Compass Quality is not based in an external system developed outside our service. It is not a system that has been ‘bolted on’ to our existing service. It is not dependent on an external assessment to ensure that the service provided by us is done so with utmost professionalism and care. It does not require staff to stop performing their primary duties inside the limit of the hours available and the dollars provided.

Quality is at the very heart of our organisation. It is deeply embedded in our philosophy and practice. This aspiration to quality service is the essence of the traditional martial arts ethos that has been at the core of Compass from its inception in 1992. Compass quality reflects the reality that service is not one-sided… it is a harmonious circle of mutual obligation where the rights and responsibilities of the ‘served’ and the ‘server’ are seamlessly intertwined and exchanged. It is a dance of energy where mutual obligation becomes mutual benefit.

Compass Quality influences the organisation strategically also. We employ a model for service development along a continuum of reactive, responsive and creative action.

To lear more about this model, click here: ARC model

Compass has the unique advantages of inheriting and enacting this very strong philosophy and practice tradition and having applied that tradition in alternative & community education settings that were not focused on disability for 11 years prior to extending into this field. The philosophy aspect is enshrined in a thousand year old ‘way of being’ – the practice is the daily activity of mind, body and spirit integration in a disciplined manner. The result is a set of core values and competencies that are transmitted to and gradually embodied by our Board, staff, service users, volunteers & family members. Compass quality recognises that we can be happy all the time and yet not necessarily be satisfied. This distinction promotes a positive, creative tension that helps the organisation and all associated with it to maintain the momentum so vital to natural personal growth.

To learn more about Compass core values & competencies, click here: Core values & competencies