But what is co-production? What makes it different to other ways of working? Our new co-production lead, Liddie Bone, has written this ‘co-production at a glance’ article to hopefully give you all the answers you need!
At Disability Rights UK, we are embarking on a journey to embed co-production within our organisation. As a Disabled people’s organisation, we are run by and for Disabled people, so there’s nothing more important to us than consulting with Disabled people as part of our work, supporting co-production as an approach. However, we want to go further and ensure that we are truly co-producing and working in partnership with Disabled people from all backgrounds and intersections.
But what is co-production? What makes it different to other ways of working? This ‘co-production at a glance’ article will hopefully give you all the answers you need!
What is co-production?
The term ‘co-production’ describes working in partnership by rebalancing the power between professionals and Disabled people, especially those of us who draw on care and support, or are carers.
At its centre is an organisational shift in power dynamics to create a more equal relationship between the people who use services and those who provide them. It involves people with different forms of lived experience and knowledge, alongside people with professional knowledge and understanding, all working together. What is essential is genuinely embracing this way of working and the values that underpin it.
There is no single formula for co-production, but there are some key features that are present in successful co-production initiatives (SCIE, 2022). They:
- break down the barriers between Disabled people and professionals
- build on people’s existing capabilities
- include reciprocity (where people get something back for putting something in) and mutuality (people working together to achieve shared objectives)
- work with peer and personal support networks alongside professional networks
- facilitate services by helping organisations become agents for change rather than just being service providers.
Why do Co-production?
Co-production supports people to use their own experiences and capacity to influence. It blurs the boundaries between ‘professionals’ and ‘service users’ so they share power more equally. This takes time, energy and practice but doing things differently means tackling a range of issues that confront us.
There is no roadmap for co-production; the process will look different every time. However, using the co-production model means that everyone is always involved. Just as they share in the challenges they will share in the final success.
Disabled people and people who use services, carers, and members of the community know what works best. You can’t create something properly without us. You shouldn’t take responsibility for solving every problem; co-producing means finding collective solutions.
When services, projects and initiatives are genuinely co-produced, they generally work better. This is because co-produced solutions make the most of the shared expertise of the professionals and the people who have direct experience of using them. Working in partnership can only be positive!
Next steps for DR UK
We are already co-producing some of our projects, but would like go further to ensure that a culture of co-production is embedded within the organisation.
Implementing co-production within an organisation can be challenging and complex. It involves looking at every aspect of how an organisation works, so this is a journey that we are about to embark on and it won’t be a simple one.
This means implementing change at every level, from senior management to frontline staff. We want to ensure that:
- Co-production becomes part of daily practice
- That is runs through the culture of our organisation
- That we have the strategy and resources available to ensure it can take place
- That all staff are upskilled on working in this way.
The SCIE model below demonstrates the different areas we will be working on as part of this journey.
We will be sharing updates as we move forward on this journey. We would also like to ‘spotlight’ Disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) or others who have embedded co-production as part of this work. If you would like to share anything related to co-production, please email our co-production lead at Lydia.bone@disabilityrightsuk.org