Why Work For Compass?A guide to the benefits of joining the Compass

Community

Introduction To Compass

Thanks for your interest in joining the Compass Community.

Our aim is to provide the caring environment that children deserve, in ways that enrich the lives of everyone associated with Compass Community. As an employee for us, you have an important role in promoting this aim.

Your contribution as an individual and as a team member is central to our success. It is through your support of our mission, objectives and values that we will provide an excellent service to our young people and families. I hope that, should you feel your aims and objectives align with ours, you will join our community. I look forward to receiving feedback from you and your manager on your successes at Compass Community.

Bernie GibsonCompass MD

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What Makes Up the Compass Community?Compass Community comprises of four children’s services; our well established Fostering and Residential services, Education service and our latest project, PSB Intervention, which uses our expertise in Problematic Sexual Behaviour to help children and young people in the wider community.

Our Fostering service is made up of 5 regions; North, Central, London, South and Wales, with 14 local offices which provide support and training

FOSTERING RESIDENTIALINTERVENTION EDUCATION

PSB INTERVENTION EDUCATION

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to our foster carers. These 5 regions are all inspected individually by Ofsted or CSSIW and are all judged as either ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Good’.

Our Residential service has provisions across the country. The homes provide care for young people with Problematic Sexual Behaviour, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, Learning Difficulties and those that have suffered Child Sexual Exploitation.

Leadership & ManagementCompass Community seeks to adopt market and best practice in its initiatives to attract and retain staff. This is achieved by retaining employees who see the organisation as a great place to work, determined largely by the quality of leadership and good management practices. These entail:

• Managing people well to ensure directed and motivated employees• Paying people competitively and rewarding superior performance• Establishing a work-life culture and climate that is attractive and

supportive• Developing and retaining people by providing perpetual

learning, development and challenge• Communicating openly and sharing information • Caring for our employees • Recognising achievement publicly and celebrating successes • Not tolerating poor performance • Developing and maintaining a reputation as being “an employer

of choice”. This reputation is often best promoted by our own employees

Sta� EngagementWe aim to engage staff, increase morale and performance and ultimately retain our staff by offering additional benefits that go beyond the legal requirements. Below are some of the benefits that the organisation sees as enhancing the work experience at Compass:

• Perkbox (see page 7-8)• Birthday day as an additional day leave

(Fostering/Community staff only)• Compassionate leave• Enhanced occupational sick leave• Attendance at bi-annual conference• Staff recommendation bonus• Attendance at training on the Organisational

Development Programme• Innovation teams• OCR Level 3 Diploma in residential child care

(Residential staff only)• Mentoring by Senior Managers

Bene�ts Overview

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CommunicationStaff surveys are conducted on a bi-annual basis. The results are published and shared, measures put in place to improve in highlighted areas and successes are celebrated.

The organisation recognises the importance of good channels of communication and staff are kept informed through a variety of forums such as newsletters, website updates, various monthly, quarterly, six monthly team meetings, engagement days, conferences, brunch with Ops board, organisation charts, contact lists, appraisals, supervisions, inductions etc.

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PayWe are committed to ensuring that our salaries remain competitive in the labour market. Subject to performance, all staff (excluding those on casual contracts) have the opportunity to receive a pay increase via regular supervisions and appraisals with their line manager.

Because of the nature of the business, we also offer staff a “recommendation bonus” when they successfully recommend a foster carer or, in certain cases, a member of staff. Full details on the total fees offered will be given to you as part of your formal induction.

PensionsMost of us are living longer and not saving enough to have the income we’d like in retirement. The state pension is a foundation for your retirement, but you may want more. Saving into a workplace pension means you can continue to enjoy the things you like when you retire.

Employment Package

Flexible WorkingCompass Community believes that the promotion of flexible working can increase staff motivation, promote work-life balance, reduce employee stress and improve performance and overall productivity.

The underlying principle of this policy is that Compass, will, whenever possible (subject to its business and operational needs), seek to agree to requests for flexible working made by employees. In this respect, the Company’s policy goes beyond what the law requires, as the statutory right to request flexible working as written above.

All employees working for Compass Community are enrolled into a workplace pension scheme if they are not already in one and;• Earn over £10,000 per annum (equivalent to

£833 per month);• Are aged 22 or over; and• Are under state pension age.

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Other LeaveMaternity LeaveAll pregnant employees, regardless of length of service, have the right to take up to 26 weeks’ ordinary maternity leave and up to a further 26 weeks’ additional maternity leave.

Paternity LeaveAn employee whose wife, civil partner or partner gives birth to a child, or who is the biological father of the child, is entitled to two weeks’ ordinary paternity leave.

