queries or advice about Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), including parking tickets and bus lane PCNs, email dcu@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk

For queries or advice about pensions, contact the Northern Ireland Pension Centre.

If you wish to report a problem with a road or street you can do so online in this section.

If you wish to check on a problem or fault you have already reported, contact DfI Roads.

For queries or advice about historical, social or cultural records relating to Northern Ireland, use the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) enquiry service.

For queries or advice about rates, email LPSCustomerTeam@lpsni.gov.uk

For queries or advice about  60+ and Senior Citizen SmartPasses (which can be used to get concessionary travel on public transport), contact Smartpass - Translink.

If you have a question about a government service or policy, you should contact the relevant government organisation directly.  We don't have access to information about you.

Related sites

  • gov.uk
  • nibusinessinfo.co.uk

Links to supporting information

  • Accessibility statement
  • Crown copyright
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy
  • Cookies
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • RSS