A GROUP of solicitors has donated £2,000 to four child contact centres in Teesside.
The centres - in Middlesbrough, Redcar, Stockton and Hartlepool - provide a safe place for absent parents to make contact with their children.
The donation, from the North-East group of the Solicitors' Family Law Association (SFLA), is needed to ensure the continued operation of the centres, most of which make no charge to the families who use them.
The SFLA, whose members believe that aggressive lawyers and reliance on the court process add to families' distress and anger, says the centres are vital for a child's welfare.
Nicola Matthews, of SFLA, said: "All the research shows that children cope best if they maintain contact with both parents when families separate.
"For a host of reasons, this is sometimes difficult to achieve."
All four centres, which received £500 each, are run by the Women's Royal Voluntary Service
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article