Citizens Advice Diss, Thetford and District

What Citizens Advice Diss, Thetford and District does

Citizens Advice Diss, Thetford and District (CADAT) is an independent UK registered charity (charity registration 1089052, company number 014212031) providing free, confidential, and impartial advice to residents of Diss, Thetford, and the surrounding Norfolk district. A member of the national Citizens Advice network, the organisation operates from offices in Diss (12a Market Place) and Thetford (Breckland House), with additional outreach points in Harleston, Rest Riverside, Charles Burrell Centre, Thetford Library, and multiple rural Breckland villages. In 2024, CADAT supported over 11,000 individuals with more than 26,000 advice issues spanning benefits, debt, employment, housing, family, consumer, immigration, and health matters.

CADAT delivers services across face-to-face appointments, a freephone Adviceline, email, webchat, and website-based request forms. The core technology backbone is the Casebook case management system, operated jointly with National Citizens Advice, which stores client personal information as joint data controllers. The organisation has diversified beyond traditional generalist advice into specialist streams: Big C cancer welfare benefits (delivering £1.1m in client income gains for 801 patients), Energy Advice under the Norfolk Warm & Wise programme, Pension Wise guidance, Help to Claim Universal Credit (DWP-funded), the £4.9m CHANCES Employment Project (with £2.5m European Social Fund contribution), Action on Gambling Harm (with GamCare), and Help Through Crisis. In August 2023 it launched The Shelf community food hub (£3.50/year membership) and in September 2024 extended this with The Shelf Pop-up Pantry mobile food service across rural Breckland.

Revenue is drawn from four principal streams: charitable grants and local authority funding (Breckland Council, Norfolk County Council, Norfolk Community Foundation, DWP), project-based funding (CHANCES, Big C, Warm & Wise, GamCare), donations and fundraising events, and a small commercial layer via The Shelf membership and 'Sponsor a Shelf' corporate partnerships (£40–£100/month). The organisation is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN: 617584) and holds the Advice Quality Standard certification; Amy Griffiths serves as CEO following her June 2023 promotion from Chief Operating Officer.

Name

Citizens Advice Diss, Thetford and District

Legal name

Citizens Advice Diss, Thetford and District

Website

https://cadat.org.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Citizens Advice Diss, Thetford and District (CADAT) is a UK nonprofit charity delivering free, impartial advice on benefits, debt, employment, and housing to over 11,000 residents annually across Norfolk, with specialist programmes in cancer welfare, energy, employment, and community food access.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Advice and Social Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Community Housing Services (62422), Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Assistance & Benefits Navigation Services (BPAGAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL), Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

Keywords

• Free advice services
• Debt counselling
• Benefits guidance
• Housing advice
• Community charity

Headquarters

HQ city

Diss

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Grants and Local Authority Funding: Core funding from local councils including Breckland Council, Norfolk County Council, and Norfolk Community Foundation. National Citizens Advice membership and network support.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations, fundraising events (Summer Ball, Sapphire Ball, Norwich Half Marathon, Walk It Off campaigns), and corporate sponsorships. JustGiving and SumUp donation platforms used.
3. The Shelf Community Food Hub Membership: Community food hub membership at £3.50 per year, providing affordable groceries to members. Also offers 'Sponsor a Shelf' corporate partnerships at £40-100 per month tiers.
4. Project-Based Funding: CHANCES Employment Project (£4.9m total, £2.5m European Social Fund), Big C cancer charity partnership for welfare benefits advice, Norfolk Warm & Wise energy project, Help to Claim Universal Credit project funded by DWP, Action on Gambling Harm project with GamCare.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Citizens Advice Diss, Thetford and District delivers free, confidential, impartial advice and information to local residents on issues including benefits, debt, employment, housing, immigration, family, and consumer rights. The charity also runs community food hubs and provides paid Business Support Packages to local employers seeking guidance on employment and HR matters.

