Technology has become (or perhaps always has been) a contentious topic in social care. A silver bullet for some, but for many approached with caution and quiet scepticism. At its core, social care is a human-first profession and so it is understandable that new models of working in the digital age may make people feel unsure. The outcome of this has been numerous failed costly pilots across local authorities across the country. And where small-scale pilots have seen some traction, they have stayed as just that: small, often with low, siloed adoption by a specific team with no wider evidence for validation or plan for adoption at scale. This stagnation hasn’t allowed adult social care (ASC) teams to address their greatest challenges; meeting the increasing need of ASC services, the reduction in care resources and decreasing budgets in face of mounting costs.

Lessons learned

The continued focus on technology by central government and industry bodies acknowledges that technology does have a significant role to play in moving the sector forwards and supporting the increasing need. But there has to be lessons learned from where the traction has been missed in previously unsuccessful pilots.

Having worked with dozens of local authorities and ICBs across the UK now, we have learned how to implement in a way that allows teams to continue to do what they do best, while rolling out our solution in a way that works. We have seen what enables this and helps organisations build scale, momentum and millions of savings through tech – and what causes friction and delays.

Key challenges

For most local authorities, the blockers to successful deployment stem from:

Training:

Training generally needs to accomplish too many things. The objectives range from winning hearts and minds and establishing why this tech is different and how it will transform support for services users, how and when to use the tech and then how to explain the tech to a service user and their next of kin to obtain consent. This is simply too much to achieve in the time available for care workers to be trained.

Time:

There is time required up front in the process of technology implementation, including for getting referrals, consent and doing the installation. It is a challenge to convince teams that the investment of time is worth it up front.

Conviction:

Many care teams have “pilotitus”. They’ve been here before with a piece of care technology that rarely sees it through the pilot. How do we convince them that this one will be different? There is no incentive at the outset or buy in to support adoption and conviction to see the results.

Implementation:

This challenge stems from a lack of buy-in at a senior level to mandate the project back down through ASC. There must be a willingness to change some internal procedures and systems to streamline implementation and work collaboratively with all stakeholders including tech suppliers to benefit from previous learnings and suggestions.

Measurement:

It’s essential to move to a culture where we measure impact outcomes of technology. Instead of assessing the ins and outs of the nuances of the tech to decide value, measure the impact on the service users, frontline resources and savings.

Overcoming these challenges

To ensure technology becomes “business as usual” make sure the implementation process is planned first – with a dedicated partner to manage and drive the required process and culture changes.

We have learned that teams are too busy to manage the implementation of technology themselves – and work cross-functionally to drive and build momentum for a new programme. At Lilli, we now offer an upfront managed service to roll-out with a team already behind it. They review waiting lists, get consent, install the solution and monitor any data.

Once this the initial implementation is done, then train by presenting front line teams with the evidence and support from the initial implementation team. Have data gathered across a portfolio of relevant service users.

The benefit of this is two fold: care professionals see the real life example including the outcomes, the process and tech in a much more meaningful way without the burden of the up front process. Secondly, they are much more eager to start referring other cases into the scheme, now they can see the benefits.

Success in Medway Council

In Medway, by using this approach and having a dedicated delivery partner, with established processes in place and working across various pathways in adult social care, we saw almost immediate results of £40,000 a week in savings and significantly less referrals to residential or higher needs care for the council.

Once Medway ASC teams could see for themselves the impact Lilli was already having, they were excited to deploy it in their case loads too. They felt confident in referring Lilli to everyone they thought it would help, since it was already established.

It was this method of implementation that helped change the game in Medway, and allowed them to rapidly scale. By doing the groundwork and taking the initial teething challenges of rolling out the technology away from the team, the tech became less contentious, met with less scepticism, and rather a game-changing tool that already had full-backing of senior leaders across the organisation. This, coupled with the strong leadership from the team to commit at scale to the programme, allowed it to flourish. To date, they have saved more than 1.6m+ through Lilli alone.

Putting learnings into practise

This learning has led a lot of our thinking when it comes to implementation at Lilli in all the organisations we now work with. We start now with set processes, structures and accountability as this can be the difference between an uphill struggle to get it off the ground or an incredible case study within weeks.

In our Implementation Guide, developed with SCIE, we share more thinking around this topic. From managing the culture change to communicating senior buy-in and setting regular reviews, there are a series of learnings to hopefully help you on a smooth and successful journey to enable human-first, but tech-supported, care.

Transformation may not happen overnight, but with the right roadmap in place you will start to see the impact on people, outcomes and finances, as well as culture, much quicker.

Implementation Guide

Explore

Co-production Week 2025 (30 June – 4 July), hosted by the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), celebrated the vital role people with lived experience play in shaping better social care. This year’s theme, ‘Innovation through co-production’, highlighted how sharing power and creating equal partnerships can drive fresh thinking and real change. At SCIE and Think Local Act Personal (TLAP), co-production is at the heart of how we work, helping us identify, support and share good practice across the sector. Co-production Week always gives me space to reflect—not just on what we’ve achieved but also on what still needs to be done. One of the big questions that keeps coming up in the world of co-production is around impact. People often ask, “What difference has it actually made?” and it’s a fair question. As someone with lived experience of accessing social care, and someone who’s been involved in co-production for many years, showing impact really matters to me. It’s not just about ticking boxes or writing up reports. It’s about being able to say, “Look, this is what changed because people were involved and valued.

That’s why being part of the creation and now the update of the Co-production Impact Resource has meant so much to me. When we first launched it in April 2024, the aim was to give people a clear, usable way to understand and show the impact of co-production. It felt genuinely co-produced. Everyone involved had a voice, and we built something that was more accessible, easier to understand and, crucially, rooted in lived experience.”

