Join the next course starting 25 February 2026 Book Now

Stories

Book

Help Me

Free Resources For Parents

Support your children to thrive after separation

What is Your Direction?

Your Direction is our FREE 5 session online course for young people aged 12–17 & 18-30, created by Restored Lives in partnership with Spurgeons.

Young people often don’t open up about how they feel when their parents break up. They want to be “normal” and worry about hurting their parents’ feelings. Your Direction provides a safe, non-judgemental space where they can meet other people their own age who know what it’s like.

It gives young people the tools and skills to express themselves and build resilience. 

We also provide free resources for parents to help them support their children including an eight session  course called Restored Lives.

9 out of 10 children said that Your Direction helped them talk to their parents in a more constructive way

Students engaged in classroom learning activity.

Children Need Support If Their Parents Separate

Giving children targeted support if their parents have split up, (recently or at any time in their lives) helps to mitigate the impact on their lives.

It helps them to:

  • Process what’s happening
  • Feel heard and understood
  • Build resilience
  • Adjust to changes at home
  • Learn life skills
  • Improve their relationships with parents, friends, family and future partners
Thumbnail image showing handout for parents that gives hints and tips for supporting their child through their separation

Download our handout for parents which gives tips about the best ways to support your child

In schools we constantly see the impact of situations at home. Family separation is so difficult for all involved, and it is essential to know how to support children through it. Having access to resources like Your Direction is essential for teachers and families. Having done the course myself, I know first-hand how helpful it is. It means that children can be supported during the process, not just in the future.

Charis Armstrong - Teacher, St Leonard’s Primary School

The best thing about Your Direction was being able to talk and be listened to and ask questions that others don't usually do.

James, Your Direction participant

The best thing about Your Direction was finding people who empathised with situations rather than just sympathising

Henry, Your Direction participant

It was quite hard to open up but was rewarding. I was in quite a vulnerable place and didn't realise how low I was until I did the first survey.

Jess, Your Direction participant

WHICH WORKSHOP

We run workshops for two age groups 12-17 years and 18-30 years:

12-17 YRS Group

5 x weekly sessions

Wednesday evenings
5:30 – 6:30pm

Book 12-17

18-30 YRS Group

6 x weekly sessions

Wednesday evenings
7:30 – 9:00pm

Book 18-30

Does it help?

Participants feel better after doing Your Direction.

After completing the workshops, almost 90% of participants reported normal to high wellbeing, compared to just over half before!

9 out of 10 participants said Your Direction helped them talk to their parents in a more constructive way.

We use the, widely respected, Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale to gather this data from participants at the start and end of the workshops.

Graph showing wellbeing scores participants doing Your Direction workshops that shows after completing the workshops, almost 90% of participants reported normal to high wellbeing, compared to just over half before! 9 out of 10 participants said Your Direction helped them talk to their parents in a more constructive way.

Download our brochure to find out more

Family gathering for dinner in warm, candle-lit space.

Parents Need Support too

Parenting is especially difficult if you are trying to navigate your own emotional and practical journey through a separation or divorce. The end of a significant relationship can be one of the hardest life events a person can face. You don’t have to do it alone.

Restored Lives is an 8 session course for anyone recovering from a breakup, whether it’s just happened or it ended a while ago. It provides the support and skills for your future including those you need to parent as a separated parent.

Find out more at www.restoredlives.org

Your Direction FAQ

Do you have more questions about our course for young people? Check out the answers to our most frequently asked questions. 

What is Your Direction?

It’s a 5-week online workshop for people aged 12–30 whose parents have separated. It’s a space to talk (if you want to), learn ways to feel better, and pick up skills to deal with life’s challenges.

It’s for anyone who has been affected by your parents’ separation or difficult parental relationship. Whatever your background, your culture, your faith, where you’re from in the world, or what your family situation looks like, Your Direction is for you.
Each session is a mix of chat, activities, and stories from others who’ve been through similar things. You’ll learn about topics like communication, handling emotions, managing conflict, dealing with change, setting boundaries and looking to the future.
No. The workshops are all about you and your life, not your parents or their relationship. We won’t ask you to share personal details unless you want to. Your Direction is not about reviewing or judging your parents separation — ever. We don’t ask for family history, and we don’t take sides. It’s forward-looking, not a therapy session or investigation.
Yes! Most people feel a lot better by the end of the course. We’ve seen confidence go up, people feeling less alone, and learning tools that really help with everyday life. We see this from the feedback and stories of previous participants who say their wellbeing has improved. On average, young people’s wellbeing scores jump from 5.1 to 8.1 after the course. Those who start off struggling the most often see the biggest improvement. We monitor its effectiveness using the Warwick-Edinburgh Scale (WEMWBS). Also 95% of people say that they are able to talk more effectively with their parents after doing Your Direction.
No. What’s said in the workshop stays in the workshop. We don’t report back to your parents or share anything you say. If you say something that made us fear for your safety, then we would follow a safeguarding process to ensure you are ok, but otherwise no-one outside the workshop hears about our discussions.
No. To help you and the others in the session feel comfortable, they are just for young people. We want all the participants to have the chance to speak freely about any topic you want to talk about.

If your parents asks how they can help ask them for a quiet, private space to join each session, ideally without interruptions. Provide any brothers or sisters doing the workshop at the same time a separate space and devices. Ask them no to listening in or sit nearby — privacy really matters here. You could also give them a copy of the Children’s Guide for Parents.

Your Direction is a partnership between Restored Lives (a charity supporting people through relationship breakdown) and Spurgeons (a national children’s charity). It’s led by trained facilitators with experience and safeguarding in place.
It’s totally fine just to listen. It’s just young people talking about their situation so hopefully you’ll feel able to talk as well if you want but there’s no pressure. We do encourage people to have cameras on as it’s much easier for young people to talk to people that they can see.
Yes! We want Your Direction to be inclusive for everyone. Please get in touch with us before the course starts. We’ll be very happy to discuss how we can best support and adapt the sessions to make sure they feel comfortable and included.
Yes. Sessions are run by trained facilitators who follow strict safeguarding policies. All of our content has been reviewed with specialists from children’s charity Spurgeons.
Have a quiet, private space to join each session with your own laptop or mobile. If your brother or sister are also doing the workshop, they need a separate space and device. Avoid listening in or sitting nearby — privacy really matters here because you all have different thoughts.
That’s totally up to you but you don’t have to, it’s your choice if you want to. We recommend to parents not to ask their children questions after the sessions so that you have the space to think about and process the stories and discussions. The sessions are most helpful when young people feel free to open up without pressure.
We will send you an email just before each session so the details are at the top of your inbox.
If you are under 18 we will send emails with log in information and session reminders to parents as well as you. We like to send the details directly to you so you feel in control. But we know it is also nice to have the back up of your Mum and/or Dad/carer having the information too.