Principles

1. Ensuring people can access services easily, including those needing reasonable adjustments.
2. Informing people who use services what they can expect and what the organisation expects of them.
3. Keeping to commitments, including any published service standards.
4. Dealing with people helpfully, promptly and sensitively, taking account of their individual circumstances.
5. Responding to people’s needs flexibly and, where appropriate, coordinating a response with other service providers.
6. Recognising and respecting the diversity of people who use services and adopting an inclusive approach.

Examples of what good looks like

• Setting expectations by having and clearly communicating appropriate organisational guidance.
• Understanding the individual circumstances of a case – and applying any relevant policies having proper regard to those circumstances.
• Contractual arrangements with suppliers to maintain service standards and provide clarity on the responsibility for managing concerns and complaints.
• Having appropriate skills and capacity to effectively contract manage third party suppliers delivering services on behalf of the council.

Crisis working

1. Ensuring frontline staff are clear about any new expectations from new or adapted policies and procedures so they give the right advice to people using services.
2. Ensuring the individual circumstances of each case are considered, even when national rule changes allow different thresholds for action.
3. Planning ahead for a phased return to normal working, addressing any backlogs, prioritising more urgent cases.