Welcome to your April Compass Points

A place to thrive as we build for the future

Welcome to April’s edition! As we kick start a new financial year and new strategic plan, there is lots to celebrate and reflect on. Most importantly, the journey that we are on to collectively build the ultimate Compass.

For those of you who have been with Compass awhile, hopefully it is evident our organisational growth and development has been steeped in positive change and learning. And for those of you just joining us, it is a place that you feel enabled to thrive, feel valued and be able to help shape the organisation’s future.

Have your say

Our second Your Voice colleague survey is now live and I really encourage all of you to have your say so we can continue to build on the hard work undertaken from the first survey by prioritising those items that matter most to you. Becoming an employer of choice is integral to our strategy because you are what makes Compass so unique and special.

The survey ends next Monday, 12 May.

Celebrating success

I also would like to give a special shout out to the three teams within Compass Phoenix, Go…! and Changing Lives who celebrated their One Compass Team awards. Lots of different celebrations but all richly deserved. They really embodied the essence of great teamwork that we know lies at the heart of being successful in all that we do.

This month’s contents

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Listening to Your Voice

Q and A with Kim Jones, Compass’ People Director 

Why are we conducting this staff survey and why is it important? 

“We’re conducting the staff survey because we’re really keen to hear from our colleagues about their experience of working for us.

“The last survey gave us great information that we were able to make clear actions from. We want to see how that has impacted colleagues’ experience and what we now need to build on.”

Will answers be treated confidentially? 

“We’re really keen to preserve confidentiality because we want people to be honest about their experience. The answers will only be accessible to the People Team – and similar to the first survey in October 2023, we’ve taken steps to ensure the data is anonymised before results are shared. For instance, we’ll make sure that those in smaller services/departments are “rolled up” (alongside larger services) so that you’re unable to identify individuals.  This year, we’ve also taken out any questions about EDI too so that colleagues will have an added level of assurance that their responses remain anonymous.”

Why are there no questions around Equality, Diversity and inclusion this time?  

“Following feedback from the last survey we have taken out the questions on EDI to ensure colleagues feel comfortable anonymity can be maintained” 

When will the results be shared? 

“We will share the results later in the year. We will then be creating some actions for key areas to focus improvements without losing sight of what we do really well also. 

We are very excited about the survey. This will help us continue our journey of becoming an Employer of Choice in our sector. We will listen to Your Voice to do that.” 

To take part in the Your Voice survey click here, or below…

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Children’s Story Book written by Compass Be’s Emma Turton

In exciting news, we would like to congratulate Emma Turton (Whole School Approach Practitioner from Compass Be); she has written a children’s story book called ‘The Sun Can’t Shine Every Day’. The story explores themes including emotions, the importance of sharing how we feel, and friendships. Emma highlighted that ”engaging storytelling can support children to learn and explore their emotions through fictional characters. Giving children the space to self-reflect, develop empathy, and manage their feelings through exploring how they would respond in the characters situation. ”

Emma shared some background information about how the children’ story book came to be, ”The Sun Can’t Shine Every Day was originally written during my time as an ELSA, as a therapeutic story for a child I was working with.”

The story is already a feature of Compass Be’s whole class workshop package, that is delivered to schools across Barnsley. Emma explained that ”The story fitted perfectly with our key messages in the KS1/LKS2 ‘This Is Me & My Emotions’ Class Workshop, I created as part of our WSA support for school”.  Emma added that ”Story telling as part of our workshop is a wonderful way to ensure our delivery meets the needs of a variety of different learning styles. ”

The story originally featured in workshops ”as a vocal recording that the children close their eyes, listen to and discuss afterwards” (Emma). Compass Be and Emma, then received feedback and requests for illustrations to go along with the story, from both children and school staff. ”So the journey to finding, funding, and making it happen began, and is now a reality, and ensures we are using children and teacher voice to develop our workshop packages. ” – Emma Turton.

All of the Primary Schools that Compass Be works with in Barnsley will receive a copy of Emma’s book from Compass Be, and the Compass Be practitioners will receive a copy for delivering the workshops too.

