Birmingham Citizens Advice Bureau Service Ltd

Charity 519639

www.bcabs.org.uk

Overview

Summary

Sources:Civic AtlasAI-assisted

Birmingham Citizens Advice Bureau Service Ltd appears to occupy a dual civic role: it provides individual support at moments of financial or social difficulty while using recurring client experiences to seek wider policy change. Its position within the Citizens Advice standards framework, alongside regulatory authorisation, suggests a formalised advice-and-advocacy model rather than an informal local support service. The available evidence presents it as Birmingham-focused but gives limited visibility of the communities reached, delivery channels, partner network or current scale.

See observations

Operational geography

Sources:ONSCivic AtlasAI-assisted

Coverage: Citywide

Operational areas:

  • City Centre
Evidence and reasoning
Supporting evidence
City Centre

Confidence: high

The organisation's current website continues to refer clients to its County Court Welfare Office, indicating a continuing service presence associated with the City Centre.

  • Citizens Advice Birmingham, 'In your local community' page
    The page states that the organisation no longer provides drop-in advice from its City Centre office and identifies it as its head office, with no advice available there.
  • Citizens Advice Birmingham, 2023/24 trustees' annual report
    The report lists the County Court Welfare Office among the locations from which Citizens Advice Birmingham provides advice.
  • Citizens Advice Birmingham, County Court Welfare Office information
    The organisation's published County Court Welfare Office information locates that office in Birmingham City Centre.
Remaining uncertainties
  • The organisation's current website confirms that it provides advice at some GP surgeries, but does not name those surgeries. It is therefore not possible to assign this outreach activity reliably to any supplied Birmingham ward.
  • The 2023/24 annual report evidences delivery through health settings, hospitals, Job Centres, libraries, community centres, HMP Birmingham and the County Court Welfare Office across Birmingham, but it does not provide a current, site-level directory.
  • The 2023/24 report describes a Wellbeing service linked to 32 GP surgeries in the Birmingham and Solihull system, but says that contract was extended only to March 2025. The current website confirms some GP-surgery delivery but does not establish the present number, locations or commissioning arrangement.
  • Citywide coverage is a reasonable interpretation of the current offer rather than evidence of a staffed physical site in every part of Birmingham: the organisation says it advises anyone living or working in the Birmingham area, principally through telephone and webchat alongside outreach.
Additional evidence needed
  • A current service-delivery or outreach-location list identifying the GP surgeries, health settings, hospitals, libraries, Job Centres and community venues where Citizens Advice Birmingham currently delivers in-person advice.
  • The trustees' annual report for the year ended 31 March 2025, or an equivalent current impact report, with project-level delivery locations and confirmation of which outreach contracts remained active after March 2025.
  • Current confirmation of the operating days and status of the County Court Welfare Office.

Areas of work

Source:Charity Commission
  • Economic/community Development/employment
  • Other Charitable Purposes

Who they help

Source:Charity Commission
  • The General Public/mankind

How they help

Source:Charity Commission
  • Provides Advocacy/advice/information

Discoveries involving this organisation

The Atlas has not published any Discoveries involving this organisation yet.

Observations

Sources:Civic AtlasAI-assisted

  • Individual advice is linked to systemic change

    The organisation appears to treat client cases not only as matters to resolve individually, but as evidence of structural problems such as poverty, exclusion and injustice.

    Why it matters

    This suggests its value may extend beyond direct assistance: it may be a local route through which lived experience informs wider social-policy advocacy.

    Show evidence

    • “Its twin aims include providing information, advice and advocacy, and influencing social policy to tackle injustice, reduce poverty and social exclusion.”

      Source:Organisation

    • “It states that client stories provide insight into problems faced by people in the UK and are used to support campaigning.”

      Source:Organisation

  • A local access point within a national-quality framework

    The service appears locally rooted in Birmingham while operating through nationally defined Citizens Advice standards, combining local knowledge with a more standardised advice model.

    Why it matters

    This may make it an important intermediary: able to encounter Birmingham-specific pressures while connecting them to national systems, campaigns and advice infrastructure.

    Show evidence

    • “The service is provided to the standards set by national Citizens Advice.”

      Source:Organisation

    • “The charity's objects focus in particular on the community in Birmingham and surrounding areas.”

      Source:Charity Commission

  • Economic insecurity may be a practical entry point

    Although its charitable objects are broad, the available website material gives particular prominence to Universal Credit support, suggesting benefit access may be a visible route into the service.

    Why it matters

    This may indicate that welfare navigation is a key point where residents' immediate financial problems intersect with the organisation's wider poverty-reduction mission.

    Show evidence

    • “The Help to Claim service supports people in the early stages of a Universal Credit claim through to their first payment.”

      Source:Organisation

    • “The charity's objects include the relief of poverty, sickness and distress.”

      Source:Charity Commission

    Remaining uncertainties

  • Which communities, neighbourhoods or demographic groups use the service most or least.
  • How advice is delivered beyond the published contact route, and whether demand exceeds capacity.
  • Which local organisations, funders or public bodies are involved in referral, outreach or policy work.

    Additional evidence needed

  • Recent annual reports or impact data showing case volumes, issue types, outcomes and unmet demand.
  • Information on service locations, referral partners, outreach activity and communities not currently reached.
  • Examples of local policy campaigns or changes influenced by Birmingham client evidence.
Charity Commission profile
Source:Charity Commission

Activities

Birmingham Citizens Advice Bureau has twin aims: * provision of information, advice and advocacy to the people of Birmingham and * influence the development of social policy to tackle injustice, reduce poverty and social exclusion This free, confidential and impartial advice service is provided to the standards set by national Citizens Advice

Charity objects

THE CHARITY’S OBJECTS (‘OBJECTS’) ARE SPECIFICALLY: TO PROMOTE ANY CHARITABLE PURPOSE FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT BY THE ADVANCEMENT OF EDUCATION, THE PROTECTION AND PRESERVATION OF HEALTH AND THE RELIEF OF POVERTY, SICKNESS AND DISTRESS IN PARTICULAR, BUT WITHOUT LIMITATION, FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE COMMUNITY IN BIRMINGHAM AND SURROUNDING AREAS