I need some practical advice

[NoDucksToGive]

Last weekend I asked my husband to leave. I fell that he is emotionally and verbally abusive and I have had enough. Of course he feels that he is the innocent victim in this and that I have broken up our family for no reason.
We have 2 boys age 6 and 20m and live in a privately rented house.
We have debt and no real assets for a number of reasons.
He lost his job last month and has just put in a UC claim.

I need some practical advice on what my next steps should be. He is not going to make this easy on me and I just don't know what to do next.

I am worried that if I put in my own UC claim it will disturb the joint one and we will be unable to pay bills for the next month or so. I can't manage any more debt and childcare costs alone are crippling.
Does anyone know how the UC works in practicality?
Any tips on things that I should be doing?

I just want to move forwards but feel like I am stuck in this awful limbo, in a mess that I don't know how to get out of.

I would call universal credit ASAP in your shoes. They don't do back dating. I'm not sure how, but you need to stop claiming as joint and start claiming as a single person.

The person who get the child benefit normal get the other children payment. I don't know what it is called.

Universal credit gives a loan that you can pay back slowly via benefits deduction. In case you can't wait 5 weeks.

Thank you. They are both really useful bits of advice. I will try to find time to give them a call tomorrow.