Dealing with government departments

• Ask for the name of the person that you are dealing with for future reference.
• Keep copies of documents provided to each department (record the date, person and section they are sent to).

Getting time off work

• Speak to your superiors and colleagues, and explain your situation.-Suggest a possible compromise – Friday afternoons off for an extra 35 minutes a day.-Set a period of time for this then review it.
• Know your limitations and let others know them too.

Smaller social network

• Consider volunteering where the work is done on a group basis e.g. fire rescue service, life saving, your child’s school Parents and Friends network.

Learning to cook

• Ask a friend to teach you to cook in exchange for doing some handy work, mowing their lawn, baby sitting or help with some other project they might have on.
• Borrow a book from the library on cooking basic meals.

Maintaining the car

• Look on the web for information on your brand of car.
• Get road service membership such as NRMA, RACQ etc for when you lock your keys in the car, have a flat tyre, your battery suddenly goes dead, or your car breaks down in an inconvenient location.
• Take a course in car maintenance.

Shopping for groceries

• Look on the web for home shopping grocery sites such as Coles or Woolworths.-Browse through each section and make a list of what you need – use this as a prompter each time you shop.-It also gives you an idea of the costs involved.
• Generic food brands are often cheaper and just as good as the label brands.

Less money

• Contact your local utility service company to arrange instalment payments for your electricity, telephone, insurance rates etc.
• Join a group that buys groceries in bulk – this can be cheaper.-These are usually co-ops or local community groups.

Managing relationships

• Ensure that the important people in your children’s lives are invited to school plays, religious ceremonies, music recitals, sports events etc.

Understanding your children’s routine

• Have a calendar or notebook with important dates highlighted, e.g. sports carnival, swimming carnival, parent reading at school, doctors appointments, weekend sports locations, etc.

Organising care for the kids

• Talk to your child’s school and see what school care programs you can access e.g. before and after-school care, and holiday programs.
• Place a notice for parents in the school newsletter requesting child minding after school.-In return, offer something that you can do for the other parent.
• Enquire with your local community service provider about available child care programs.

Extract from “What about Me?” Practical ideas on looking after yourself after separation.