Compass Be shared ‘We can’t wait to use Emma’s book in our class workshops!’

If you would like your own copy of ‘The Sun Can’t Shine Every Day’, the story book can be purchased from Amazon (available from mid-April).

Here is a summary of Emma’s children’s book – ‘Sometimes the sun shines brightly, and sometimes the clouds roll in. But just like the weather, our feelings change too. The Sun Can’t Shine Every Day is a beautifully illustrated children’s book that helps young readers understand and navigate their emotions. Through a gentle and reassuring story, children learn that it’s okay to have both happy and sad days, and that every emotion is part of their journey.”

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Bloom develops new mapping document

Compass Bloom have been working together with partners and local providers in the Central and West Lancashire region to produce a ‘Mapping Document’.

The aim of the Mapping Document is to make it as easy as possible for children, young people, families, carers and schools to find the correct mental health support service. It was produced in response to an identified need from schools in the local area. Anne, the service Manager at Compass Bloom, explained that ‘The document was initially intended for schools to use as a resource, but as more people have got involved, it is evident that it is also useful for other professionals and families .

The document provides signposting and contact information to relevant services in the area, linked to a wide range of presenting difficulties such as Friendship, Sleep, Bullying and ADHD Specific Support. The Mapping Document focuses on early intervention and the ‘Getting Help’ section on the THRIVE Framework (discussed in detail within the Mapping Document).

The South Ribble and Chorley Mapping Document had a successful launch on the 12^th March, and can be found on the Compass Bloom web page. Compass Bloom have taken the lead on this project, hosting it on the Compass website and managing the page. In exciting news, Team Leader for Chorley Mia Leyland shared that the service ‘have since been asked to present at a variety of local meetings, including the Early Help Partnership Meeting’.

Compass Bloom plan to create ‘Mapping Documents’ for the whole of the Central and West Lancashire region; the Preston area Mapping Document is under work and will be finalised soon. Following this, there are plans to produce a Mapping Document for West Lancashire.

Service Manager Anne said that “the document has been very well received and more agencies are asking to be added”.

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Healthy Relationships roadshow empowers students and welcomes Warwickshire’s chief constable

During March, students at Rugby Free Secondary School took part in an engaging and informative Health Relationships and Sexual Health Roadshow, designed to equip young people with vital knowledge regarding healthy relationships, contraception and personal wellbeing.

Coordinated and delivered by Connect for Health and collaborating agencies, the event featured a series of interactive workshops and discussions led by professionals in the field. This preventative action aims to help students develop a better understanding of how to navigate relationships responsibly and make informed decisions about their wellbeing.

This roadshow welcomed Warwickshire’s Chief Constable, Alex Franklin-Smith, who engaged with students and discussed the importance of respectful relationships and personal safety. His presence underscored the commitment of local authorities to supporting young people in making safe and responsible choices.

Chief Constable Alex Franklin-Smith said: “It was really good to be part of such a worthwhile event that addressed so many important issues. Anything we can do to improve the education of children and young people to improve their understanding of healthy relationships is positive. I am delighted that officers and staff from my own organisation are working closely with key partners who are experts in this arena.”

Over the recent years, Connect for Health has coordinated an increasing number of roadshow events across Warwickshire schools. Catherine Winton, Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) Lead said, “The success of our Healthy Relationships and Sexual Health Roadshows continues to grow, making a real impact in schools. At our most recent event, we were privileged to welcome the Chief Police Constable, who was highly impressed with the preventative work being delivered. Their recognition reinforces the importance of equipping young people with the knowledge and confidence to make informed, safe choices.”

Commenting on the success of the roadshow, the Chief Constable remarked: “It is clearly having a positive impact across the county, and I’m delighted that we can continue to support it.”

As Connect for Health continues to expand its outreach, the commitment of local authorities and educators remains vital in ensuring that students feel empowered to make responsible choices about their wellbeing and relationships.

