How we operate and deliver our Strategic Plan and annual Corporate Plan is as important as what we will do. The following four broad principles are being adopted by the council and are based on resident and young people’s feedback on our services.
Operating principles
Delivering public good
Listening to citizens
Prevention and early intervention
Acting with agility and pace
Our principles will run through all our services and operations and be embedded across the whole organisation. They will guide how we:
- design and deliver services
- engage with partners
- work with and support communities
- measure our performance
- make our decisions
- allocate resources
- develop our workforce
Each demonstrates our commitment to place young people at the heart of what we do and how we will turn vision into action and build a positive future for Devon where everyone thrives.
Delivering public good
We will apply public money to serve the public good, we will continue to deliver value for money recognising Devon’s money should benefit Devon residents. We aim to put public interest ahead of private sector gain and will test alternative delivery approaches favouring local solutions, and commission ethically and locally wherever possible. All decisions will be based on evidence.
Our commitment to young people: We will prioritise retaining the benefits of our spend locally seeking opportunities for our care experienced young people through our suppliers.
Listening to citizens
We will open up decision-making by listening to lived experience and local knowledge and involve our diverse communities in shaping services that affect them. From citizen panels and surveys to improved scrutiny and staff feedback, we will encourage participation to be our default approach and will strengthen our engagement with community organisations, town and parish councils.
Our commitment to young people: We will listen and work alongside our young people, and put them at the heart of our services and decision making.
Prevention and early intervention
We will act early to prevent harm. Across children’s and adult social care, education, health, and public safety, we will continue to prioritise early help, supporting young people, families and communities, joining up with partners to provide the right support at the right time and designing services around resilience, not reaction.
Acting with agility and pace
We will act decisively to implement our decisions and adapt our approaches in response to feedback. We will regularly review our performance and take swift action to make improvements and respond openly, quickly and proactively to any significant local or national policy changes and events.
Our commitment to young people: We will provide regular and frequent updates and seek feedback on how well be are doing against their priorities and our Young Person Strategic Plan.