CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER 1195934
COMMUNITY ADVICE SERVICE
Annual Report and Accounts
For the Year Ended 31[st] March 2025
The Community Advice Service is established for the promotion of charitable purposes for the benefit of the Migrant Communities in the administrative area of the Black Country (Sandwell, Walsall, Dudley, and Wolverhampton) by the advancement of citizenship, culture, education and health, and promotion of racial harmony and the relief of poverty and financial hardship.
1 | CAS Annual Report and Accounts 2024-2025
Administrative Information
| Founded | | 6 February 2014 |
|---|---|---|
| Charity Registered: | | 27 September 2021 |
| Organisation Type | | Community Intertest Organisation CIO |
| Management Committee | |
Mazher Hussain (Chairman) |
| 2022-2023 | | Anamur Choudhury (Treasurer) |
| | Sunara Bibi (Secretary) | |
| Central Office | | Lodge Youth & Community Centre |
| Lodge Road, West Bromwich | ||
| B70 8PJ | ||
| Insurance | | HISCOX (14619714) |
| Banker | | HSBC UK |
| Contact | | 0121 553 1820 |
| Website | | www.communityadviceservice.com |
| | info@communityadviceservice.com |
Contents
| [1] | Statement of Management Committees | 3 |
|---|---|---|
| [2] | Management Committees Report | 3 |
| [3] | Movement In Funds | 5 |
| [4] | Charity Balance Sheet | 6 |
| [5] | Income Generation Plan | 6 |
2 | CAS Annual Report and Accounts 2024-2025
Annual Report 2024 - 2025
Report of the Management Committee for the Year Ended 31[st] March 2025
[1] Statement of Management Committees Responsibilities
The Management Committee members are responsible for preparing the report of the Management Committee in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards requiring the members to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the organisation and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, for that period.
[2] Management Committees Report
History
On 6th February 2014, a public meeting was held by a group of migrant communities with the aim of establishing an advice service that would meet their advice, information and guidance AIG needs. The group discussed the challenges of getting adequate AIG and decided that what is needed is ‘a user led advice service’. Subsequently, members decided to form the Community Advice Service CAS and elected a user led committee. As a gesture of support, Lodge Road Community & Youth Centre provided the use of its premises. Delivered through expert volunteers, in 2017, CAS was recognised by Channel S (a migrant media) News for high achievement in supporting the migrant communities in the Black Country www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwHcasv9AIw. In 2018, CAS was Awarded ‘Runner Up’ trophy for ‘Outstanding Partnership Work’ across the West Bromwich Town in Sandwell.
Objectives
The Community Advice Service has been established for the promotion of charitable purposes for the benefit of the Migrant Communities in the administrative area of the Black Country (Sandwell, Walsall, Dudley, and Wolverhampton) by the advancement of citizenship, culture, education and health, & promotion of racial harmony and the relief of poverty and financial hardship. According to the United Nations, a Migrant is someone who changes their country of usual residence for a period of at least a year, so that the country of destination effectively becomes the country of usual residence.
Governance and Management
Community Advice Service is a Community Interest Organisation CIO registered with the Charity Commission for England & Wale (1195934). The Trustees, who served during the year and up to the date of signature of this financial statement are: Mazher Hussain appointed on 20[th] April 2021, Sunara Bibi appointed 20[th] April 2021 and Anamur Choudhury appointed on 8[th] February 2022.
Independent Needs Assessment & Evaluation
At the end of the first year, CAS commissioned Marilyn Burrill Consultancy to produce an Independent Evaluation of its services. The evaluation concluded that: “Although CAS has had very limited funding, it has made an excellent start in providing an inclusive, efficient and effective advice service. It meets the requirements of Sandwell Advice Providers Network Service Standards….and the 21 Design Criteria produced by the Department of Health for sustainable User-Led Organisations.” CAS management also commissioned AdviceUK to produce an Independent Assessment of Advice Needs and CAS’s Capability. The Assessment concluded that: “The organisation is thoroughly rooted in the community; well connected with other local agencies and partners with whom it has mutual referral arrangements; is led by local needs and involves service users in its governance”.
3 | CAS Annual Report and Accounts 2024-2025
Services & Achievements
CAS supports an average 350 residents annually. In addition to providing Advice Information and Guidance services, CAS also supports service users to enhance their economic and social prospects through providing access to free skills & employability, healthy living, community capacity building, cultural and cohesion activities. Following are the list of core services delivered during 2024-2025 FY.
