Citizens Advice Sheffield (Sheffield Citizens Advice and Law Centre)

What Citizens Advice Sheffield (Sheffield Citizens Advice and Law Centre) does

Citizens Advice Sheffield, legally Sheffield Citizens Advice and Law Centre Limited, is a registered charity (Charity No. 1153277) and company limited by guarantee headquartered at 20 Arundel Gate, Sheffield. It provides free, independent, confidential and impartial advice and advocacy services to socially and economically disadvantaged individuals and families across Sheffield and, for its Deaf/BSL offer, parts of Yorkshire, the North East and Cumbria. The core functional remit spans welfare benefits, debt, housing, employment, immigration, energy and fuel poverty, with specialist streams for the Deaf community, mental health service users, and patients in NHS settings.

The organisation operates through an embedded delivery model rather than a digital platform: advice is delivered by advisors physically located in 19 GP practices across three Primary Care Networks, multiple hospital departments (Sheffield Children's, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust), community access points and foodbanks, alongside phone, online enquiry (Google Forms) and in-person channels at headquarters. Digital tools are limited to a third-party EntitledTo benefits calculator, a self-curated BSL video library, and standard website analytics. Specialist services include OISC Level 3 immigration advice, FCA-authorised debt counselling, Legal Aid Agency-funded housing solicitor work, and a Deaf Advice Service running for over 30 years.

Revenue is non-commercial and derived from a portfolio of restricted and unrestricted grants and contracts from UK Government, NHS South Yorkshire ICB, Sheffield City Council, the Legal Aid Agency, and charitable funders including British Gas Energy Trust, Northern Powergrid, Northern Gas Networks, Weston Park Cancer Support Charity, National Energy Action and the Access to Justice Foundation. Total income exceeded £6 million for the first time in FY2023-24, supporting nearly 200 paid staff and a broader volunteer base under governance of a board of up to 15 trustees. Pricing to end clients is free at point of use, with no commercial transaction layer.

Name

Citizens Advice Sheffield (Sheffield Citizens Advice and Law Centre)

Legal name

Sheffield Citizens Advice and Law Centre Limited

Website

https://citizensadvicesheffield.org.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Citizens Advice Sheffield is a registered charity delivering free, independent advice and advocacy on benefits, debt, housing, immigration and energy, with specialist Deaf/BSL services, embedded delivery across NHS GP practices, hospitals and community settings in Sheffield and parts of northern England.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Legal and Welfare Advice Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Financial Assistance & Benefits Navigation Services (BPAGAEAK)

Keywords

• Free legal advice
• Welfare benefits advice
• Debt counselling
• Housing advice services
• Community advocacy services

Headquarters

HQ city

Sheffield, England

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Charitable Grants and Trust Funding: Funding from charitable trusts and foundations including British Gas Energy Trust, Northern Powergrid, Northern Gas Networks, Access to Justice Foundation, Weston Park Cancer Centre, National Energy Action, and others for specific project delivery
2. Government Contracts: Contracts from UK Government, NHS South Yorkshire ICB, Legal Aid Agency, Sheffield City Council for delivery of advice, advocacy, and community services
3. Donations and Support: Public donations and support from individuals and organisations
4. Membership: Membership fees from individuals and member organisations interested in furthering the charity's work

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels9 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Citizens Advice Sheffield provides free, independent, confidential advice and advocacy services to individuals and families in Sheffield who are socially or economically disadvantaged. Core offerings span welfare benefits, debt, housing, immigration, energy, employment, and consumer advice, delivered through specialist teams covering Deaf/BSL clients, hospital patients (cancer, cystic fibrosis, spinal injuries, mental health, major trauma), GP practice referrals, and statutory/non-statutory advocacy via the Sheffield Advocacy Hub.

