Our editorial method
How we research and check information
Access Compass is independent of councils, NHS bodies, charities and listed services. We summarise publicly available information, show its source and make uncertainty visible.
Why we publish guides
Official information is essential, but it can be spread across different organisations and written for different systems. Our guides join those routes together in plain English so a person can understand the next step, then reach the original source.
We do not copy an official Local Offer or pretend to replace professional advice. We add value by comparing sources, explaining hand-offs and stating what still needs confirmation.
Our checking process
Start with primary sources
We prefer current council, NHS, government, regulator, provider and charity pages. Specialist and lived-experience sources add context where that is useful and clearly attributed.
Separate facts from interpretation
Contact details, eligibility, opening times, charges and statutory routes need direct support. Our plain-English explanation is labelled as guidance and links back to the source.
Check for contradictions and gaps
Where two credible sources disagree, we try to resolve the difference. If we cannot, we explain the discrepancy rather than choosing the tidier answer.
Record status and date
A verified or official label must be supported by the recorded evidence. “Not yet verified” means exactly that. A blank field means we have not confirmed it, not that a facility or service does not exist.
Keep important uncertainty visible
Safeguarding, emergency, legal, financial, health, eligibility and material accessibility claims are qualified unless a current primary source and the required review evidence support them.
Make corrections durable
Every public guide and listing provides a correction route. Reports receive a receipt and enter a review queue; they do not silently rewrite published information.
How we use AI and automation
Automation helps us discover public pages, compare changes, find possible inconsistencies and prepare review evidence. AI can help summarise and challenge a claim, but it is not treated as the original source.
Automated research cannot silently mark a high-risk claim as verified. Published information keeps its source, status and review trail so another person can check how the answer was reached.
What “last checked” means
The date records the latest evidenced review held for that guide or listing. We do not change dates simply to make a page look fresh. Services can still change between checks, so always confirm time-sensitive details before relying on them.
Who is responsible
Access Compass is published by ADAI Digital. Its approach is informed by disability lived experience, social-work practice and direct work with disabled people and families. Read why Access Compass was built.