Open Door Youth Counselling Ltd
Charity 1112253
www.opendooryouthcounselling.org.uk
Overview
Summary
Open Door Youth Counselling Ltd appears to occupy a focused but potentially connective role in Birmingham’s civic support system: it provides free, confidential counselling for children and young people while relying on volunteers it recruits and trains. Its formal objects also point beyond direct service delivery, suggesting an intended role in convening statutory and voluntary bodies around young people’s wellbeing. The available evidence supports the service model clearly, but provides little indication of its scale, referral networks or current collaborative activity.
Operational geography
Evidence and reasoning
Supporting evidence
Edgbaston
Confidence: medium
The 2025 trustees' report directly states that counselling services relocated to premises in Edgbaston. This is strong evidence of a current physical service base in the Edgbaston locality, although the available evidence does not independently confirm the current ward boundary.
- Open Door Youth Counselling Ltd, Directors' Report for the year ended 31 March 2025 (filed with the Charity Commission)
States that the organisation successfully relocated its counselling services to premises in Edgbaston during the year. - Charity Commission register, contact information for charity 1112253
Lists the organisation's address in Edgbaston, Birmingham.
Remaining uncertainties
- The evidence identifies a current counselling base in Edgbaston but does not name the Birmingham wards in which its school-based counselling is delivered.
- The 2025 report confirms collaboration with schools and benevolent organisations, including online counselling for young people, but does not identify partner organisations or service locations.
- Online counselling may extend access across Birmingham, but the evidence does not establish the locations of participants or whether delivery reaches every part of the city.
- The organisation's former Forward Thinking Birmingham contract appears to have ended after it chose not to retender; this should not be treated as a current partnership extending its operational reach.
Additional evidence needed
- A current service-delivery or impact report identifying the schools, neighbourhoods or referral catchments served.
- Current information from the organisation naming its active school and benevolent-organisation partners, and clarifying whether those partnerships involve Birmingham-based delivery.
- Confirmation of whether counselling is delivered face-to-face at its Edgbaston premises, alongside administration, and confirmation of the site's current ward.
Areas of work
- General Charitable Purposes
Who they help
- Children/young People
How they help
- Provides Services
Discoveries involving this organisation
The Atlas has not published any Discoveries involving this organisation yet.
Observations
A volunteer-led service with workforce-building potential
The organisation appears to combine direct counselling with the development of local counselling capacity through recruiting and training volunteers.
Why it matters
This suggests its contribution may extend beyond appointments delivered: it may create a pathway for people to gain counselling capability and potentially strengthen the wider local support ecosystem.
Show evidence
“The counselling is provided by a team of volunteer counsellors.”
Source:Organisation“Volunteer counsellors are recruited and trained by the service.”
Source:Organisation
Designed to reduce barriers to youth support
Free and confidential provision appears intended to make counselling more accessible to children and young people who may face financial or privacy-related barriers.
Why it matters
This helps distinguish the organisation from general wellbeing provision: its role may be especially important where young people need support without cost and with confidence that conversations remain private.
Show evidence
“The charity provides free and confidential counselling to children and young people in Birmingham.”
Source:Organisation“The charity's objects include the relief of poverty, distress and sickness through the provision of free individual counselling for young people.”
Source:Charity Commission
A broader convening ambition than its stated activity reveals
Its charitable objects indicate an ambition to bring statutory authorities and voluntary organisations together, but the available activity evidence describes only counselling delivery.
Why it matters
This gap is worth investigating: active convening could make the organisation a bridge between youth services, whereas an inactive or historical object would mean its practical role is more narrowly service-based.
Show evidence
“The charity's objects include bringing together representatives of statutory authorities and voluntary organisations engaged in furthering its purposes.”
Source:Charity Commission“The charity provides free and confidential counselling to children and young people in Birmingham.”
Source:Organisation
- The number, age range and geographic distribution of young people supported are unknown.
- There is no evidence about referral routes, waiting times, outcomes or partnerships.
- It is unclear whether the organisation currently performs its stated convening role.
Remaining uncertainties
- Recent annual reports or service data showing demand, capacity, outcomes and volunteer numbers.
- Evidence of referral relationships and collaboration with schools, health services, local authorities and voluntary organisations.
Additional evidence needed
Charity Commission profile
Activities
To provide free and confidential counselling to children and young people in Birmingham. The counselling is provided by a team of volunteer counsellors, recruited and trained by the service.
Charity objects
(A) TO PROMOTE ANY CHARITABLE PURPOSE FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE COMMUNITY IN THE CITY OF BIRMINGHAM AND SURROUNDING AREAS HEREINAFTER CALLED "THE AREA OF BENEFIT", AND IN PARTICULAR, THE ADVANCEMENT OF EDUCATION, THE FURTHERANCE OF HEALTH AND THE RELIEF OF POVERTY, DISTRESS AND SICKNESS (THROUGH THE PROVISION OF FREE INDIVIDUAL COUNSELLING FOR YOUNG PEOPLE) (B) TO PROMOTE AND ORGANISE CO-OPERATIVE IN THE ACHIEVEMENT OF THE ABOVE PURPOSES AND TO THAT END BRING IT TOGETHER IN COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATUTORY AUTHORITIES AND VOLUNTARY ORGANISATIONS ENGAGED IN THE FURTHERANCE OF THE ABOVE PURPOSES WITHIN THE AREA OF BENEFIT.