| Projects | Service Description |
|---|---|
| Welfare | Continue to support migrant families with advice information and guidance to |
| Rights | maximise welfare rights, housing benefits and negotiate affordable repayments. |
| Advice | Additional AIG activities included a language service for translation and |
| interpretation via telephone, video call or face to face interactions. | |
| Future | Continue to support young people with the aim to develop their skills, attitude and |
| Leaders | knowledge to become Community Champions. The Project helped young people to |
| reach their leadership potential and supported them at their earliest possible stage | |
| so that they can take the responsibility and ownership to tackle deprivation and | |
| anti-social behaviours in their local neighbourhoods. | |
| Electricity | Continue to promote Electricity Safety Campaign with migrant communities to |
| Safety | improve electrical safety by delivering educational and awareness raising |
| Campaign | workshops and promotion of safety actions people can adopt to protect home. |
| Well | Continue to support Well Women’s Club development to improve physical and |
| Women’s | mental wellbeing of migrant women & increase their community relationship. By |
| Club | accessing free and diverse range of sports sessions, inactive migrant women get |
| into shape; increase overall strength and flexibility, have fun and socialise together. | |
| Skills & Employability Advice |
Continue to support job seekers with job search, CV update, completing job application forms, job interview, and volunteering. Participants are guided by an Employment Potentials Framework- a journey to ensure that job seekers developed the confidence, knowledge, and skills to enter the job market. |
| Stay Safe | Continue to promote Stay Safe Video with information advice and guidance to keep |
| Outdoor | young people safe when spending time outdoors contributing to crime prevention |
| & reduction, and community safety in Sandwell. | |
| Sports | Continue to support the Sports2Work programme involving badminton and cricket |
| Development | clubs, help with the purchase of sports kits and delivery of girls’ sports. |
Our special thanks go to the funding agencies including the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioners Office, Sported Foundation and the Hearts of England Foundation. This report is approved by order of the Management Committee and signed on its behalf by:
………………................……………
Mazher Hussain BA Hons Chairman. Wednesday 28[th] January 2026
4 | CAS Annual Report and Accounts 2024-2025
Annual Accounts 2024 - 2025
[3] MOVEMENT IN FUNDS
| Income | 2024 – 2025 | 2023 – 2024 | 2022 – 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heart of England Sported Foundation National Lottery P&CC Commission Sports England Fund NHS Research Fund National Grid Fund Electrical Safety Fund New Philanthropy Capital Sandwell Consortium Fund Community Support Fund SCVO Mental Health Fund Balance Brough Forward |
£14969.00 £02000.00 - £02250.00 - - - - - - - - £00820.26 |
- - £9920.00 £2250.00 £6881.00 £0750.00 - - - - - - £3766.00 |
- - - - - £5228.00 £5000.00 £5000.00 £4932.00 £4300.00 £0300.00 £3027.00 |
| Total Income | £20,039.26 | £23567.00 | £27787.00 |
| Expenditure | 2024 - 2025 | 2023 - 2024 | 2022 – 2023 |
| 1. Community Projects Staff | £12030.00 | £15523.37 | £21836.00 |
| 2. Community Sports Activities | £00598.00 | £03608.00 | £01378.00 |
| 3. Community Multi Events | £03000.00 | £01200.00 | -------------- |
| 4. Healthy Living Research | -------------- | -------------- | £00300.00 |
| 5. Independent Examiner | -------------- | £00250.00 | £00250.00 |
| 6. Design and Print | £00735.00 | £00207.97 | £00104.40 |
| 7. Bank Charge | £00060.00 | £00060.00 | £00060.00 |
| 8. Insurance | £00092.40 | £00092.40 | £00092.40 |
| 9. Equipment | £00450.00 | £00800.00 | -------------- |
| 10. Publicity | £00650.00 | £00700.00 | -------------- |
| 11. Website 12. Office |
-------------- £02400.00 |
£00305.00 -------------- |
-------------- -------------- |
| Total Expenditure | £20,015.40 | £22746.74 | £24020.80 |
| Bank Balance on 31stMarch | £23.86 | £820.26 | £3766.00 |
5 | CAS Annual Report and Accounts 2024-2025
[4] CHARITY BALANCE SHEET
| BALANCE SHEET | BALANCE SHEET | 2024-2025 | 2023-2024 | 2022 – 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIXED ASSETS Tangible assets |
None | None | None | |
| CURRENT ASSETS | ||||
| Debtors |
None | None | None | |
| Cash at Bank |
£23.86 | £820.26 | £03766.00 | |
| CREDITORS:Amounts falling due within one year Provisions for liabilities |
None | None | None | |
| Net Assets |
£23.86 | £820.26 | £03766.00 | |
| TOTAL FUNDS Restricted Income Funds Unrestricted Income Funds |
£23.86 None |
£820.26 None |
£03766.00 None |
|
| TOTAL FUNDS AVILABLE ON 1ST APRIL | £23.86 | £820.26 | £03766.00 | |
[6] INCOME GENERATION PLAN
6 | CAS Annual Report and Accounts 2024-2025
Mazher Hussain, the Chairman with Oli Choudhury, the CAS Manager
7 | CAS Annual Report and Accounts 2024-2025