FRP secures Family Action as new buyer for Relate

FRP Advisory has confirmed that it has secured Family Action as a new buyer for at-risk charity Relate.

Relate’s counselling services and central services function, which supports a network of independent counselling charities across the UK, had fallen into financial difficulty following the loss of government contracts.

Consequently, Philip Reynolds and Ian Corfield, partners at FRP Advisory, were appointed joint administrators of the charity on 26 November 2024.

Following an accelerated marketing process, national charity Family Action has secured the jobs of 185 Relate employees who transferred into Family Action on 1 January 2025.

The charity will continue to trade under the Relate brand and the federated network of local counselling services it supports – the Relate Federation – remains separate and financially independent from the entity acquired by Family Action.

Reynolds, Restructuring Advisory partner at FRP, said: “Relate is a lifeline for families across the country struggling with a range of domestic issues. We’re pleased that an unfortunate period of financial uncertainty hasn’t put a stop to that vital work.

“Family Action’s track record of supporting families through change, challenge and crisis dovetails well with Relate’s mission and we’re optimistic that this deal gives the charity the foundation it needs to return to a stable footing.”

Sir David Holmes CBE, chief executive at Family Action, added: “We are excited about the obvious alignment between Family Action, the charity for families, and Relate, the charity for relationships, and see excellent opportunities for mutually beneficial development for our combined organisations in the future.”