Product overview

Citizens Advice Sheffield operates as a single integrated advice and advocacy charity offering multiple interconnected services rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offering consists of generalist advice services (benefits calculator, self-help, online advice) supplemented by specialist advice teams covering deaf services, hospital-based advice, immigration, energy, housing, and digital inclusion. The organisation delivers advocacy services through the Sheffield Advocacy Hub partnership, providing statutory, generic, and parenting advocacy. Community Training extends the reach by equipping frontline workers in other organisations to deliver low-level advice. All services share the goal of helping individuals and families solve problems related to poverty, welfare, and social exclusion, with the digital inclusion and community training functions serving as cross-cutting enablers that connect the various specialist advice streams.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Benefits Calculator
• Deaf Advice Service
• BSL Video Library
• Advocacy Services
• Hospital Advice Services
• GP Practice Advice Service
• Immigration Advice Service
• Energy Advice Service
• Housing Advice Service
• Help to Claim
• Community Training
• Digital Skills Course

Quantifiable outcome

• £19,051,506 income gained for 20,021 clients with 98,273 issues in 2024-25
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

30 partnerships are on record, tiered core, key, minor and emerging.

• Cloverleaf AdvocacycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2024Partnership to deliver statutory advocacy services for Sheffield. Also delivers parenting advocacy for parents with learning disabilities involved with Children's Social Care.
• Disability SheffieldcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2024Partner in Sheffield Advocacy Hub delivering statutory advocacy services including generic learning disability advocacy.
• Sheffield African Caribbean Mental Health Association (SACMHA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2024New partner in advocacy contract delivering culturally competent mental health advocacy services.
• NHS South Yorkshire Integrated Care BoardcoreOthersFunded Citizens Advice Sheffield to provide advice to patients through GP practices across parts of the city experiencing highest levels of deprivation. Also commissioning digital skills courses.
• Northern PowergridkeyOthersFunding for energy advice services and expansion of Deaf Advice team from three to six BSL users. Also supports BSL Energy Advice service for partner Citizens Advice organisations.
• Northern Gas NetworkskeyOthersFunding to enable Deaf Advice Team to provide comprehensive energy advice to the Deaf community.
• British Gas Energy TrustkeyOthersPrimary funder of dedicated energy service including specialist debt advisers, benefits advisers and energy efficiency advice.
• Weston Park Cancer Support CharitykeyOthersLong-term funder of Cancer Support Advice team working out of the Weston Park Cancer Support Centre.
• National Energy Action (NEA)keyOthersFunding from NEA Warm Homes, Healthy Futures increased capacity to deal with fuel related enquiries.
• Sheffield City CouncilcoreOthersContract holder for advocacy services and funding partner for community services. Partnership through Welfare Housing and Poverty Network.
• Legal Aid AgencycoreOthersProvides legal aid contract funding for housing team solicitor-led work on eviction and homelessness cases.
• AvivaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate volunteers helping to raise awareness of help available at community events.
• Citizens Advice DoncasterkeyChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership to deliver digital skills courses commissioned by South Yorkshire ICB, reaching digitally excluded populations.
• Leeds Citizens AdvicekeyChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner receiving video-based BSL advice service from Citizens Advice Sheffield's Deaf Advice team.
• Hull Citizens AdvicekeyChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner receiving video-based BSL advice service from Citizens Advice Sheffield's Deaf Advice team.
• Bradford Citizens AdvicekeyChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner receiving video-based BSL advice service from Citizens Advice Sheffield's Deaf Advice team.
• Citizens Advice Hull and East RidingkeyChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProvided training and support for BSL Energy Advice service partnership.
• Citizens Advice NorthumberlandemergingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPlanned expansion of BSL advice service to Northallerton and surrounding areas.
• Copeland Citizens AdviceemergingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPlanned expansion of BSL advice service to Cumbria region.
• Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation TrustcoreOthersHost partner for advice services in Children's Hospital including Cystic Fibrosis service and Major Trauma support.
• Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustcoreOthersHost partner for advice services in teaching hospitals including Haematology department.
• Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation TrustcoreOthersHost partner for inpatient mental health ward advice services.
• South Yorkshire Housing AssociationkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in addressing housing issues and supporting homeless clients.
• Trussell TrustkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with food bank network to provide advice services at food bank locations and referral pathways.
• Voluntary Action SheffieldkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with local voluntary sector infrastructure organisation.
• Access to Justice FoundationkeyOthersFunding to improve access to legal advice for marginalised groups in immigration.
• Stewarts LawkeyOthersLong-term funder of Spinal Injuries advice service.
• National Citizens Advice AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational membership organisation providing brand, standards, and governance framework. Citizens Advice Sheffield is a member and must conform to membership requirements and aims, principles and policies.
• Citizens Advice and Law Centres NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational network providing governance, representation, and quality standards for local Citizens Advice and Law Centre organisations.
• UK GovernmentcoreOthersCentral government funding for various advice services and programmes.

