How we work
How we research and check information
Access Compass is independent of councils, NHS bodies, charities and listed services. We summarise public information, show where it came from, and show you what we are unsure about.
Every claim comes from a published public source. We never use case records, internal procedures or unpublished documents, and no council, trust or NHS body endorses this service.
Why we publish guides
Official information matters, but it may sit on many websites. Our guides join those routes together in plain English. You can see the next step and open the original source.
We do not copy a Local Offer or replace professional advice. We compare sources, explain hand-offs and say what still needs to be checked.
Our checking process
Start with primary sources
We prefer current pages from councils, the NHS, government, regulators, providers and charities. We may add a specialist or lived-experience source for context. We name it clearly.
Separate facts from interpretation
For contact details, who can use a service, opening times, charges and official routes, we rely on the source itself. Our plain-English explanation is labelled as guidance and links back to the source.
Check for contradictions and gaps
If two good sources disagree, we try to resolve the difference. If we cannot, we explain the gap instead of 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
Our rule is that important things stay marked as not confirmed until a current original source backs them up. This covers safeguarding, emergencies, legal and money matters, health, who can use a service, and key access details.
Keep corrections
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 find public pages, compare changes and spot possible gaps. It can also prepare evidence for review. AI may help explain or challenge a claim, but it is not an original source.
Published information keeps its source and status. Where we have it, we also show who or what last checked it. This lets someone else follow our work.
What “last checked” means
The date shows when we last checked the guide or listing. We keep a record of that check. We do not change a date just to make a page look fresh. Services can change between checks, so confirm time-sensitive details before relying on them.
Who is responsible
ADAI Digital publishes Access Compass. Its approach is informed by disability lived experience and a background in social work with disabled children and families. Read why Access Compass was built.
Data we use from others
Some of what Access Compass shows comes from open data. It stays under its own licence, and we credit it here.
- Map positions from postcodes (via postcodes.io): Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026. Source: Office for National Statistics, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Maps and nearby facilities: © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database Licence.
- Council and government wording: where we quote a council or public body, the words are theirs, often under the Open Government Licence, and we link to the page we read them on.
- Photos: each photo shows its own photographer and licence beside it.