In March 2024, OnePlusOne launched its first ever app, Separating better. The app was designed to help parents to navigate their separation journey more smoothly and support them to co-parent effectively after the breakdown of their relationship.
Half of all children in the UK are affected by separation and yet it remains a process which many parents find overwhelming, confusing, and practically and emotionally challenging. The family court system is straining under the pressure, with many families forced to endure long waiting times for a complex, costly process that can make conflict and ongoing communication between parents worse.
We wanted to test the idea that a self-guided app – which parents could access whenever and wherever they needed – could help families to navigate the emotional and practical challenges of separation. Evidence shows that parental conflict can cause long-term harm to the wellbeing and development of children caught in the middle. We wanted to help parents to reduce harmful conflict and improve their communication during and after separation for the benefit of themselves and their children.
We were awarded funding from the Department of Work and Pensions, under its Reducing Parental Conflict Challenge Fund to develop and evaluate the efficacy of an evidence-based, freely available tool aimed at separating parents.
"It helped me feel like I’m not alone in this… like, I’ve got it. It’s there to help me sort things." — Jessica, Separating better app user
The app brought together decades of OnePlusOne’s work supporting relationships, our expertise in Behaviour Modelling Training, and real-life insights from separating parents who took part in our co-creation sessions.
A series of videos showing typical family scenarios to help parents learn how to navigate difficult conversations, find solutions to challenges, and communicate better.
A bank of expert advice from psychologists on topics including dealing with guilt, understanding the legal separation process, money management, living arrangements, and effective communication with your co-parent.
Create parenting plans to agree parenting decisions with their child’s other parentand co-ordinate schedules.
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To help with finance management.
Set personal and co-parenting goals, and unlock app content as you progress towards achieving them.
A way to discuss arrangements with your co-parent in a safe and amicable way, with suggestions for keeping conversations constructive.
"I can’t fault it in any way. It’s presented really well. It’s easy to navigate your way around. It’s there when I need it. It’s a touch of a buttonon my phone… It’s been really useful." — Charlene, Separating better app user
An evaluation of Separating better showed that it was an effective way to support separating parents. Just eight months after its launch, interviews, survey results and data analysis of over 1,000 app users found that:
Many parents also said that using the appnormalised their experiences of separation, highlighting that it helped them to feel they were not alone in facing the emotional and practical challenges of the process and ongoing co-parenting journey.
Read the full evaluation report"Whenever I needed something, it’s been there to be able to look through…" —Paul, Separating better app user
Despite the success ofSeparating better in supporting thousands of families, we have so far beenunable to secure funding to continue to keep it running as a free resource.
Conversations with the Department for Work and Pensions, Department for Education, and the Ministry of Justice have not led to a funding commitment. This is disappointing, especially given the numbers of parents it can help, the results it has shown to deliver, and the cost effectiveness of maintaining the app compared to other measures.
As a charity, we kept the app online for as long as possible, but we cannot draw on our reserves forever,and we were forced to take it down in March 2026.
We considered introducing a fee for people to use the app, but that doesn’t fit with our charitable aims of making relationship support accessible. There are already commercial apps available to help people with some aspects of separation. Our vision is to address the black hole in support that exists for those who cannot afford to pay for other services.
We have not given up hope of bringing Separating better back in future and continue to explore opportunities for future funding. If you are interested in finding out more about how you can support us with this work, please click below.
Read more about Separating better funding options
In the meantime, if you are looking for expert advice on relationship issues, including separation, we continue to share expert advice on our community platform. You can find more and join the community platform using the button below:
Get expert advice and share your relationship questions and stories. Connect with others in a safe, supportive space.
