Kompasi – signposting and referral platform for Greater Manchester migration services

The Greater Manchester Step Change Consortium together with Disrupt Foundation are excited to share with you a new online service directory and referral platform for asylum, refugee and migrant support services in Greater Manchester. You can access the platform at www.kompasi.org

The tool has been co-developed with frontline practitioners, leaders of support organisations and people who have used asylum support services in Greater Manchester.

What is Kompasi?
Kompasi is a digital tool that connects services from a variety of organisations so that refugees, people seeking asylum and migrants can be signposted to, or directly referred to, the right support. It features a public service directory accessible to everyone and a private login page for referral organisations to make secure and streamlined referrals. Currently, the platform lists over 500 services. If you're interested in registering as a referral organisation which includes signing a data sharing agreement, contact Monica Reeves at [email protected]

Who is it for?
This version of Kompasi was designed for frontline practitioners and volunteers, aiming to enhance their awareness of available services, facilitate effective signposting, and enable safe and efficient referrals.

Although the platform was designed primarily for frontline practitioners and people providing services, we still believe it can be useful for people seeking support in Greater Manchester in its current form. We will also continue to develop the tool with people who have used Greater Manchester services to make it more accessible i.e. through translations and better mobile phone access.

Kompasi was collaboratively developed with frontline practitioners, members of the Step Change Experts by Experience group, and leaders of refugee and asylum support organisations in Greater Manchester. Greater Manchester has been the testing community for this tool, but Disrupt are also working with networks in Bristol and Yorkshire and Humberside to use this tool in other regions of the UK.

Will it be kept up to date?
Based on our research of other directories and platforms, we understand that keeping information up to date is key to the success of platforms like these. We're committed to making sure our tool stays as up to date as possible. We'll update it periodically using technology to collect information that is already online, and we'll also reach out to organisations through Step Change and our wider network to get more ‘on the ground’ updates. We know that online information isn't always accurate, so we're working on a sustainable way to manage updates over time and would welcome any ideas from people who are using it.

If you are using Kompasi, and you see anything that needs updating, you can use the ‘suggest edit’ function and we will review any changes as part of our periodic updates.

Is it sustainable?
The Disrupt Foundation is dedicated to supporting this product for the long term. They've put resources into our local Greater Manchester sector to make sure the design process involves input from everyone. They also have a skilled technology team focused on getting the solution right. We'll keep improving the tool based on feedback and data from grassroots sources and the organisations using it. This way, we can make a bigger impact together. This tool is also being developed with asylum and migration networks in Bristol and Yorkshire and Humberside.

What about data protection for making referrals?
We have worked with The Data Place to develop the agreements and processes to ensure referrals made through the platform are secure, ethical and comply with data protection legislation. If you have any questions, or want to sign up as a referral organisation which involves signing a data sharing agreement, contact Monica Reeves [email protected]

How do I feedback on the site?
This tool is new. So we know it will need to be updated and developed as people start to use it. You can suggest edits to the information on the site through the ‘suggest edit’ function, or for general feedback on the site you can use the feedback form embedded into the site.