PBB (i.e. Parents Beyond Breakup) is a national Australian charity that focuses on suicide prevention in one of the most 'at risk' demographics; that is separating parents. 

PBB operates a range of frontline 'community programs' that targets specific demographics with peer support; these include 'Dads in Distress, Mums in Distress and Grandparents in Distress.

We primarily support separated parents, both mums and dads in separate peer based services but, also grandparents that are struggling with lack of access to their grandchildren after a family break up. 

From our inception as Dads in Distress in 1999, we've always welcomed mums and so the rebrand to Parents Beyond Breakup in 2016 better reflects who we are. 

Nothing. Everything we do is provided 100% free of charge. 

No. All support is provided on an immediate or near immediate basis. 

You never have to wait more than a few days at most to access a support group. 

There is no limit (within reason) on how many people can attend a suport group so there's always space for a new mum, dad or grandparent.

Online and via telephone from anywhere.

We also operate local community based groups and 'one to one' mentors around Australia.

All support services are listed here on our website.

Just call our national helpline on 1300 853437 any day of the week (currently day times only) and we'll advise you from there. 

If you're a separated dad, and since this makes up the largest number of people we support each year, we have drop in support groups that operate most days of the week online and across the country in local towns. Check out www.dids.org.au for a list of what's going on and feel free to drop in both online and/or in-person - you'll always be made welcome. 

Each year we provide over 10,000 support sessions to parents and grandparents across Australia. When asked how they would rate our support, over 99% say that we were the best support that they were able to find. 

Across 2024, self reported statistics show a 99.6% reduction is feeling suicidal after accessing our support sessions. 

The reason it works so well is that we are and always have been, parents who've been through it ourselves (i.e. peers) supporting others still going through it. We know what it's like, what you're experiencing and feeling and how to best address that. 

Yes, but there is a condition.

If the support person is of the same gender as the group members, their presence is allowed without issue.

If the support person is of a different gender, their participation is subject to the approval of the group. If even one member is uncomfortable, the support person will need to leave.

Our groups are strictly peer-based (e.g., separated dads in DIDs meetings and separated mums in MIDs meetings). While same-gender support persons are permitted, different-gender support persons require the group’s consent before entering.

This policy applies equally to DIDs and MIDs groups and is designed to protect participants who may be traumatized due to abuse by an ex-partner of a different gender. The goal is to provide a supportive environment that prioritizes emotional safety, ensuring the focus remains on suicide prevention. 

Generally, no, but we have a policy:

If a person of a different gender wishes to join a meeting (e.g. a support person accompanying someone for their first visit), we ask the attendees if they are comfortable with it. If everyone agrees, it is allowed as a one-time exception. However, if anyone objects, the person of a different gender cannot attend.

Our "peers-only" rule (same gender) exists to provide a safe space for individuals who may have experienced trauma caused by someone of another gender, typically their ex-partner. This safe environment is essential for participants to share openly without added distress. As a suicide prevention group, our priority is to ensure that discussions are as supportive and non-triggering as possible for those in crisis.

Our groups are gender-specific: Dads in Distress meetings are for separated dads, and Mums in Distress meetings are for separated mums. The exception is Grandparents in Distress meetings, which are mixed-gender and allow both grandparents to attend together.

For individuals who identify outside the binary genders, we offer one-on-one support through our helpline or, where available, a local or remote mentor.

If you need further assistance, please call our helpline at 1300 853 437 (available 7 days a week during daytime hours), and we’ll be happy to help.

Yes and in a typical year, about 5-6% of attendees across Australia self categorise as First Nations. 

PBB is currently developing First Nations specific support to better address unique needs for this community. 

We keep minimal records for practical purposes, such as knowing who accessed support. We do not record discussions or meeting content. Rest assured, all discussions at DIDs, MIDs, or GIDs support meetings are completely confidential.

The limited records we maintain allow us to:

• Contact you if a session is canceled or rescheduled.

• Provide attendance letters for court, upon your request.

We also collect aggregated, non-identifiable data to monitor and improve the quality of our support services. If required by funding bodies, we may share general information (e.g. session attendance numbers or self-reported outcomes) to demonstrate the service’s effectiveness, but no individual details are ever disclosed.

