Working out finances going alone as a single mum + 1

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Hoping this is the right section. I will be soon a single mum of 1 (younger than 5) and I have been looking into what I will be able to sort out regarding my finances. It means taking my little one out of everything they know as we would be moving a quite way from husband and well Im just trying to figure things out.

Iv'e looked at so far I think I get the following:
*Income support
*discount on Council tax
*Child tax credits
*Help towards mortgage payments (after qualifying period)

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. I dont know if what I can claim will cover everything but I know its something I have to do. It means giving up everything I know and leaving my home where I am, my job etc :( but I feel it will be better.

Regarding maintenance if anyone has been there or share of custody if anyone can give any tips that would be great :) Or any advice x

Have you sought professional legal advice?

Is there a reason why you are moving quite a way away? I did the same two years ago but bear in mind if you do this and you intend to still have your son see his father then you will spend every other Sunday evening driving like me...
Re. custody, again, if there are no welfare issues, courts would likely decide every other weekend he should see his father and they usually split holidays 50/50 now.
You should seek legal advice...especially if you have joint assets and are leaving a home that is a joint asset.

Please think about seeking the advice of the local womens centre and/or citizens advice as some things are quite area specific, housing especially.
Regarding maintenance and contact get it agreed, make it clear and have it in writing. It won't stop him messing around if he feels like it but it's a good place to start.
Re benefits apply asap as there can often be a long wait for them to come through.
Best of luck

Do you already have the mortgage , you won't get any help for a new one and even if so qualification isn't certain.

My husband and I separated for 8 months last year (we're now back together after lots of counselling etc - and simply having time apart really helped). We looked up recommended custody schedules on the internet adn we chose a 2-2-3 custody schedule i.e. you have your child Mon & Tues, your husband has them Wed & Thurs, and you have them over the weekend. Then it flips so your husband has Mon & Tues, you have Wed & Thurs and your husband has the weekend. The big pro is that you never have much time apart from your child, but you need to be not too far away for this one to work so it might not be ideal for you.

Good luck with everything - I hope you both manage to be amicable about things as it will of course make things easier for you all, especially your child.

Thank you all for your words of advice, I think I will seek legal advice. I have an existing mortgage on my own - we dont have one together, so Id be leaving a situation where we have no mortgage together. He works full time so I dont know if he would want to see the little one through the week, i dont know how easy it would be. I have to move away. I dont have any choice. I wouldnt get support to stay where I/we are now as I have a property that they would say I can move into :(

I think this is the website we used to get guidance on shared custody schedules (singleparents.com):
singleparents.about.com/od/coparenting/tp/6-Sample-Joint-Custody-Schedules.htm
My husband and I both work full time and the schedule certainly wasn't easy but with some complicated childcare arrangements (and not much time for anything else initially!) we made it work. But there are other options of course. As you have to move, maybe your husband would think about moving a little nearer to you to have easier access to your little one?

Also housing benefit - and that can be quite a bit. Go through your council for that. You can apply for council tax benefit too, not just a single person discount. You usually apply for that at the same time as housing benefit at your local town hall. It comes through within a couple of days (I got a phone call confirming I was eligible and the amount) the same afternoon after applying in the morning).

Everything else can be applied for online. You may also be entitled to healthy start vouchers (income under £16k I think) and free prescriptions etc. your local children's centre can tell you about all that and give you the forms.

Good luck!

You need to be v careful re leaving your job - iirc you won't be entitled to income support if you've chosen to leave a job.

Thank you :) xxx

I would check wrt income support. I resigned from my job and claimed income support, no problem. AFAIK there is no conditionality to seek work on income support and as such, I wasn't penalised by resigning. I think the rules about not receiving benefit when resigning refer to JSA which if your child is under 5 years old, shouldn't apply to you.