It’s been six months since OnePlusOne launched Separating better, the free app for separating parents.

So far, more than 2,600 people have downloaded Separating better. Alongside our own national digital marketing campaign, local promotion has helped to raise the profile of the app. Parents who have used Separating better have told us that they used the app after seeing it in places such as Family Hubs, Family Information Services, schools, and online community directories. We are very grateful for your proactive support to help us reach the people who need it.

To accompany the printed promotional materials that we sent out in spring, and the digital assets that are available on our promotional hub, we have recently launched a new animation to explain more about the app, what it offers, and how to use it.

Watch our new Separating better animation

 

We would be grateful if you could please help us by sharing this video as widely as possible. You are welcome to add it to websites and social media channels, and display it in public places. We also hope it will be a helpful, engaging tool for you to use when introducing the app to parents.

 

If you’d like any support communicating the app locally, please contact our communications team at communication@oneplusone.org.uk

 

 

App updates

Since its launch, we have made a few updates to the app which make it easier for parents to create their account and access emotional and practical support. We’ve also made it easier for practitioners to let us know if they are using the app for professional reasons. Simply navigate to your profile page from the main menu and select this option and we’ll know not to include your data in our final evaluation.

We have recently streamlined the surveys we ask parents to complete as they journey through the app. The data we’re collecting is essential to help us understand how effective the app is at providing support, and where we can make improvements, but we want to ensure this process is as simple as possible for parents.

 

A reminder of what’s in Separating better…

 

We’ve designed Separating better to help parents to manage their separation and make co-parenting arrangements that work in the best interests of their children. There’s lots to explore, including:

 

• A parenting plan which parents can create and share with their ex-partner to make arrangements and keep track of what has been agreed.
• A budget planner to help with sorting out finances.
• Advice and guidance on a range of topics, covering legal issues, co-parenting, and talking to children about separation.
• Work it out videos which show five families working through different issues to help parents learn communication skills that can help them handle difficult conversations with their ex-partner.
• A goal setting tool to help parents set goals they’d like to work towards and keep track of how they’re doing.

Separating better is for parents to use independently, and in whichever way suits them. It isn’t designed to be a practitioner-led intervention and is not suitable for relationships where there has been domestic abuse. We have advice and signposting on the welcome page to help parents who may need additional support.

 

Download the app for iOS

Download the app for Android

 

We hope you are finding the app a helpful addition to your toolkit of support for separating families and thank you for your continued support to raise awareness of Separating better.  If you have any questions about the app, or this DWP-funded Challenge Fund project in general, please contact us at info@oneplusone.org.uk

 

Voluntary Action Leeds