At PBB, we prioritize your privacy and take every measure to protect your confidentiality.

Suicide can generally be categorized into two types: chronic mental health-related and situational distress-related.

Separated parents, who fall within the largest number of suicides in Australia, typically fall into the situational distress category. While mental health support is valuable, what they often need most is practical, high-quality assistance to navigate their situation.

This is where we come in. As peers—mums and dads who have been through similar experiences—we provide straightforward, practical support to help others work through these challenging times. In so doing, almost 100% of separated parents that present as suicidial, no longer report feeling so after a few sessions.

Like many charities, we are funded by many different sources. These include federal agencies and government, state or local agencies, health authorities, charitable foundations and donations from the general public. 

Details of our governance can be found here. 

Details can be found in our donations page.

You can set up a fundraiser page via our partner GiveNow, here. 

It takes 5 mins and you;ll get a page where others can donate to your fundraiser and see how your campaign is progressing. 

You can do so via our volunteering page. 

As an organisation that works with parents in the midst of complex family breakdown, we are often asked about our gender political position. For example, it's quite common that we hear from men's rights groups asking if we are pro-women/anti-male, and from women's rights groups asking the same in reverse. Clearly, we cannot be both at the same time. In fact, neither is the case. 

PBB is a 100% gender neutral and fully inclusive national suicide prevention support service that works with people experiencing extreme distress post family breakdown; regardless of who they are. PBB is not political, ideological or focussed on 'any' one group over 'any' other. Much like a local GP, we are here to provide support to those that need it, not to judge or select based on ideology or any other characteristic.

Extreme views (of any kind) expressed by any individual at any of our support groups, that we consider either unhelpful or harmful, will be called out and, if necessary, result in that persons removal from support.  We do not allow activism or any extreme or divisive views to pollute our support and place at risk our vulnerable clients. 

It is worth noting that there are groups in Australia and outside, that have ideological or activist objectives, that will inappropriately use our trademarked program names. e.g. Dads in Distress. We have nothing to do with any such groups or individuals. Whilst we attempt to prevent this from happening, it's not always possible to stop it. If ever in doubt about any particular group that you see or hear about, calling itself DIDs or MIDs, please reach out to our helpline on 1300 853437 (or email enquiries@parentsbeyondbreakup.com) and we'll be happy to clarify discuss situation. 

Legally, yes. There is however an issue with others (e.g. activists, ideologues, lone supporters etc.) using our now well known trademarked names. Here is one such example on FaceBook that has nothing to do with our organisation. 

The names Dads in Distress (DIDs) and Mums in Distress (MIDs) are program names created by us and have been in use since 1999 and they are legally trademarked. Unauthorized use of these names is not only illegal but also unethical. Unfortunately, individuals and groups, both in Australia and abroad, use our trademarked names without permission for their own campaigns or organizations. 

While we do enforce our trademarks to protect our programs and clients, as a charity, our priority is maximizing the resources available for suicide prevention. This means we focus our efforts on cases where unauthorized use causes harm to our organization or those that we support. Addressing every instance of misuse would not be the best use of charitable funds.

We are aware that some individuals or activists, often unknowingly, set up groups, services or campaigns using our names without realizing they are violating the law or causing harm to others by doing so. If you have concerns about the authenticity of any group using our program names, please contact us at 1300 853 437, and we’ll clarify or take appropriate action as needed.

PBB’s staffing, leadership team, and board are intentionally designed to reflect a diverse mix of demographics. While hiring is merit-based, we make a conscious effort to welcome and fairly consider applications from disadvantaged or underrepresented groups.

Our team includes a balanced representation of genders, ages, ethnicities, geographical locations, and diverse political and ideological perspectives. Twice a year, our entire team—board and staff—meets to review strategy and prioritize national service delivery. This is designed to continually review what and how we operate and by design, it includes the full diversity of all voices. 

We operate virtually to ensure that more donated funds go directly to frontline support rather than overhead costs like rent, utilities, and travel. Critically, and again by design, this approach also allows us to recruit the best talent, regardless of location or circumstances, such as single full-time parents or individuals in remote areas who might otherwise be unable to work in this sector. This strategy significantly improves our internal diversity and the breadth of opinion and voice.