The support charity Family Action has bought the relationship counselling charity Relate, saving 185 jobs.

Relate went into administration and made 80 staff redundant in December, due to financial difficulty caused by the loss of government contracts.

Staff were reportedly told that the charity had four to six weeks to find a merger partner or buyer to stay afloat.

The charity’s administrators at FRP Advisory have since announced that the support charity Family Action has bought Relate, with 185 staff having transferred to Family Action on 1 January.

Relate will continue to operate under that brand and the federated network of local counselling services it supports, the Relate Federation, will remain separate and financially independent from the charity.

FRP Advisory declined to reveal the value of the deal.

Phil 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.”

David Holmes, chief executive of Family Action, said: “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.”