This week

Confirm the separation date in writing to your partner (a short neutral message is enough).
If there is any safety concern, contact a local shelter line or a lawyer before anything else.
Open a bank account in your own name and redirect your pay.
Pull a copy of your credit report from Equifax and TransUnion.
Photograph or copy documents you can lawfully access: tax returns, statements, insurance, mortgage, lease, vehicle ownership.
Change passwords on your personal accounts from a device your partner has never used.

Money

List every asset and debt you know about, with balances as of the separation date.
Freeze new borrowing on joint credit cards and lines of credit.
Decide who pays what for the next 60 days and write it down as an interim arrangement, without prejudice.
Keep receipts for anything you pay for the children.

Agree an interim schedule, even a rough one, and put it on a shared calendar.
Tell the school or daycare who may collect the children.
Read the guide on talking to children about separation before the first conversation.
Do not discuss the separation terms in front of the children or ask them to carry messages.

Complete the free FairWell assessment to get your roadmap.
Book an initial consultation with a family lawyer for independent advice on your position (many offer flat-fee first meetings).
Decide which route fits: prepared agreement with lawyer review, mediation, collaborative, or litigation.
Note the deadlines in your province or state that run from the separation date.

Tell two people you trust.
Book a therapist or counsellor if you can; separation is a health event.
Sleep, eat and move. This sounds trite and is the most reliable predictor of how well the process goes.

The free assessment builds a dated roadmap for your province or state around items like these.