The evidence‑informed practice compass is a practical decision‑making framework that helps child and family service organisations embed evidence‑informed approaches into their everyday work. It sets out the core domains that underpin high‑quality practice and supports teams to reflect on what they currently do, identify where improvements are needed and prioritise actions to strengthen their approach. 

The compass is about using the best available evidence, alongside practitioner expertise and local context, to guide how services are designed, delivered and improved over time. The tool is designed to support continuous improvement rather than one‑off assessment. It combines self‑assessment with structured planning, helping organisations track where they are across different domains of practice and develop targeted improvement plans. Used alongside monitoring and evaluation approaches, the compass enables services to learn from evidence, adapt to community needs, and ultimately improve outcomes for children and families in a systematic, strengths‑based way.