Community Advice And Support Services (Caass UK)
Charity 1104841
Overview
Summary
Community Advice And Support Services appears to be a broad, grant-capable support and resource organisation rather than a narrowly defined frontline advice service. Its charitable objects centre on poverty, health, education, equality and refugee communities, while its stated activities extend into leadership, research, entrepreneurship, public policy, arts and economic development in Africa. This suggests an organisation seeking influence through both direct support and capacity-building, though the available evidence does not show which parts of this unusually wide remit are active in practice.
Operational geography
Coverage: International
Operational areas:
Evidence and reasoning
Supporting evidence
Remaining uncertainties
- The Charity Commission currently records Birmingham City among the places where CAASS UK operates, but does not identify any Birmingham ward, neighbourhood, venue, delivery point, grant recipient or current service location.
- No supplied or publicly accessible current evidence confirms a physical operational site in Birmingham. The charity's recorded contact address is in London and should not be treated as a Birmingham delivery site.
- A Heritage Lottery-funded project delivered in 2010-2011 involved Birmingham Archives and Heritage and the University of Birmingham, but this is historic evidence and does not establish a current partnership or operational location.
- The available evidence supports the reasonable interpretation that CAASS UK has a Birmingham-wide, rather than neighbourhood-based, area of activity within the city; however, it does not show that services are currently delivered across all Birmingham neighbourhoods.
- The organisation's overall footprint is recorded as international because the Charity Commission lists operations in Cameroon as well as several UK local-authority areas. This does not demonstrate the scale or nature of its present Birmingham activity.
Additional evidence needed
- A current service, project or grant-making list identifying Birmingham delivery locations, beneficiary catchments or recipient organisations.
- Confirmation from CAASS UK of any active Birmingham premises, outreach venues, regular event locations or partner-hosted services.
- Recent annual reports, impact reports or grant records that distinguish current Birmingham activity from historic projects.
- Current partnership evidence from Birmingham-based organisations showing CAASS UK's active role, location and scope of delivery.
Areas of work
- Arts/culture/heritage/science
- Economic/community Development/employment
- Education/training
- Environment/conservation/heritage
- General Charitable Purposes
- Human Rights/religious Or Racial Harmony/equality Or Diversity
- Other Charitable Purposes
- Overseas Aid/famine Relief
- Recreation
- 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
- Acts As An Umbrella Or Resource Body
- Makes Grants To Individuals
- Makes Grants To Organisations
- Other Charitable Activities
- Provides Advocacy/advice/information
- Provides Human Resources
- Provides Services
- Sponsors Or Undertakes Research
Discoveries involving this organisation
The Atlas has not published any Discoveries involving this organisation yet.
Observations
A wide remit links individual hardship with systems change
The organisation appears to frame poverty and exclusion as issues requiring both practical assistance and wider change through research, policy advice, training and advocacy.
Why it matters
This helps distinguish it from an advice provider focused only on immediate needs: it may be positioned to connect lived experience with organisational learning or policy influence.
Show evidence
“Its objects include advice, counselling and assistance on health, education, employment training, housing and welfare benefit.”
Source:Charity Commission“Its activities include research and development and public policy research and advice.”
Source:Organisation“It provides advocacy, advice and information and sponsors or undertakes research.”
Source:Charity Commission
Capacity-building may be a core operating mechanism
Support for entrepreneurs, other charities and voluntary bodies, alongside human-resource provision and umbrella-body functions, suggests the organisation may work through intermediaries as well as directly with people.
Why it matters
Its potential contribution may lie in strengthening the capabilities of other civic organisations, creating effects beyond its own direct beneficiaries.
Show evidence
“It provides training and other support for entrepreneurs to improve the quality of their organisation.”
Source:Organisation“It helps other charities or voluntary bodies.”
Source:Charity Commission“It provides human resources and acts as an umbrella or resource body.”
Source:Charity Commission
Its geographic and thematic scope may create partnership opportunities and focus risks
The combination of local welfare-related advice, equality work, refugee education, environmental sustainability, arts and economic development in Africa indicates a highly diverse portfolio. This may enable unusual connections, but it also raises questions about strategic concentration.
Why it matters
Understanding whether these strands are connected by a coherent model is important for identifying complementary partners and assessing where the organisation has distinctive expertise.
Show evidence
“Its objects include promoting equality and diversity and educating refugee communities and other minority groups about sustainable development and the environment.”
Source:Charity Commission“Its activities include public policy research and advice, the arts and economic development in Africa.”
Source:Organisation“It reports work in overseas aid, arts, environment, economic development, equality and diversity, and poverty relief.”
Source:Charity Commission
- Which activities are currently delivered, and which are only within the charity's permitted remit.
- Whether the organisation mainly supports individuals, partner organisations or communities overseas.
- How its Africa-focused economic development work connects to its advice, equality and refugee-related objectives.
Remaining uncertainties
- Recent annual reports, accounts and project descriptions showing expenditure, delivery locations and active programmes.
- Information on beneficiaries, delivery partners, grants made and outcomes achieved.
- A current strategy explaining how its diverse activity areas fit together.
Additional evidence needed
Charity Commission profile
Activities
To realize our charitable objectives, we focus our support on a limited number of areas: ? Advancement of Leadership Research and Development ? Advancement of Research and Development ? Provide training and other support for entrepreneurs, which enable them to improve the quality of their organisation ? Public Policy Research and Advice the Arts ? Economic Development in Africa
Charity objects
1) TO RELIEVE POVERTY AND DISTRESS, TO PRESERVE AND PROTECT GOOD HEALTH AND ADVANCE THE EDUCATION OF THE COMMUNITY IN GENERAL BY PROVISION OF ADVICE, COUNSELLING AND ASSISTANCE IN SUCH MATTERS AS HEALTH, EDUCATION, TRAINING FOR EMPLOYMENT, HOUSING AND WELFARE BENEFIT AND SUCH OTHER SERVICES AS THE TRUSTEES SHALL DEEM NECESSARY WITH THE OBJECT OF IMPROVING THE CONDITIONS OF LIFE FOR SUCH PERSONS. 2) TO PROMOTE EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC IN GENERAL BY SEEKING TO ELIMINATE DISCRIMINATION ON THE GROUNDS OF RACE, GENDER, DISABILITY, SEXUAL ORIENTATION OR RELIGION; PROMOTE ACTIVITIES TO FOSTER UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN PEOPLE FROM DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS; CONDUCT OR COMMISSION RESEARCH ON EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY ISSUES AND PUBLISH THE RESULTS TO THE PUBLIC 3) TO EDUCATE REFUGEE COMMUNITIES AND OTHER MINORITY GROUPS ON THE SUBJECT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND THE ENVIRONMENT IN PARTICULAR