Citizens Advice St. Helens

What Citizens Advice St. Helens does

Citizens Advice St. Helens is a registered charity (No. 1110382) and company limited by guarantee (No. 5318197), operating from the Millennium Centre, Corporation Street, St Helens, England. Founded in April 1992 through the amalgamation of Newton-le-Willows Citizens Advice Bureau and St Helens Citizens Advice Bureau, the organization provides free, independent, confidential, and impartial advice on legal, money, and other problems to residents of the St Helens borough. It is an autonomous member of the national Citizens Advice network, governed by a local Board of Trustees, and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN: 617750). The organization holds the Advice Quality Standard and the Investors in People Gold Award.

The service portfolio spans six core advice categories: money and debt, welfare benefits, housing, consumer, energy, and relationship advice, plus a Universal Credit Help to Claim service. Delivery is multi-channel, combining the Adviceline (0808 278 7985), General Enquiries line, email advice across five specialisms, Wednesday drop-in sessions at the main office, and four community outreach locations including partnerships with Trussell Trust food banks. The technology stack is built on Casebook, a joint case management system operated with national Citizens Advice, and a specialized GMMAP debt advice database. Strategic projects include the Greater Merseyside Money Advice Partnership (12 Participants, 37 debt advisors), the Financial Resilience Project with Liverpool City Region and The Women's Organisation, and the Live Well Directory with three local councils and Healthwatch Liverpool.

The revenue model is grant-funded, not transactional: Citizens Advice St. Helens charges no fees to clients, with funding drawn from the Money Advice Service, St Helens Council, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, and the Financial Resilience Project scheme. The organization employs 5 staff and supplements capacity through volunteers and a network of partner organizations. The operating model is characteristic of a UK local advice charity: high service breadth, low headcount, distributed delivery through partnerships, and a focus on both direct service and policy influence via local campaigning that feeds into national Citizens Advice evidence submissions.

Name

Citizens Advice St. Helens

Legal name

Citizens Advice St Helens

Website

https://sthelenscab.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Citizens Advice St. Helens is a registered charity providing free, confidential advice on debt, benefits, housing, consumer, and energy issues to residents of the St Helens borough, funded by government grants and operating as an autonomous member of the national Citizens Advice network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Advice and Social Welfare Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Other Community Housing Services (624229)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Financial Assistance & Benefits Navigation Services (BPAGAEAK)

Keywords

• Free debt advice
• Welfare benefits help
• Housing advice services
• Consumer rights advice
• Community charity support

Headquarters

HQ city

St Helens

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government and Public Funding: Citizens Advice St Helens operates as a registered charity funded primarily through government grants and public funding bodies including the Money Advice Service, St Helens Council, and Liverpool City Region. The organization does not charge clients for advice services.
2. Money Advice Service Grant: Primary funding for the Greater Merseyside Money Advice Partnership (GMMAP) comes from the Money Advice Service, an independent government-funded service. Originally established with DTI funding in 2006.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Citizens Advice St Helens is a registered charity that provides free, independent, confidential, and impartial advice to residents on legal, money, and other problems. Core offerings include money and debt advice, welfare benefits assistance, housing advice, consumer advice, energy advice, and relationship advice. Services are delivered through telephone helplines, email advice forms, in-person drop-in sessions, community outreach locations, food bank partnerships, and downloadable self-help guides.

Product overview

Citizens Advice St Helens is a charity providing free, independent, confidential, and impartial advice services to residents of St Helens. The organization operates a multi-channel service model combining telephone helplines (AdviceLine and General Enquiries), email advice services (General, Debt, Housing, Energy, Relationship), in-person drop-in sessions, and community outreach locations. Core services include Money and Debt Advice, Welfare Benefits Advice, Housing Advice, Consumer Advice, and Energy Advice. Specialized projects include the Greater Merseyside Money Advice Partnership (GMMAP) managing a network of 37 debt advisors across 12 participants, the Financial Resilience Project in partnership with Liverpool City Region and The Women's Organisation, and Trussell Trust Financial Inclusion Officers embedded in food banks. The organization also maintains the Live Well Directory, an online resource connecting residents to local health and wellbeing services. Advice is delivered through telephone (Adviceline 0808 278 7985, General Enquiries 01744 737866), email, webchat, and face-to-face at the Millennium Centre office and multiple outreach sites.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Money and Debt Advice Advice on personal debt issues including household bills, consumer credit, and most personal debts, available to St Helens residents via telephone, drop-in, outreach, and email channels.
• Welfare Benefits Advice Assistance with checking benefit entitlement, form completion for PIP, Attendance Allowance, ESA, reviews, and appeals for St Helens residents.
• General Advice Service Drop-in service providing general information and advice on a wide range of subjects, excluding complex advice and form-filling, for St Helens residents.
• Housing Advice Advice on housing issues and homelessness prevention provided via email and community outreach locations for St Helens residents.
• Consumer Advice Specialist advice on consumer issues covering goods, services, and trader disputes via the national Citizens Advice Consumer Service helpline (0808 223 1133).
• Energy Advice Advice on energy suppliers, the Priority Services Register, disconnection threats, and switching suppliers for St Helens residents.
• Relationship Advice Email-based advice service for relationship issues, available to people paying council tax to St Helens Council.
• Universal Credit Help to Claim Dedicated service to help people make a claim for Universal Credit, accessible via telephone (0800 1448 444).
• Greater Merseyside Money Advice Partnership (GMMAP) Network of 12 Participants and 37 debt advisors providing quality debt advice and assistance across Greater Merseyside, with Citizens Advice St Helens acting as a member participant managing part of the network.
• Financial Resilience Project Partnership project with Liverpool City Region and The Women's Organisation supporting financial capability, debt, welfare benefits, energy bills, employment, training, and digital skills.
• Information and Advice Service Service for St Helens residents covering care, housing, community access, welfare benefits, employment, and training, delivered as part of St Helens Third Sector Consortium and funded by St Helens Council.
• Trussell Trust Financial Inclusion Officers Financial wellbeing advisers based at St Helens Trussell Trust food banks, providing advice to food bank users daily.
• Live Well Directory Online directory partnership with Liverpool, Knowsley, and St Helens councils and Healthwatch Liverpool connecting residents to local health, wellbeing, and community services.

