Azad Kashmir Welfare Association
Charity 515922
Overview
Summary
Azad Kashmir Welfare Association appears to operate as a broad, culturally responsive advice and advocacy hub for Birmingham and surrounding areas, with a particular orientation toward Asian and other minority ethnic communities experiencing hardship. Its role extends beyond resolving individual problems: it sits at the intersection of immigration, welfare, housing, health, education and employment, where difficulties often compound one another. A fee-charging immigration service may provide a partial cross-subsidy model that helps sustain free support elsewhere.
Operational geography
Evidence and reasoning
Supporting evidence
Alum Rock
Confidence: low
The charity is consistently identified as operating as A K Centre, and a current Birmingham service-directory listing describes welfare-rights advice delivered from the Centre. However, the supplied evidence does not provide appropriate evidence connecting this activity to Alum Rock ward.
- Charity Commission Register of Charities, contact information for charity 515922
Lists the charity's address as A K Centre in Birmingham. - Charity Commission accounts for year ended 31 March 2024
Identifies the organisation as operating as A K Centre and states that the Centre is in Birmingham. - Birmingham Route2Wellbeing service directory, Welfare Rights Advice, Guidance and Information
Lists A.K Centre in Birmingham, with weekday opening hours and welfare-rights advice services. - Birmingham City Council ward maps
Alum Rock is an electoral ward.
Remaining uncertainties
- The evidence identifies one active advice site, but does not establish its operational coverage within Alum Rock or identify additional current delivery venues, outreach locations or satellite services.
- The Charity Commission's current 'where the charity operates' entry states Birmingham City. This supports a citywide overall footprint, but it is self-reported and does not show whether services are delivered directly across the city, are accessed citywide from the A K Centre, or both.
- No current authoritative evidence was found of partnerships that materially extend the charity's delivery geography. Historic funding relationships referenced in older accounts should not be treated as evidence of current operational partnerships.
- The organisation's website could not be retrieved, so it could not be used to confirm current projects, referral arrangements, outreach provision or service catchments.
Additional evidence needed
- A current annual report, service plan or monitoring return specifying client catchments, outreach activity and delivery locations.
- Current information from A K Centre confirming whether advice is delivered only from the Centre, remotely across Birmingham, or through other venues.
- Authoritative confirmation of any live delivery partnerships, including the partner, service, venue and geographic scope.
Areas of work
- Accommodation/housing
- Disability
- Economic/community Development/employment
- General Charitable Purposes
- Other Charitable Purposes
- The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty
Who they help
- Children/young People
- Elderly/old People
- Other Charities Or Voluntary Bodies
- Other Defined Groups
- People Of A Particular Ethnic Or Racial Origin
- People With Disabilities
- The General Public/mankind
How they help
- Other Charitable Activities
- Provides Advocacy/advice/information
- Provides Services
Discoveries involving this organisation
The Atlas has not published any Discoveries involving this organisation yet.
Observations
A bridge across interconnected forms of exclusion
The association appears designed to support people whose housing, immigration, welfare, health and employment needs may be interdependent rather than separate issues. Its remit suggests a holistic entry point for people navigating multiple public systems.
Why it matters
This helps explain the organisation's likely value beyond any single advice service: it may reduce the fragmentation faced by people whose problems cut across institutional boundaries.
Show evidence
“We provide free, confidential and impartial information, advice and guidance on Welfare Rights, Domestic Abuse, Immigration, Nationality, Housing, Health, Education and Employment.”
Source:Organisation“The objects include an advice and information centre dealing with housing, employment, welfare rights, immigration and nationality.”
Source:Charity Commission
Cultural access appears central, not incidental
The association appears to combine practical advice with cultural and linguistic accessibility, particularly for Asian and other minority ethnic communities. Translation and interpretation are framed as part of health access rather than as an optional add-on.
Why it matters
This suggests the organisation may address barriers that mainstream services can struggle to overcome, including language, trust and the practical navigation of healthcare and public systems.
Show evidence
“The area of benefit particularly includes people belonging to Asian and other minority racial groups.”
Source:Charity Commission“The objects include facilities to promote health, including translators and interpreters at hospitals, clinics and surgeries.”
Source:Charity Commission
Immigration work may subsidise wider community support
Charging a small fee for specialist immigration services appears to be a deliberate income-generating mechanism for maintaining free services in other areas. This may reduce dependence on a single funding source while linking paid expertise to charitable access.
Why it matters
The model is distinctive because it may make immigration capability financially important to the organisation's broader advice offer, not merely one service among many.
Show evidence
“We provide specialist immigration services for private clients and charge a small fee to generate the Charity funds to continue providing free services for the other sectors.”
Source:Organisation
- It is unclear which communities use the services most, and whether the stated focus on minority ethnic groups remains central in current delivery.
- There is no evidence on scale, staffing, referral relationships, funding mix, outcomes or geographic reach beyond Birmingham and surrounding areas.
- The relationship between domestic abuse support and the organisation's other advice services is not described.
Remaining uncertainties
- Recent annual reports or service data showing client numbers, issues presented, languages used and outcomes.
- Information on referral and partnership relationships with health providers, housing services, legal advisers and community organisations.
- Details of how fee-paying immigration work is governed, priced and contributes to the charity's free services.
Additional evidence needed
Charity Commission profile
Activities
We provide free, confidential and impartial information, advice and guidance on Welfare Rights, Domestic Abuse, Immigration, Nationality, Housing, Health, Education and Employment. We provide specialist immigration services for private clients and charge a small fee to generate the Charity funds to continue providing free services for the other sectors.
Charity objects
THE OBJECTS OF THE ASSOCIATION ARE: NA) TO RELIEVE THE INHABITANTS OF BIRMINGHAM AND SURROUNDING AREAS (HEREINAFTER REFERRED TO AS THE AREA OF BENEFIT) WHO ARE IN CONDITIONS OF NEED HARDSHIP (PARTICULARLY SUCH OF THEM AS BELONGING TO ASIAN AND OTHER MINORITY RACIAL GROUPS) BY THE PROVISION FOR SUCH PERSONS OF:- (I) AN ADVICE AND INFORMATION CENTRE DEALING WITH THE QUESTIONS OF HOUSING, EMPLYMENT, WELFARE RIGHTS, IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALLY AND SIMILAR PROBLEMS. (II) FACILITIES FOR THEIR EDUCATION AND CULTURAL TRAINING. (III) FACILITIES TO PROMOTE THEIR HEALTH (INCLUDING PROVISION OF TRANSLATERS AND INTERPRETERS AT HOSPITALS, CLINICS AND SURGERIES):