Cabinet secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell has reaffirmed his commitment to supporting frontline workers and making sure their ideas and experiences are included in policymaking.
Speaking on the final day of the Civil Service Live 09 conference at London's Olympia, he used the occasion to launch Listening to the Front Line, the government's response to the Sunningdale Institute's Engagement and Aspiration report on the importance of learning from the front line.
He said: "We must ensure we capture the knowledge and experience of frontline staff – nobody knows about what works and what doesn't better than the people delivering services themselves, and it's vital that Whitehall policymakers reflect that knowledge when designing government policies.
"This is already a key part of many departments everyday practice. DWP's 'Back to the Floor' scheme sends managers to work in Job Centres so that the people designing policies understand how they'll work in the real world.
"The Sunningdale Institute was clear about the need to embed this kind of thinking across Whitehall, and I agree that it should be a key part of public service reform."
Liam Byrne MP, chief secretary to the Treasury and minister for public service reform, also welcomed the report. "Decision making cannot begin and end in Whitehall. Policy works more effectively and efficiently when it draws on the experience and ideas of frontline staff.
"We must make sure the people who write the policy know where to turn, to keep frontline experience and the voices of citizens at the heart of our work. This means putting the right networks in place so that the wisdom of frontline staff is called upon as a matter of course.
"There are already some great examples of this happening, for example the Inspiring Communities programme run by the Social Exclusion Taskforce."
Listening to the Front Line, also drew praise from Sunningdale Institute Fellows Sir David Omand, Lord Victor Adebowale and Professor Ken Starkey.