Watch a full summary of the event from Warwickshire’s Chief Constable here: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1HtLaZ3Mv5/

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One Compass Team awards celebrated

Compass Phoenix colleagues celebrate their Outstanding Performance Team award

by Zoe Davis, Service Manager, Compass Phoenix

It was a pleasure to have CEO Rachel Bundock and ADO Sue Berry attend the Compass Phoenix team meeting in Northallerton County Hall on Tuesday 8th April.

It was an ideal opportunity to share and discuss some of the work that has taken place over the last year and to talk about exciting plans for the upcoming year. 

While with the team, Rachel and Sue presented the award for Outstanding Performance to the Compass Phoenix team and even the sun came out to celebrate with us!

We then went to a local eatery and shared a celebration meal as a thank you and well done to all of the team for all their hard work over the past year and their continued commitment and dedication to delivering high quality services in North Yorkshire. 

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Compass Go, Wave 9 SEN Team celebrate their award for Innovation

by Sarah Allen, Engagement and Participation Worker, Compass Go

Compass Go ‘Innovation Team’ award winners have celebrated in style with afternoon tea at local restaurant, the Healing Manor Hotel.

We were so proud to receiving an award for our work adapting our approach and resources to support children and young people in our local SEND schools, PRUs and alternative provisions.  

We are passionate advocates of supporting mental health for all young people and strive to grow and develop this specialist approach to make sure our offer is available to every young person in a school or setting in North east Lincolnshire. 

To have this dedication and drive for inclusivity recognised was the icing on the cake.

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Colleagues take the opportunity to…

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Jan Smith, Operations Director

Suicide and Self Harm

This month’s safeguarding feature summarises new guidance issued by NHS England called Staying safe from suicide: Best practice guidance for safety assessment, formulation and management which is continuing work to reduce suicide. Although aimed primarily at mental health services the guidance promotes a shift towards a more holistic, person-centred approach. This is relevant to all practitioners and managers in Compass who are concerned with the delivery of services to children an young people. The guidance sets out a principled approach which clearly aligns with Compass’s approach and values.

The 10 key principles of the approach are:

1. relational safety: build and maintain trusting, collaborative therapeutic relationships. These are the strongest predictor of good clinical outcomes.
2. biopsychosocial approach: address safety as part of a broad biopsychosocial approach aimed at improving overall well-being by considering biological, psychological and social aspects.
3. safety assessment and formulation: reach a shared understanding with the individual about safety and changeable factors that may affect this.
4. safety management and planning: consider the need for immediate action and work with the individual to navigate safety and the factors impacting this over time.
5. dynamic understanding: regularly assess and adapt formulations and safety plans based on the individual’s changing needs and circumstances.
6. evidence-based practice: base work on the latest research and understand population-level risk trends.
7. involving others: encourage the involvement of trusted others, where possible and as appropriate.
8. inclusivity: Ensure practices are inclusive and adaptable, particularly for marginalised and high-risk groups.
9. clear communication: use simple language tailored to the individual and don’t use jargon. Use interpreters or approaches like drawing, if needed.
10. continuous improvement: regularly review and refine approaches based on outcomes and feedback.

These principles apply across all contexts and settings. The guidance goes on to offer practical advice on assessment, formulation and planning. The Stanley and Brown steps of safety planning are used to restate best practice for those working with children, young people and adults at risk:

1. warning signs: recognise thoughts, emotions, or situations that signal a potential crisis (for example, anniversaries, separation, or increased hopelessness)
2. coping strategies: identify self-management techniques that have worked before or could be effective in the future
3. distraction through connection: plan activities or interactions that help distract from distress, such as visiting a favourite place, engaging in hobbies, or connecting in person or digitally with friends.
4. engaging support from others: identify personal contacts (for example, family, carers, trusted adults) to approach when coping strategies aren’t enough. Consider what may be needed and agree this. It is important to identify alternative actions if trusted others are not available. Plan how to develop these networks during stable periods.
5. professional support: include contact details for crisis lines, mental health professionals, or local services. Specify what the individual may need from these professionals at time of contact, including what would be unhelpful
6. environment safety: address potential environmental triggers (including online harm) and reduce access to harmful means, like storing or managing medications safely or avoiding high-risk locations.

