Citizens Advice South West Surrey

Name

Citizens Advice South West Surrey

Legal name

Citizens Advice South West Surrey

Website

https://casws.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Advice Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (62419), Other Community Housing Services (624229)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Assistance & Benefits Navigation Services (BPAGAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM), Protection Services (GBV, Child Protection, Safeguarding) (BPADAHAF)

Keywords

• Free legal advice
• Welfare benefits help
• Debt counselling services
• Community advice charity
• Housing advice services

Headquarters

HQ city

Godalming

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government & Local Authority Funding: Core funding from Waverley Borough Council, Guildford Borough Council, Surrey County Council, and national Citizens Advice programmes. Primary source of operational funding.
2. Charitable Trust Grants: Funding from National Lottery Community Fund, Community Foundation for Surrey, and other charitable trusts for specific projects and services.
3. Donations & Fundraising: Voluntary donations from individuals, community fundraising events, Guildford Community Lottery, and corporate donations. Gift Aid scheme for UK taxpayers.
4. Corporate Sponsorship: Partnerships with local businesses for sponsorship and fundraising events across areas including home visits, outreach, financial literacy, debt management, and domestic violence support.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Citizens Advice South West Surrey provides free, confidential, independent and impartial advice to residents of Guildford and Waverley on benefits, work, debt and money, consumer issues, housing, family, law and courts, immigration and health. Services are delivered through six physical offices, a freephone helpline (Surrey Adviceline), email, web chat, outreach locations, and self-help online resources, with a national network affiliation providing access to specialist information services.

Product overview

Citizens Advice South West Surrey is a local charity providing free, confidential, independent and impartial advice services across Guildford and Waverley in South West Surrey. The organization operates a unified generalist advice service as its core offering, supplemented by specialist targeted services including the Macmillan Money and More cancer welfare benefits service, Specialist Mental Health project, Homelessness Prevention/Rough Sleepers project, Money and Pension Service debt advice, Energy Project, and Ukraine refugee support. Advice is delivered through multiple channels: Surrey Adviceline (freephone), face-to-face drop-in at six local offices (Ash, Cranleigh, Farnham, Godalming, Guildford, Haslemere), web chat via national Citizens Advice, email request for information, and self-help online resources. The organization also conducts research and campaigns advocacy work and maintains a crisis contacts referral network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Generalist Advice Service
• Macmillan Money and More South East
• Specialist Mental Health Project
• Homelessness Prevention/Rough Sleepers Project
• Money and Pension Service (MaPS) Debt Advice
• Energy Project
• Advice for Ukraine Refugees
• Temporary Accommodation Targeted Service
• Research and Campaigns
• Crisis Contacts Directory

Quantifiable outcome

• 7,531 people helped with 28,755 issues in 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Waverley Borough CouncilcoreOthersLocal authority providing core funding and referrals for housing and homelessness services. Partnership includes collaboration on homelessness prevention and rough sleepers project.
• Guildford Borough CouncilcoreOthersLocal authority providing core funding and referrals. Partnership includes temporary accommodation targeted service and homelessness prevention/rough sleepers project.
• Surrey County CouncilcoreOthersCounty council providing core funding and referrals through Community Mental Health Teams and Social Prescribers.
• Macmillan Cancer SupportcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partner funding the Cancer Welfare Benefits Advice Service for over 15 years. Funding ending in 2025 and new investment is being sought. Service helps cancer patients secure vital financial support through benefits claims.
• Action Carers SurreysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing support and referrals for carers in Surrey.
• Fountain CentresupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal cancer support charity partner providing referrals and support services.
• Brain Tumour CharitysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharitable partner supporting clients with brain tumours through referrals.
• South West Surrey Domestic Abuse ServicesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependent charity partner providing domestic abuse outreach services. Citizens Advice is an independent Charity Partner of SWSDA.
• Riverside HousingsupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHousing partner providing referrals for homelessness prevention and rough sleepers project.
• Guildford ActionsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal community organization providing referrals and support for clients in need.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Money Advice Trust: UK charity operating National Debtline and Business Debtline, plus training and standards for the debt advice sector. Comparable to CASWS's specialist debt advice work and broader money guidance activities, with broader national scope.
• National Citizens Advice: The overarching UK network of 316 independent charities providing information and advice; CASWS is one of its member bureaux. Operates broader national infrastructure, research, and policy influence beyond what any local member can deliver independently.

Emerging players

• Money Wellness: Digital-first debt advice and money guidance service offering online and remote support for individuals in financial difficulty. Comparable to CASWS's MaPS Debt Advice service but with a more technology-led delivery model that may compete for digitally-engaged clients.

Direct peers

• PayPlan: Free debt advice provider offering repayment plans, breathing space arrangements, and insolvency solutions across the UK. Directly comparable to CASWS's debt advice service delivery model and client demographic.
• StepChange Debt Charity: National debt advice charity providing free debt advice and solutions including breathing space arrangements. Directly comparable to CASWS's MaPS Debt Advice service, with similar delivery model of free, FCA-regulated debt counselling and repayment plan setup.
• Christians Against Poverty (CAP): UK charity providing free debt advice, money management coaching, and poverty relief through local centres and home visits. Comparable to CASWS's generalist and debt advice services, with overlapping client base of financially distressed individuals.
• Mind: UK mental health charity providing advice, support, and information services. Directly comparable to CASWS's Specialist Mental Health Project which delivers benefits, debt, and housing advice to mental health patients across Surrey, with overlapping service population.
• Shelter: UK's largest housing and homelessness charity providing housing advice, prevention services, and emergency support. Directly comparable to CASWS's homelessness prevention/rough sleepers project and housing advice service which together address over 3,735 housing issues annually.

Others

• Macmillan Cancer Support: UK cancer charity that has been CASWS's core funding partner for 15+ years for the Cancer Welfare Benefits Advice Service. Both serve cancer patients with welfare benefits advice, though Macmillan primarily operates as a direct support funder rather than local advice provider.

Regional players

• Citizens Advice Scotland: Separate Citizens Advice network operating across Scotland with comparable business model - free local advice across multiple channels including bureaux, webchat, and phone. Operates with similar mission but in a distinct geography, not directly competing for clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Citizens-Advice-South-West-Surrey
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/citizens-advice-south-west-surrey

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

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 South West Surrey