Compass Wellbeing CIC is passionate about supporting all VCSEs by providing a menu of support options that includes simplified/ non-bureaucratic access to NHS and statutory sector funding, free training, regular newsletter and targeted communications and a funding application check, edit and advice service. We encourage and support collaboration between VCSEs and health and care organisations to improve ways of delivering services that tackle inequalities in access, experience and outcomes for all communities.
We have a partner relationship with University College London (UCL) that we share and which supports, in particular, small VCSEs to freely access expertise and capacity to evaluate their projects in preparation for future funding applications.
Our mission is simple: we aim to engage and support VCSEs to thrive, so that everyone can benefit from their work. We’ve supported public sector procurement programmes and worked in partnership to award and contract over £11million funding to over 150 groups in just over two years.
£12.4m
Commissioned to VCSEs
1000
Expressions of interest
700
Applications received
238
Contracts awarded to VCSEs
Recognising the influence and impact of our VCSE contract partners
As a result of the funding made available through Compass Wellbeing procurement programmes, VCSEs have achieved remarkable results and positive change in the communities with which they work.
Read some of the personal stories and experiences of those organisations which have benefited from funding opportunities made available through Compass Wellbeing CIC. We are proud to showcase the positive changes made, influenced and delivered as a result of those opportunities.
Bedford Players Trust
Bedford Players Trust is a community-centred arts organisation dedicated to engaging with local individuals from diverse backgrounds, fostering connections that support wellbeing, and offering creative opportunities for all. Our extensive programme encompasses theatre, music, gameplay, film, comedy, workshops, and provision for children and young people, including our youth theatre, Brave. Inclusivity and co-creation are at the heart of what we do.
We collaborate with various partners to host and support their projects, and we are committed to expanding our programme to reach underserved community groups and demographics. This includes the LGBTQ+ community, individuals with lived experiences of homelessness, mental health challenges, disabilities, and neurodiversity.
Timeless Tales project
For our Timeless Tales project, we have joined forces with Friends for Life Bedford, a charity dedicated to providing befriending services to socially isolated care home residents.
Website: bedfordplayerstrust.org.uk
Instagram: @timelesstalesbedford
Women’s Inclusive Team
Founded in 2003 by a group of Somali mothers, Women’s Inclusive Team (WIT) began as an informal community of women supporting one another in areas such as childcare, employment, and healthy living. As the need for specialised services for ethnic minority women and particularly Somali women emerged, the Somali Integration Team was formed, later rebranding as Women’s Inclusive Team in 2018.
The organisation remains dedicated to serving women and their families in Tower Hamlets to this day. It promotes social cohesion within the larger community and empowers women by providing training, employment opportunities, guidance, and various welfare and wellbeing services.
WIT Winter Pressure Project 2022/23
Funded by Compass Wellbeing, the Winter Pressure Project was designed to support vulnerable residents during a challenging winter and financial crisis. The project aimed to tackle the cost-of-living crisis by creating educational workshops on government and local initiatives, enabling people to access and benefit from available resources and support.
Workshops were delivered at Mayfield Wellbeing Hub and other community spaces, covering finance, health, and wellbeing topics. By building a network, bringing people together, and upskilling local individuals, WIT established sewing classes, ESOL courses, coffee mornings, and wellbeing walking groups for the community.
Numerous members expressed appreciation for the services they utilized, with one member sharing:
“It was amazing to have the opportunity to speak on the issues we face, be it food, housing or even energy related, as it is all linked. I wish we could have these meetings once a month and have the chance to voice our concerns and struggles.”
Over the course of 12 months, the project directly assisted more than 1,200 individuals through personalized advice and guidance, employment support, volunteering opportunities, and distributing food packages to vulnerable community members.
Website: wit.org.uk
Instagram: @womensinclusiveteam
The Claudia Jones Organisation
The Claudia Jones Organisation (CJO) Counselling Service provides culturally sensitive 1:1 support to African and Caribbean women and their families. The service addresses unique community issues, such as the impact of migration on families, sent-for and sent-away children, and the specific challenges faced by black counsellors. CJO focuses on building a body of knowledge to improve the experience of women seeking talking treatments, informing future activities.
The project supported 88 clients and facilitated one referral to City and Hackney Therapeutic Community & Outreach Service. CJO documented its unique approach, developing a framework for working with cultural sensitivity tailored to the African and Caribbean community. An unexpected outcome was the expansion in capacity for both counsellors, who now confidently support up to 12 clients per week, mostly complex cases. Good practice has been embedded through clinical supervision, cultural awareness, and understanding of racism and discrimination.
The Thinking Space, facilitated by the Claudia Jones Organisation, offers therapeutic support to African Caribbean women through group sessions. As a result of receiving a grant from Compass, CJO holds twice-monthly Spaces promoting dialogue, reflection, and supportive relationships for individual and community well-being. Over the year, 33 women participated in the program, receiving 3,960 hours of therapeutic support, while facilitators benefited from monthly supervision.
The CJO Counselling Service has had a profound impact on African and Caribbean women in the East London NHS Foundation Trust catchment area, offering culturally sensitive therapeutic support. Women feel empowered to look forward, explore self-improvement, and re-engage with their communities. The unique approach offered by CJO fills a gap in mental health support, ensuring that women from diverse backgrounds can access the help they need.
Website: claudiajones.org
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