The guidance promotes a shift towards a more holistic, person-centred approach rather than relying on risk prediction recognising that suicide prediction tools, scales, and stratification (for example, into low, medium, or high risk) are flawed. Following publication of the guidance members of the Mental Health Clinical Working Group will be reviewing the guidance against Compass practices and processes and recommending any changes necessary to ensure our approach meets these standards.

The full guidance and links to suicide prevention resources is available via this link and is a must read for all mental health staff but will also offer colleagues from across operations helpful insights and knowledge. NHS England » Staying safe from suicide

If you have concerns about a child, young person or vulnerable adult please discuss them with your local Designated Safeguarding Lead or contact Compass Designated Safeguarding Officer jan.smith@compass-uk.org.

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With Sue Cody, Quality Assurance Lead

Compass to launch Freedom to Speak up Guardians

Strengthening our Organisational Culture and Values – Introducing our new Freedom To Speak Up Guardians

Compass would like to introduce our Freedom to Speak Up Guardians (FTSUGs) who will support colleagues to come forward about work-related concerns. They are Sue Cody and Maggie Clarke, a Compass Clinical Governance Group (CGG) member and a retired Compass Assistant Director Operations (Public Health Nursing).

Sue and Maggie will be available when issues have not been resolved via normal line management routes or when colleagues feel that they are unable to raise concerns through this route.

The new, national roles will be essential to safeguarding the open culture in Compass. They’re another way of ensuring staff and beneficiaries are treated fairly in respect of our values, vision and mission.

The Freedom to Speak Up Guardian Roles will be launched in June.

Infection Control policy and procedure

Infection control is a critical aspect of maintaining a safe and healthy environment across all of our services and departments. The primary goal of infection control is to prevent the spread of infectious diseases and protect the health and safety of our children, young people, families and our colleagues.

Compass Infection Control Policy & Procedure has been reviewed and updated to reflect any changes in national legislation and promote best practices across the organisation, with sectioned procedures in relation to all services/departments and separate procedures for enhanced infection prevention and control within our clinical service – Enhanced Public Health Nurse Service (EPHNS) in Tower Hamlets which provides a sexual health service.

The Infection Control Policy & Procedure can be accessed via the link below in Policy Central.

P:\Clinical\Infection Control Policy and Procedure – April 2025.pdf

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Checking in with our colleagues

At our April meeting, SLT colleagues took some protected time out to check in with each other, using it to reflect on people’s progress against their key strategic and high priority items as well as benefiting from additional peer support. Quarterly check ins now form part of SLT’s cycle of business and is proving to be a helpful way for the team to support each other and collectively problem solve.

We considered feedback from recent CEO and NED site visits that had been conducted during March and April to North Yorkshire Phoenix, Wakefield Rise, Barnsley Be and Lancashire Bloom. All visits focused on Compass colleagues sharing their experiences about their roles, teams and organisation with SLT/Board members as well as ideas for improvements that would benefit either CYP or our workplace. As always, the quality of the conversation, reflections, and ideas was exceptional and re-enforced the value people placed on teams and the support they got from colleagues every day.

We also undertook our first review of progress against our new Business Plan strategic priorities. Key reports included:

High quality & governance – Annual review of EDI underway with the CEO and TWG Chairs reflecting on achievements of last year and identifying key priorities for the next year.

Employer of Choice – Eploy reconfiguration completed, 2^nd colleague survey launched and new appraisal objectives cascade underway

Evidenced Effectiveness – improved data quality enabling SOM and services to take a more proactive approach by allocating resources and targeted action planning where there is greatest need, an annual review of the SDIP process underway, and the DII team starting to put into practice their new Power BI skills which will enable systems to link up providing one version of the truth

Know our Senior Leadership

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Training update

See the latest Calendar for 2025 here.

U:\Staff Updates\Awareness Calendar and newsletter

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Contacting your People Team