Updated in October 2026. The partnership with the Parkstad municipalities runs throughout 2027, and has been extended to all seven municipalities. So parents in Beekdaelen, Brunssum, Kerkrade and Voerendaal can now use BeNice free for 6 months too.

Good news for separated parents in South Limburg

The municipalities in Parkstad, together with BeNice.family, are offering a hundred families six months of free use of the BeNice app, including personal support. It started in April 2026 in Heerlen, Landgraaf and Simpelveld, is now open to all seven Parkstad municipalities and runs throughout 2027. Made possible by Samenwerking Jeugd Parkstad, the youth partnership of the Parkstad region.

📰 The full article about this (in Dutch) was published on Opgroeien in Parkstad.

What does it involve?

Separating is hard. Shaping your parenting together after the separation is even harder, especially when emotions and blame get in the way of talking to the other parent. The Parkstad municipalities want to find out whether the BeNice app can help parents talk about their children in a calmer, kinder and clearer way.

Together with Samenwerking Jeugd Parkstad, we’re giving a hundred families the chance to experience this for themselves, completely free, with personal support in using the app.

Andrea Ernes, alderman of Simpelveld, officially opened the partnership at a meeting organised for care professionals in the region. In her words: “We’re very happy and proud that we, as municipalities in Parkstad, are taking the lead.”

Why is communication after a separation so hard?

When parents split up, however painful the separation, they have to keep talking about their children. In practice, that contact regularly breaks down: emotions run high, messages are misread and small misunderstandings grow into big conflicts.

Children pick up on that tension. Even when parents think they’re hiding their conflicts, children sense the unrest. Research shows time and again that the quality of communication between parents after a separation is one of the strongest predictors of children’s wellbeing.

BeNice was created to do something about that. Its founders, René Persoon and Jennifer Persoon, developed the app from their own practical experience and conversations with parents, with input from youth care and mediation.

How does the BeNice app work?

BeNice brings calm and clarity to parenting together. The app has four dedicated tools:

BeNice Filter

The BeNice Filter protects you from receiving accusations, insults and emotionally charged language. You read messages from the other parent when you’re ready for them, in a way that keeps the peace.

Feedback Coach

The Feedback Coach helps you write sensitive or difficult messages. About to send something that comes across as hostile or emotional? The app recognises it and makes a concrete suggestion for putting it better: more neutral, clearer, kinder.

BeNice Coach

The BeNice Coach is always there to think a situation through with you, whether it involves the other parent or your children. A handover you’re already dreading, a difficult email or a conflict that threatens to escalate: the Coach helps you work out how to handle it before you’re in the middle of it.

Shared calendar

Made especially for separated parents: a clear shared calendar that shows at a glance who the children are with, when the handovers happen and what’s planned around holidays and public holidays.

Parents can also store practical information in the app that both of them can see: from the phone numbers of the school or the children’s friends to details about medication or when a passport expires. Nobody has to dig through long WhatsApp threads any more.

Who can take part?

The free six months are meant for (recently) separated parents in the Parkstad region who are already receiving professional support with their separation. Think of parents known to the municipal divorce help desk, prevention teams, schools or social care consultants.

Do parents live in one of the seven Parkstad municipalities but aren’t receiving any support yet? They can still get in touch to ask about the options.

What do professionals say about BeNice?

Professionals who have already explored the app are enthusiastic:

“I wish this had existed when I got divorced.”

“It would make such a difference if people started using this.”

“If you won’t do it for yourself, do it for the children.”

How do you sign up?

You can sign up for as long as there are places left. The six months of support start once you’ve signed up.

Do you live in one of the seven Parkstad municipalities? Then sign up at one of the two addresses below. Esther is the best place to start.

Sign up via:

Are you a professional in youth or social care and want to refer clients? Create an account at pro.benice.family and register yourself and the parents involved via the addresses above.

You’ll find more about BeNice for professionals on our page for professionals.

Frequently asked questions

Is it really free? Yes. Taking part, including support in using the app, is completely free for the first hundred families from the Parkstad municipalities who sign up.

Do I need to be receiving professional help already to take part? It is aimed first and foremost at parents who are already receiving professional support with their separation. Not getting any help yet, but would you like to take part? Feel free to get in touch via the email addresses above.

Can I take part if the other parent doesn’t want to? BeNice works best when both parents use the app. Questions about your own situation? Get in touch via the email addresses above.

Until when can I sign up? The partnership runs throughout 2027. You can sign up for as long as there are places left; a hundred families can take part.

I’m a professional. How can I refer parents? Create a professional account at pro.benice.family and contact Esther (Heerlen) or Iva (Landgraaf/Simpelveld) via the email addresses above.

About BeNice

BeNice is a Dutch communication app made especially for separated parents. The app helps with communication, with making agreements and with organising all the practical information around the children. BeNice is available in the App Store and on Google Play.

More information: benice.family