What the Cult Information Centre does#
The Cult Information Centre (often shortened to CIC) is a charity set up under a declaration of trust in December 1990. The Charity Commission's register describes its work in its own words: it provides information and advice on cults, and offers help to former cult members, the families of people in cults, and the general public. It also helps students and researchers with reading lists and background for projects and books, gives talks to schools, colleges, universities, clubs and professional and religious groups, and keeps an international network of contacts.
Its formal purpose, as set out in its governing document, is to advance public understanding through the study of religions and of movements exploring spiritual life or philosophies.
How to contact it#
The web address listed for the charity no longer carries its own pages: when we checked on 26 October 2026 it showed unrelated content, so we do not link to it. The contact page of its register entry gives a London postal box and a telephone line. No email address is listed there. We could not confirm opening times or how quickly it replies, so allow for a written reply taking some time.
If you need support sooner, the Family Survival Trust runs online groups for families and survivors, and Faith to Faithless supports people leaving high-control religious groups.
Leaving a group and choosing a name#
Some people leaving a group go back to the name they had before they joined; others were given a name inside the group, or grew up with one, and want a name that is their own. Either way, the law is the same: anyone aged 16 or over can change their name in England and Wales without anyone's agreement and without giving a reason. GOV.UK publishes the wording for a free, unenrolled deed poll, signed in front of two witnesses aged 18 or over, which is not registered or published anywhere (who can see my former name?).
If you worry that the group may try to find you, three points matter more than the deed itself:
- Enrolment is public. GOV.UK says enrolling a deed poll publishes your name change and your address in The Gazette. Most people never need to enrol.
- The deed records an address. GOV.UK's wording includes one, so think about which address you use before you sign.
- Records you update can show a name. The open electoral register, Companies House and a credit file can all carry it. Keeping your address off your records and can someone find out my new name? explain what to check.
Other places to look#
The charities directory lists every organisation in this section, including groups that support people leaving particular communities. If you or someone close to you is at risk of harm, call the police.
This page describes the Cult Information Centre from its entry on the Charity Commission's register, read on 26 October 2026, because its own website was not available. The charity has not reviewed it, and listing a charity here does not mean it recommends this handbook or any deed poll service.
