1.
Positive futures for our young people
Our children and young people are Devon’s future. This means focusing on creating an environment for young people to thrive, through childhood and into adulthood. We will improve and strengthen services in Devon, taking a family-led approach to how we shape our services, and work with schools and education providers to ensure access to high quality and inclusive education, which enables all children and young people to progress to their maximum potential.
What it means and why it matters
This priority reflects our role as a corporate parent, a strategic leader, and a convener of agencies that impact children and young people. It recognises the systemic challenges many families face, including poverty, poor mental health, fragmented services, and the impact of isolation or trauma. Above all, it affirms our commitment that every child and young person deserves the best start in life providing the foundation of a fair, thriving, and resilient Devon.
We will jointly work with statutory partners, health services, schools and education providers, and blue light services, recognising we can only succeed where we collaborate and hold each other accountable for delivery of our respective services and functions.
Integrating our services where appropriate, we can provide a joined-up approach to our young people and families, leading to improvement, efficiencies and better outcomes. Clarity on our respective roles and priorities through strengthened engagement will underpin our commitments and goals, demonstrating our values and operating principles.
Our five commitments
Our five commitments, four-year goals, and activities
Commitment
Ensure services are co-produced with children, young people, families, and communities.
Goal
Adopt a collaborative approach, based on lived experience and inclusion.
We will:
- create opportunities for children, young people, and families to shape decisions and policies
- value feedback as a key driver of improvement and work with the Devon Youth Council as a key partner, engaging regularly with members and senior decision-makers to hear views and feedback
- develop visible and safe participation and engagement services
- strengthen engagement with LGBT+ and diverse communities and act as advocates for change
- improve understanding and responses for neurodiverse children, young people and families
Commitment
Embed consistently high
standards across all services, led by children, young people and their families.
Goal
Achieve excellence in practice.
We will:
- develop practice standards for Family Help to complement children’s social care standards
- ensure there is a consistent model of working across Devon with children and young people with trauma-informed, relational, and restorative training
- prioritise the lived experience of children and young people in decision-making
- use feedback, compliments, and complaints to celebrate success and learn where to improve
- improve data use to quickly respond to trends and needs.
- embed the Neglect Strategy and strengthen responses to domestic abuse, substance misuse, poor mental health, and harm outside the home
- enhance the multi-agency strategy to address exploitation, radicalisation, trafficking, and modern slavery
Commitment
Deliver inclusive and compassionate services that meet children and young people’s needs early, reduce risk, and improve life outcomes.
Goal
Provide the right services for the right children and young people at the right time.
We will:
- implement the Devon Families First Partnership programme
- give children and young people the Best Start in life, as set out in this national strategy
- strengthen partnerships with the NHS, police, schools, and other statutory partners to improve mutual accountability for vulnerable children, young people and their families in Devon
- commission and deliver evidence-based family led programmes, with partners, to meet needs
- support children and young people’s belonging and attainment in good-quality schools, reviewing home-to-school transport for efficiency
- implement the local area SEND and Alternative Provision Strategy
- prevent and divert young people from antisocial or offending behaviour through restorative practice and Youth Justice Services
Commitment
Make Devon a great place to work by fostering a strong identity with all children, young people and families’ workers.
Goal
Create a stable and confident workforce supporting career growth, and ensuring staff have the confidence, skills, and knowledge they need.
We will:
- invest in staff and volunteers to ensure a professional, skilled, and knowledgeable workforce across children’s social care, family help, education, SEND and youth justice services
- continue to progress workforce recruitment and retention strategy to support our ‘grow our own’ model
- consider how our children’s social care ‘Academy’ training resources and approach may be developed for all children’s and families’ staff.
- with our partners, deliver a revised and improved core training offer, supported by supplementary training and continuous professional development through reflective supervision
Commitment
Ensure children and young people grow up in ‘Stable Homes Built on Love’, and have access to high-quality education within their communities.
Goal
Build innovative and aspirational services – right home, right school, right time.
We will:
- work with families and partners to bring children and young people home to Devon where it improves their outcomes
- develop new children’s homes in Devon in line with the national Stable Homes Built on Love policy
- increase the number of foster carers through creative recruitment and appropriate support packages
- extend the Mockingbird model of fostering