In the legal field, self-help refers to a person choosing to attempt to enforce their rights outside of the legal system. In the realm of family law, parents may attempt to use “self-help” to set a visitation schedule without court intervention. The downside to self-help in this context is that there is no enforceable court order to rely on if one party does not abide by the terms that were informally agreed to outside of court.
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
self-help (noun) the action or process of bettering oneself or overcoming one's problems without the aid of others , especially the coping with one's personal or emotional problems without professional help