About Us

(a) Background

The Chinese Information and Advice Centre (CIAC) was established in 1982. We are a UK charity offering free legal advice and support to disadvantaged Chinese people living in the UK.

Our mission is to ensure that disadvantaged people of Chinese ethnic origin in the UK have access to high quality advice, information and support. We believe that people are disadvantaged if they face economic, linguistic, or cultural barriers which prevent them from properly accessing mainstream services in the UK. We provide specialist services on legal and social welfare issues and develop an information service to support organisational development, policy and research relating to the Chinese community.

(b) Funding

We have been funded by the London Councils, Bridge House Trust Fund, Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (previously Legal Services Commision), Lloyds-TSB Foundation, Rayne Foundation, Tudor Trust, City Parochial Foundation, Nationwide Foundation, Home Office and Awards for All.

As funding becomes increasingly difficult to obtain, CIAC has established a new Social Enterprise business model with the legal advice team and other support services to generate a new income stream to sustain our current services.

A Social Enterprise is defined as a business with primarily social objectives whose surpluses are principally reinvested for that purpose in the business or community.

(c) Registration

CIAC is a registered charity (No. 800646) and a company limited by guarantee (No. 2306765).  It is authorised by the Office of Immigration Services Commission (OISC No. N200100140). Our Audited Accounts are available online at The Charity Commision.

 (d) Environmental Policy Statement

CIAC acknowledges that climate change is a serious global problem.  CIAC understands that all organisations, no matter how small, can reduce their carbon emissions and therefore reduce this threat. As such, CIAC recognises its responsibility to reduce its carbon and environmental footprints and formally commits itself to being an environmentally responsible organisation. To meet this goal, we aim to reduce our carbon footprint by 5% within the next two year from our current measured footprint of 3.7 tonnes of CO₂e.

To achieve our environmenttal objectives we will:

• Reduce our carbon footprint by 2 percent in the first year from the current level of 3.7 tonnes of CO₂e.
•  Monitor performance bi-annually to ensure we are on target.
• Communicate with staff, volunteers and partners to raise awareness of the action plan to reduce our carbon footprint.
• Work with our landlord to reduce energy use and work towards our reduction target.

The carbon reduction action plan will be communicated to our trustees, staff, volunteers, stakeholders and clients through various means including our website, newsletter and office notice board.

The environmental policy will be posted on our website and in the reception area. A full annual review will be conducted along with bi-annual action plan reviews in trustee and staff meetings.

The environmental policy champions will be Xiaoxi Guo, Emily Lung and Edmond Yeo. They will be responsible for the implementation of the plan and subsequent carbon footprint reduction.

Edmond Yeo

Chairman, Chinese Information and Advice Centre

10^th June 2011