Bradford's Family Mediation Service is to spread its message among the city's Asian community following a £10,000 grant from Bradford Council.

From April 1, the charity will use the cash to employ a development worker who will go out and visit the city's ethnic communities.

It is hoped the project will inform people of what the mediation service has to offer and gather information about how it can be more amenable to people's needs. Lars Thompson, practice supervisor consultant, said: "We find that Asian couples aren't really aware of our existence, yet there are a number of issues specific to the Asian community which need to be addressed.

"Many people already have a way of coping with family breakdown within the community but they are not clear about the English legal system and how it works. It's a question of how to marry the two together.

"What this new initiative will do is inform people of the options available to them, and we will also be able to seek information from the community about what they want from the service."

The Family Mediation Service is part of a national charity which helps parents in conflict make arrangements for their children.

Thelma Fisher, director of National Family Mediation, said: "Mediation can help parents find a path through their problems - especially when it comes to ensuring that their children are upset as little as possible by any impending separation or divorce. People will be offered separate one-to-one meetings before deciding whether to enter mediation."

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