Introduction

Relationships are at the heart of everything we do for Devon; taking a relational approach ensures we act with kindness through adversity, we genuinely care for the people of Devon, and that we nurture the partnerships critical to achieving this ambitious strategic plan.

This does not mean we will not take difficult actions every day, but we are clear that how we do our work is equally important as the work we do. Our relationships need to be resilient as we respond positively to changes in national direction and policy, as we are responsive to the changing needs of families and as we learn and grow from best practice locally and nationally. We must also embrace the opportunities that come from innovation, redesign, and transformation.

Every day Devon County Council makes a positive difference to people’s lives.

We provide a range of services, protect our precious Devon environment and work with a wide range of partners and organisations to ensure that the health of the people of Devon and all the services families need are working well and in partnership.

This plan is demanding greater collaboration and partnership to ensure ‘a positive future for Devon where everyone thrives’ – it is inclusive – recognising we can make a greater difference through stronger partnerships.

Our collective ambition to focus on continuous improvement, key performance targets along with a growth mindset and an ability to treat ‘every day as a learning opportunity’ will enable us to build that thriving, positive future. It needs our pride in recognising what we do well and celebrating when we make progress, our positivity and agility as we embrace change and our ability to be humble when we need to listen to each other, our partners and the people of Devon when there is feedback and evidence on how we can do our work better or differently.

Most importantly, let’s act with passion as we deliver this plan: to care about delivering the ambitions set out for all our services, to recognise when we make mistakes and always strive to do better, to do all we can to protect the wonderful Devon environment into the future and to welcome wholeheartedly the opportunities that an inclusive Devon County Council focused on collaboration and partnering will bring.