A cohabiting, unmarried, or uncivil partnered couple can separate without having to go through any formal process, whereas a married or civil partnered couple need to end their relationship formally, through the divorce or dissolution process. However, for couples who are not married or not civil partnered splitting up can be more difficult because there is no recognised structure for sorting things out.

Whether you are married, civil partnered, or not, if you have children the court has the power to intervene in relation to the care of the children.

Further information:

		Dividing assets
		Child support

Counselling and mediation services

Counselling and mediation services are available for all couples, parents and families.

There is a conciliation service provided by some family courts if you have an issue over the children and have applied to court to sort it out.

Deciding on the most appropriate service will depend on the main unresolved issue: mediation can deal with finance, separation and children whereas conciliation deals with issues relating to children.

See the following links for more information:

Advicenow's breaking up checklist

Marriage and Relationship Support Directory

CAFCASS (Information for children and their families involved in family court proceedings)

	www.marriedornot.org.uk

Married or not is part of LivingTogether - a campaign led by Advicenow.org.uk to inform cohabiting couples of their legal rights. The Nuffield Foundation and the Department for Constitutional Affairs supported One Plus One's development of material for Married or Not. The legal information on this site was checked by Sarah Forster.