Quantifiable outcome

• Clients gained over £2.5 million in benefits in 2014/15
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Greater Merseyside Money Advice Partnership (GMMAP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of 12 Participants and 37 debt advisors providing free, confidential, impartial debt advice across Greater Merseyside and parts of Cheshire. Citizens Advice St Helens is a member participant managing part of the network.
• National Citizens AdvicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCitizens Advice St Helens is an independent charity and member of the national Citizens Advice charity. Operates shared Casebook case management system as joint data controllers. Shares standards, resources, and joint services across the network.
• Trussell TrustmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinancial Inclusion Officers from Citizens Advice St Helens are based at Trussell Trust food banks throughout St Helens, providing financial wellbeing advice to food bank users daily.
• St Helens Third Sector ConsortiummajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCitizens Advice St Helens provides the Information and Advice Service as part of the St Helens Third Sector Consortium, funded by St Helens Council. Service focuses on care and support, housing, welfare benefits, employment, and community signposting.
• The Women's OrganisationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Financial Resilience Project providing support for financial capability, debt problems, welfare benefits issues, energy bills, and pathways to employment and training.
• Healthwatch LiverpoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in The Live Well Directory, a partnership with Liverpool, Knowsley and St Helens councils to help residents find health and wellbeing services, advice, and community activities.
• Liverpool City CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in The Live Well Directory providing a searchable database of health, wellbeing, and community services across the region.
• Turn2usminorOthersOnline benefits calculator linked on the Useful Links page. Referrer resource helping people find grants and benefits they may be entitled to.
• National DebtlineminorOthersDebt advice charity linked on the Useful Links page. National service providing free, confidential and independent debt advice.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Citizens Advice: The national umbrella charity that sets standards and provides shared services for local Citizens Advice offices including Citizens Advice St Helens. Comparable as the broader network within which the subject organization operates, sharing the brand, the Casebook platform, and the FCA-regulated debt advice capability.
• Age UK: National charity providing advice, information, and services for older people, including benefits claims and welfare rights support. Comparable to Citizens Advice St Helens as a broader advice provider whose welfare benefits and form-filling services for elderly clients overlap with the subject's PIP, Attendance Allowance, and Pension Credit work.

Direct peers

• Shelter: National housing and homelessness charity providing free advice, legal services, and campaigning on housing issues. Comparable to Citizens Advice St Helens because housing advice is a core service line, and the operational model of multi-channel free housing advice to vulnerable residents is closely aligned.
• StepChange Debt Charity: The UK's leading debt advice charity providing free, confidential debt advice through telephone and online channels. Highly comparable to Citizens Advice St Helens because both deliver FCA-authorized debt advice to individuals facing financial difficulty, with overlapping service models and referral pathways.
• Citizens Advice Manchester: Another large local Citizens Advice office operating in a similar urban context in the North West. Comparable as a peer member of the national network providing multi-channel free advice on debt, benefits, housing, and consumer issues to a comparable urban population.
• Money Advice Trust (National Debtline): Charity providing free, confidential debt advice through National Debtline and Business Debtline. Directly comparable as a peer debt advice provider operating a similar FCA-authorized model with telephone, webchat, and self-help resources, and is listed as a referral partner on the subject organization's useful links page.
• Citizens Advice Liverpool: Local Citizens Advice office serving the Liverpool borough under the same national Citizens Advice framework. Directly comparable as a peer local advice charity operating the shared Casebook system, providing debt, benefits, and housing advice to a neighboring population with similar demographics.
• Christians Against Poverty: UK charity providing free debt advice, money management coaching, and insolvency services through a national network of centres. Comparable to Citizens Advice St Helens because it delivers FCA-regulated debt counselling, home visits, and benefits navigation services to financially vulnerable clients.
• Turn2us: National charity helping people in financial hardship access welfare benefits, grants, and support services through an online benefits calculator and direct advice. Comparable to Citizens Advice St Helens because benefits navigation is a core shared service, and Turn2us is listed as a referral partner on the subject organization's website.
• Money Wellness (formerly PayPlan): Free debt advice provider offering telephone and online debt counselling, Debt Management Plans, and insolvency referrals. Comparable to Citizens Advice St Helens as a peer FCA-authorized debt advice charity operating a similar free-to-client model with creditor negotiation and budgeting support services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sthelenscab
• Facebookfacebook.com/Citizens-Advice-St-Helens-227348833986756
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/citizens-advice-st-helens

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 St. Helens