Adoption LeaveAn employee who adopts a child through an approved adoption agency is entitled to up to 52 weeks’ adoption leave.

Compassionate LeaveEmployees with at least 1 year’s service will be eligible to apply for up to 3 days’ full paid compassionate leave in a rolling 12 month period.

Full details on all employee leave and pay entitlements can be found in the Employee Handbook.

HolidaysFull-time Employees are entitled to a competitive annual holiday entitlement. Fostering/Community staff are entitled to 25 days plus bank holidays off. Residential staff are entitled to 28 days including bank holidays, with extra pay if you are required to work on a bank holiday.

Birthday Leave (Fostering/Community staff only)If you are a full-time employee, you are entitled to one day’s birthday leave per year.

Public Holidays (Fostering/Community staff only)Employees’ public holiday entitlement is detailed in each employee’s Contract of Employment but generally, full-time employees are entitled to all public holidays, part-time employees are entitled to pro rata bank holidays.

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All Compass employees receive perks, discounts and rewards through perkbox

Perks & DiscountsMake everyday savings and use Perkbox’s search function to find the perks you’re looking for.

Discounts and free gifts from thousands of retailers including:• Odeon / VUE / Cineworld• Tesco• Apple• Boots• Starbucks• Deliveroo• Marks & Spencer• and many more

You will receive a brochure giving you details on exactly what benefits you will receive as part of your induction.

WellnessPerkbox Wellness is like having your very own instructor at your beck and call 24/7. Discover hundreds of online classes, ranging on everything from home workouts, to lunchtime yoga sessions. Everything is designed to provide you with short bursts of clean living – perfect for those with a busy lifestyle.

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At Compass, we feel it’s important to have happy staff. That’s why we’ve teamed up with Perkbox to offer all of our employees access to over 200 exclusive perks which contribute to an annual average saving of £808 per employee.

Special pricing at Vue cinemas

Free mobile phone insurance

Salary Sacri�ceSalary sacrifice schemes allow you, as an employee, to give up part of your salary in

return for non-cash benefits from Compass. You will save because you are not taxed for

the portion of money that you put towards your benefit. These are the schemes we offer:

Access to Online TrainingSick of boring e-learning? Get free unlimited access to exciting courses

from Learning Heroes. The courses cover a wide array of topics, ranging from management & leadership to IT skills.

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SchemeChildcare Vouchers

Workplace Nursery

Gym Membership

Cycle To Work

Tech Discount

Special pricing at Vue cinemas

Free mobile phone insurance

TrainingCompass Community Learning & Development team provide a vast range of learning opportunities for all staff members and foster carers.

All social workers, administrators, managers and other supporting staff will have the opportunity for development that will be relevant to their role and is bespoke to meet the needs of the organisation and its specific goals.

In our residential services, all new staff have an extensive induction program before starting in their new role, as well as the opportunity to do their level 3 qualification in health and social care. There is, in addition, specialised training on specific aspects of our work including for example working with children with PSB.

Learning & Development

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REACHThe REACH approach is more than just a training programme, it is a whole approach to childcare.

The aim is to be optimistic and to assist those entering the Compass Community to believe that change is possible.

It emphasises the immense importance of building trusting relationships with children/young people as being at the heart of childcare. This ethos is now embedded across all of our services within Compass Community and is the foundation of our entire training programme.

Mentor Forensic ServicesCompass Community work in partnership with Mentor Forensic Services, whose assessment and intervention with young people is underpinned by the most recent research in the field as well as extensive clinical practice.

Mentor Forensic Services was established by the leading international forensic psychologist Dr Joe Sullivan and has a long history of providing a range of services to young people, their families and multi-agency partners where PSB is a concern. Their work with young people takes place in both residential and non-residential settings and includes working extensively with carers, residential teams, families and multi-agency professionals.

By becoming a Compass employee, you will have the chance to attend in-depth training courses led and/or created by Mentor Forensic Services. As MFS are one of the world’s leading specialists on PSB, this is a unique opportunity that many similar agencies are unable to offer.

m e n t o r f o r e n s i c s . c o m

It emphasises the immense importance of building trusting relationships with children/young people as being at the heart of childcare. This ethos is now embedded across all of our services within Compass Community and is the foundation of our entire training programme.

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Photo of Joe

Dr Joe SullivanFor the past 20 years, Dr Sullivan has worked with police officers, social workers, probation officers, faith groups and educationalists to help them understand PSB and, in turn, respond optimally.

Dr Valerie SheehanDr Sheehan is both a Clinical Director and Senior Child Protection consultant at Mentor. She has worked for many years, both with adults who have a sexual interest in children and with children who display PSB.