Product overview

Citizens Advice Diss, Thetford & District operates as a multi-service charity providing free, confidential, and impartial advice through in-person, telephone, email, and webchat channels. The core offering consists of Generalist Advice covering benefits, debt, employment, housing, and consumer issues, supplemented by specialist services including Energy Advice, Pension Wise, Big C cancer welfare support, and Help to Claim Universal Credit assistance. The organization has expanded into community food initiatives through The Shelf (a community food hub launched August 2023) and The Shelf Pop-up Pantry (mobile food service across rural Breckland). Additional services include the CHANCES Employment Project (£4.9m initiative in partnership with Norfolk County Council), Business Support Packages for employers, and Action on Gambling Harm delivered with GamCare. The 6 Pillar strategic approach encompasses Core Advice, Energy, Health & Wellbeing, Benefits & Welfare, Employment, and Money Guidance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Free General Advice Service Free, confidential, impartial advice for local residents on benefits, debt, employment, housing, family, immigration and consumer issues, delivered by trained volunteers and caseworkers across multiple channels including drop-in, phone, email and webchat.
• Debt and Money Advice Specialist debt casework service helping clients with budgeting, negotiating with creditors, debt relief orders, bankruptcy, and maximising income through benefits entitlement.
• Business Support Package Paid advisory service for local employers providing guidance on employment law, HR queries, contractual issues, and workplace disputes; subscription-based offering that funds the charity's free public advice work.
• Community Food Hub Community-based food redistribution and provision service supporting local residents facing food insecurity, operated from the charity's premises with volunteer support.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 11,000 individuals supported with over 26,000 issues in 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Breckland CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor local authority partner providing funding and support. Triage-only service available at Breckland Council offices in Thetford. Funder of The Shelf Pop-up Pantry initiative.
• Norfolk County CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty council partner and lead for CHANCES Employment Project (£4.9m initiative). Core funder recognizing value of Citizens Advice services to local communities.
• Norfolk Community FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunder and supporter of community initiatives including The Shelf food hub. Part of Nourishing Norfolk Network supporting food security across the county.
• National Citizens AdvicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational membership organization providing Casebook IT system, training, research support, and network coordination. Joint data controllers for client personal information stored in Casebook.
• Nourishing Norfolk NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of community food hubs across Norfolk collectively supporting over 33,000 members. Citizens Advice Diss, Thetford and District participates through The Shelf and Pop-up Pantry.
• Big C Cancer CharitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing specialist welfare benefits advice to cancer patients at hospitals across Norfolk and Suffolk. Achieved £1.1m income gains for 801 clients in 12 months.
• Citizens Advice West Northants and CherwellminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership collaboration for Pension Wise service delivery, celebrating 10th anniversary of working together providing free, impartial pension guidance.
• Norfolk Community Law Service (NCLS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFree legal advice partner at The Shelf food hub. NCLS provides support on housing, debt, immigration, welfare benefits, domestic abuse, and family court matters. Available every third Thursday of the month.
• Norfolk County Council (CHANCES Project Lead)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead organization for £4.9m CHANCES Employment Project helping people back to work. Partners include Voluntary Norfolk, Norfolk Citizens Advice, and Future Projects.
• Voluntary NorfolkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in CHANCES Employment Project delivering personalized support to help people back into work across Norfolk district areas.
• Norfolk Citizens AdvicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Norfolk Warm & Wise energy project helping vulnerable consumers with energy bills, warm home discounts, and supplier issues.
• GamCareminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational charity partner for Action on Gambling Harm project delivered by Citizens Advice Diss, Thetford and District.
• Lopham Parish CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal parish council supporting The Shelf Pop-up Pantry initiative bringing affordable food to rural communities.
• The Pantry, KenninghallminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in The Shelf Pop-up Pantry project, collaborating to provide community food access across Breckland.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• GamCare: National gambling-harm support charity that partners with CADAT on the Action on Gambling Harm project; directly comparable on the specialist gambling-advice service line.
• Citizens Advice West Northants and Cherwell: Joint delivery partner on the Pension Wise 10th-anniversary collaboration; a network peer running the same specialist pension-guidance model with shared clients and reporting lines.
• Nourishing Norfolk Network: County-wide network of community food hubs that collectively support over 33,000 members; CADAT's The Shelf is a member, making this the most direct peer for the food-poverty service line.
• Norfolk Community Law Service (NCLS): Free legal advice provider already co-located with The Shelf food hub in Diss; covers housing, debt, immigration, welfare benefits, domestic abuse, and family law, making it a near-direct peer in advice delivery for the same client base.
• Citizens Advice Norwich: A neighbouring local Citizens Advice bureau in Norfolk delivering the same generalist and specialist advice model across overlapping communities; the closest functional peer for service mix, funding model, and network participation.

Regional players

• Citizens Advice Great Yarmouth: Local Norfolk Citizens Advice providing face-to-face, telephone, and outreach advice across benefits, debt, employment, and housing; directly comparable service portfolio within the same county footprint.
• Citizens Advice West Suffolk: Another rural-England Citizens Advice bureau operating free, impartial advice services via local-authority and grant funding; highly comparable in service scope, funding structure, and volunteer-driven delivery model.

Others

• Norfolk Community Action Network (NCAN): County-wide coordinating body for voluntary and community sector advice providers in Norfolk; an ecosystem peer that influences referral flow, commissioning, and funding available to local bureaux like CADAT.

Broad incumbents

• Shelter Norfolk: National specialist housing-advice charity with Norfolk presence; overlaps on the housing advice portion of CADAT's generalist service and on private-rented-sector support for clients in crisis.
• Age UK Norfolk: Charity providing advice and support to older residents in Norfolk including benefits navigation and welfare rights — directly comparable on the elderly-benefits segment of CADAT's generalist caseload.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/DissThetfordCA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/diss-and-thetford-citizens-advice
• Instagraminstagram.com/citizensadvice.dt
• Xtwitter.com/DissThetfordCA

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Citizens Advice Diss, Thetford and District