Across all of our services, our focus is clear: to ensure that users receive an excellent level of service.
Children’s Services
We are committed to working in partnership with children, young people and their families. This is because we believe that children are best looked after within their own families and within their local communities. Only when such support is not able to meet the child’s needs will we provide further services.
Our values are rooted in the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child, specifically:
- Article 2: Requires that no child is discriminated against. The Article mentions grounds such as disability, race, colour, sex, religion, national, ethnic or social origins, birth, property or other status.
- Article 3: Requires that the welfare of the child is a primary consideration when decisions concerning a child are being made.
- Article 12: States that children must be consulted on all matters of concern to them and that their views must be given due weight in accordance with maturity.
We also aim to promote the values contained within the National Assembly of Young People in Care Charter.
Devon County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
Adult Community Services
The people of Devon have told us they want to lead full and independent lives for as long as possible. They want a choice of help and support, which is flexible, responsive and meets their personal needs and outcomes. The Government’s vision to change adult social care over the coming years emphasises people helping themselves. We will put you at the centre of everything we do, allowing you to decide and arrange the help and support you need.
We want you to remain independent and to have choice and control over the support you’d like to receive. We are working with health and other public and community organisations to make sure this happens. We will always offer you information and advice to help yourself. We will also direct our support at those people who have the greatest needs or who are most at risk of harm.
We have been modernising our services over the past few years, transforming care management and changing the way that we provide services.
The people who use our services remain at the centre of everything we do. We have a commitment to delivering high-quality, safe, professional community services for each and every one of them, while providing support for the carers involved as well as our staff. We make it easy for people to contact us and resolve their enquiries as quickly as possible. We also look for new ways to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our services, working with other external agencies to meet health, well-being and social care needs in a local setting.
Devon County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable adults in the community and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.