Getting help for your children
Counselling and support
Skylight
Counselling and support for children of all age groups. Weekdays 9am–5pm.
skylight.org.nz(external link)
FREEPHONE: 0800 299 100
Barnardos
barnardos.org.nz(external link)
FREEPHONE: 0800 BARNARDOS (0800 227 627)
Lifeline Aotearoa
Available 24 hours, 7 days a week.
lifeline.org.nz(external link)
FREEPHONE: 0800 543 354 (or Chinese Lifeline for Mandarin and Cantonese speakers – 0800 888 880)
Family Works
Provided by Presbyterian Support Services. Parenting and domestic violence programmes; family and child counselling.
familyworks.org.nz(external link)
FREEPHONE: 0508 TO HELP (0508 864 357)
Māori Women’s Welfare League
Whānau Toko i te Ora parenting programme for under five-year-olds. Branches throughout New Zealand.
mwwl@mwwl.org.nz
Phone 04 473 6451
Helplines for young people
What’s Up (Barnardos)
Kids and teenagers up to 18 years old can talk with professional counsellors. Available 1pm–11pm daily.
FREEPHONE: 0800 WHATS UP (0800 942 8787)
Kidsline (Lifeline Aotearoa)
Kids up to 14 years old can talk with teenage volunteers, who are supervised by adults. Daily after school 4pm–6pm.
kidsline.org.nz(external link)
FREEPHONE: 0800 KIDSLINE (0800 543 754)
Youthline
Confidential youth help and information. For intermediate-aged kids and older.
youthline.co.nz(external link)
FREEPHONE: 0800 376 633 Free txt: 234
Resources
Children’s guide to separation
This booklet helps answer kids’ questions about what happens to them when their parents break up.
Children’s guide to separation [PDF, 2.2 MB]
Factsheets
These factsheets have more information to help you when you separate:
Children need parents who understand what they’re going through [PDF, 38 KB]
Children need parents to protect and help them [PDF, 312 KB]
Making arrangements for your children / Getting on as separated parents [PDF, 311 KB]
How to manage changeovers, new partners and step-families [PDF, 313 KB]
Tips for family/whānau when there’s been a separation involving children [PDF, 172 KB]
