DALLAS, November 16, 2005 – Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott today continued his commitment to Texas families and children by announcing a grant to Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas to operate his office’s statewide Access and Visitation Hotline. The hotline is staffed by attorneys who provide legal information and assistance about child custody and visitation matters.

“I am committed to helping parents without custody stay involved in their children’s lives,” said Attorney General Abbott. “Children thrive on the security that comes from knowing both parents want and care for them.”

Former Texas Supreme Court Justice Deborah Hankinson joined Attorney General Abbott at the press conference to announce funding from the Texas Equal Access to Justice Foundation (TEAJF) to support hotline operations. Justice Hankinson is a TEAJF board member.

TEAJF, the largest Texas-based funding source for legal aid organizations in the state, provided $60,000 in September to increase hotline access from four to six attorneys.

The Access and Visitation Hotline was established in March 2003 through a federal Access and Visitation grant administered by the Attorney General’s Office. This year’s funding from the Attorney General totals $130,000.

The hotline’s toll free number, 1-866-292-4636, is answered in English and Spanish, Monday - Friday from 1 to 5 p.m. Attorneys provide basic legal information and education about a parent’s rights pertaining to child access, visitation and custody; establishing paternity; and the child support process. Parents also are referred to a Web site, www.txaccess.org , to obtain downloadable legal forms and examples for completing them. Also available are samples of parent letters to request compliance with orders, visitation logs, and other tools for resolving custody and visitation concerns.

Access and Visitation grants must be used to increase contact between noncustodial parents and their children. This year’s grants, totaling more than $570,000, were awarded to 11 private nonprofit organizations and local governments across Texas. Awarding funding to local organizations is one way the Attorney General’s Office can help children whose parents are engaged in custody or visitation disputes, since federal funding to run the child support program cannot be used to handle these problems.

The Attorney General’s Division for Families and Children is directed by state and federal law to assist families who currently receive or have received public assistance and families who request child support services. Approved services include locating absent parents; establishing paternity for children born to unmarried parents; establishing, enforcing, and modifying child and medical support orders; and collecting and distributing child support payments.

“Children need two involved, caring parents to feel happy and secure,” said Attorney General Abbott. “Programs like the hotline help the parent without custody, usually the father, to take an active role in raising his child.”

Studies have found that noncustodial parents who stay involved with their children are more likely to make regular child support payments. Studies show that children of parents who pay their child support have fewer behavioral problems, make better grades, and stay in school longer than children who do not receive regular child support.

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