Scale indicators25 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• RNID (Royal National Institute for Deaf People): National charity supporting deaf and hard of hearing people in the UK, including advice and information services. Comparable specialist focus to Citizens Advice Sheffield's 30+ year Deaf Advice Service, with BSL-accessible content; broader remit and national scope versus Sheffield's regional BSL hub role.
• Disability Rights UK: National disability rights organisation providing advice, information, and advocacy on benefits, employment, and independent living. Comparable to Citizens Advice Sheffield's disability-related advocacy work delivered through the Sheffield Advocacy Hub partnership with Disability Sheffield; operates at national policy and information level.

Broad incumbents

• Citizens Advice (national body): The national umbrella organisation that sets standards and provides the brand framework under which Citizens Advice Sheffield operates. Direct overlap on advice services, governance requirements, and Help to Claim contract delivery; comparable beneficiary base and advice categories.
• Mind (National Mind): National mental health charity providing advice, advocacy, and information services. Overlap with Citizens Advice Sheffield's mental health advocacy work (98 inpatient and 215 community mental health clients in 2023-24) and Sheffield Health Partnership NHS Foundation Trust partnership; broader scope across mental health versus advice-only focus.
• Shelter: National housing and homelessness charity providing advice, advocacy, and legal services on eviction, homelessness, and housing rights. Comparable to Citizens Advice Sheffield's Legal Aid-funded solicitor-led housing team in client base and casework focus, but operates at national scale.
• Law Centres Network: National membership body for Law Centres providing legal advice and representation in social welfare law. Directly comparable to Citizens Advice and Law Centre's legal aid contract work on housing, immigration, and welfare benefits, with similar not-for-profit funding model and Legal Aid Agency dependency.

Direct peers

• Money Advice Trust: UK charity that supports debt advice services through training, resources, and quality standards, and operates Business Debtline and National Debtline. Operates in the same free debt advice space as Citizens Advice Sheffield's FCA-regulated debt work and shares a similar funder base (charitable trusts, energy companies).
• StepChange Debt Charity: National debt advice charity providing free, FCA-authorised debt advice and debt management plans. Closely comparable specialist debt advisory capability (FCA-regulated) and similar client demographic of financially vulnerable individuals; differs in national rather than local delivery model.
• Citizens Advice Leeds: Another local Citizens Advice that receives BSL video advice from Citizens Advice Sheffield's Deaf Advice team. Provides the same generalist advice and advocacy services under the Citizens Advice brand in a different English city, with comparable funding structures (council, NHS, charitable grants).

Others

• Macmillan Cancer Support: Major UK cancer charity that funds advice and financial support services for cancer patients, including funding the Cancer Support Advice team at Weston Park Cancer Centre via Citizens Advice Sheffield. Comparable in addressing financial hardship arising from health conditions, with overlap on the cancer patient advice service.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sheffield-citizens-advice-and-law-centre

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Sheffield (Sheffield Citizens Advice and Law Centre)