“Creating the environment for all partners to participate”

The partnership is based on a real partnership of equals, with shared principles, understanding and respect. To achieve this and to ensure the partnership is truly representative, a number of key principles underpin how the partnership identifies its priorities, manages the planning process and structures itself to deliver its objectives. These include:

• Inclusiveness – creating the environment for all partners to participate
• Involvement – recognising and integrating the priorities, strategies and compromises of and between existing partnerships and networks
• Simplification – identifying a small number of common issues and concerns for joint action and doing a few things well
• Adding value – focusing on issues where joined-up thinking and action can bring benefits
• Openness and transparency – of process and decision making
• Learning from and developing good practice – building on best practice from other partnerships, both local and national, and increasing the skill levels and knowledge of everyone involved