The Oberstown Strategy 2022-2026 reflects the organisation’s purpose, vision and values. It sets out five strategic goals and their associated actions representing the overall direction, focus and ambition for Oberstown in the coming years.
The strategy builds on progress made under Oberstown’s 2017-2021 Strategy, extended due to COVID-19. It takes account of the organisation’s responsibilities under national law and policy, the Strategy of Oberstown’s home Department (DCEDIY) and aligns with the Youth Justice Strategy 2021-2027.
Oberstown’s strategic goals cover five key areas: 1. Care of young people at Oberstown; 2. Staff wellbeing and development; 3. Partnerships; 4. Transparency and accountability; 5. Sustainability. Each of the strategic goals has five high-level strategic actions with associated priority tasks for their implementation.
Implementing the strategy
The Board of Management approved the new strategy and monitors its progress. The Director takes the lead on implementation, together with the Senior Management Team, who foster a joint sense of ownership of the goals across the organisation. Everyone in the Oberstown community has a role to play in implementing the strategy, which was developed through a process of consultation with staff, stakeholders and young people.
An annual plan, approved by the Board, identifies priorities for each year of the strategy and introduces key performance indicators to help measure and track successful implementation of the strategic goals. Regular progress reports to the Board by the Director are designed to ensure appropriate oversight of the process, aided by the use of Smartsheet, a collaborative work management and progress reporting tool. An annual account of strategy implementation is published in the Oberstown Annual Report – 2023 was the first full year of implementation. By the end of 2023, a total of 73 tasks were either completed or in progress. See the Oberstown Annual Report 2023 for a summary of progress.
Resources
Oberstown is fully committed to the implementation of the Strategy 2022-2026 and to ensuring the resources are available to achieve its ambitious goals. Rigorous financial management and planning to accompany the development of each annual plan is in place to this end. The strategy is designed to align with the Oberstown risk management process so risks to its success are identified and treated.
The ongoing support of the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth is a key factor, and providing the Minister with regular updates is a priority for the Oberstown Board and Executive.