About Us
Compass, as a part of Niamh is collaborating with health and social care agencies, local government, academic and non-statutory bodies to bridge the mental health evidence gap by carrying out high quality research in health promotion, epidemiology, evaluation of service delivery and the development of health and social care interventions.
Over many years mental health research in Northern Ireland has been seriously underfunded and, relative to the rest of the UK and the Republic of Ireland, we sorely lack an evidence base which would help us to tackle some of the most difficult and enduring problems. Epidemiological evidence on the distribution of mental health problems and their determinants in NI is scant and so too is the robust evaluation of services in the statutory and voluntary sectors.
Compass has always been committed to the belief that mental health and wellbeing is the business of everyone. We need to work across all sectors of society in order to tackle health inequalities and the sources of mental illness. There is also an urgent need for early and preventative interventions alongside the development of effective and desirable treatments and services for people who suffer mental health problems.
- We provide policy makers with evidence on how to improve the emotional wellbeing of the population
- We produce evidence for policy makers on how to improve mental health services
- We collaborate with academic institutions to increase the capacity for mental health research in Northern Ireland
- We carry out evaluations to measure Niamh’s achievements and to ensure we provide a useful and dynamic service
- We train early stage researchers by providing student placements and volunteer opportunities
Our Mission
To increase the prominence of psychological wellbeing in the population and to improve services for people experiencing mental health problems by directly influencing policy and national guidelines at a governmental level.