Every local authority in the UK is legally obliged by the 1989 Children Act to keep a register or database of children with special needs. In Brighton and Hove, the database is called The Compass and it is run by Amaze.

The purpose of 'registers' like the Compass, is to:

• monitor existing services and plan future services for disabled children
• act as a hub for sending out information to families on local issues, events and services
• provide a point of contact for families to feed back their views to service providers and planners

Parent carers register their children's details voluntarily. 

In March 2003, Amaze launched the Compass Card. The card was launched partly in answer to demands from parents of children with special needs for affordable leisure and partly in order to boost the number of families registered on the database.

Nationally, it is thought that up to 7% of the UK child population have disabilities or special needs*, but there are no hard and fast figures. Going on the current child population of Brighton and Hove, we think that the Compass accounts for at least 35% of the children who would be eligible to join, which is a much higher proportion than has been managed by other registers.

The information on The Compass has played a critical part in shaping local services for children with special needs. It has also enabled us to keep in touch with parents - letting them know about events, services or projects that are relevant to them.

*Thomas Coram Research Unit report 'Disabled Children: Numbers, Characteristics and Local Service Provision', Mooney et al 2008