Since then, we’ve gone further. In 2025, we updated the resource based on pilot tests in East Riding of Yorkshire and Buckinghamshire. We heard from staff and people drawing on care and support using the resource by asking what worked and what didn’t—and used their feedback to shape an improved version of the resource.

We didn’t just make changes behind the scenes either. We worked with people with lived experience again, keeping everyone informed throughout the process by regular updates showing how we used people’s insights and ideas to make sure the development of the resource stayed true to its purpose of guiding people through and demonstrating co-production.

– Isaac Samuels OBE.

People have told us that seeing examples of co-production in practice moves us away from abstract theories to real and practical ways of working together—and adding the examples from our pilot projects has done just that.

The pilot sites helped us improve the toolkit by drawing out insights, practical tips and case examples for other local areas to use, such as:

  • Good facilitation is essential when working in groups that include people who draw on care and support. This creates space for people to engage fully and stay focused
  • discussing real examples helps people understand the impact more clearly in a way that is more familiar to people’s unique experiences and perspectives
  • using visual and interactive tools, like our pathways to impact template, makes the resource come alive when facilitating co-production impact assessment, allowing for creativity and increased stimulation when putting ideas into action.

What’s new in the resource?

  • We have heard loud and clear that language matters, so we simplified the jargon and ensured language is more accessible throughout the resource
  • we reduced the amount of text and simplified the structure to make the content more concise
  • we have added examples of co-production and impact from East Riding of Yorkshire and Buckinghamshire, with visuals and graphic elements to make the resource more accessible.
  • we have included a new pathway to impact illustration template in the resource, to
  • help people map out what change can actually look like.”

Through piloting our coproduction resource, one thing is clear—when co-production is done well, services improve, relationships grow and people feel truly heard. It’s not about perfection, but about trust and space for real collaboration—that’s where lasting change begins. These lessons have shaped how we understand co-production and how others might start their own journey.

– Tasnim Rahman.

This year’s Co-production Week showcased inspiring, co-produced projects that are helping to transform services, particularly for unpaid carers, and demonstrated the value of continued investment in co-production.

If you missed any of the events, conversations or resources, visit the SCIE website to watch workshop recordings, explore what was shared and discover how co-production continues to drive innovation in social care.

In my experience supporting digital transformation within adult social care, technology alone rarely delivers the outcomes we hope for. Even the most sophisticated digital tools risk becoming expensive form-filling exercises if we fail to address the human factors that determine success or failure. When developing tools like online self-assessments, the principles of co-production are essential to creating solutions that meet people’s needs and deliver positive outcomes. That’s why it was so important for the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)’s Accelerating Reform Fund (ARF) to request that all projects consider co-production from the outset. A common misconception is that digital transformation ends with the product launch. I believe the development of the tech solution only represents approximately 20% of the total effort required to create a successful digital service. The remaining 80% involves the critical work of co-producing the implementation and delivery plan alongside both people who draw on care and support and the stakeholders responsible for bringing the service to life.

Co-design to co-production

This reflects the complex reality of digital transformation in social care. While co-design establishes the foundation -understanding the needs of people drawing on care, mapping journeys, defining functionality – co-production is critical in addressing challenges that emerge when turning design into operational reality. This includes co-producing communications and engagement plans with residents, staff training on new technology, ongoing user support, and service refinement.

The transition from co-design to co-implementation should be an evolution, not a handover. Those involved in co-design during User Acceptance Testing have invaluable insights that extend into co-producing implementation and delivery plans, ensuring the service remains person-centred throughout process.

Continuity of engagement bridges the gap between conceptual design and practical implementation. The involvement of those receiving care from the start can identify barriers, suggest solutions, and advocate for the service within their communities. Their ongoing participation creates a feedback loop, enabling continuous improvement and responsiveness to changing needs.

Enabling self-discovery and strengths-based practice

An online Care Act self-assessment should be more than a digital form-filling exercise. When co-designed and co-produced, these tools become powerful for self-discovery, helping people identify strengths and raising awareness of community services.

This approach aligns with the Care Act’s emphasis on prevention, early intervention, and promoting individual wellbeing, allowing the tool to be used ‘upstream’ by community organisations, as well as statutory services ‘downstream’. This can enable social prescribers and staff from commissioned providers to explore the person’s care and support needs earlier in the person’s care journey.  Features that encourage people to reflect on their capabilities and aspirations turn the self-assessment into a strengths-based tool, empowering individuals and supporting their sense of agency and self-worth.

Digital self-assessments offer unique opportunities for connection and collaboration beyond traditional paper assessments. Effective tools include functionality for people to share their assessments securely with family members, carers, advocates, or professionals.

This sharing acknowledges that care decisions are rarely made in isolation. By enabling controlled information sharing, the tool supports collaborative care planning while preserving user autonomy. 

As a conversation tool: “What matters to me?”

An online self-assessment should serve as a conversation tool that helps people to explore “What matters to me?”. This represents a shift from deficit-based models focused on what people cannot do, towards person-centred approaches prioritising values, preferences and goals.

As a conversation starter, the assessment catalyses meaningful dialogue between individuals and supporters, providing a framework to explore wellbeing, identify support needs and articulate personal outcomes. This conversational approach makes the assessment part of the intervention itself, promoting reflection, self-awareness and goal-setting.

The tool should facilitate exchanging information about wellbeing and support needs in ways that promote understanding and collaboration, creating meaningful dialogue about how formal and informal supports can work together effectively.

The cultural shift: purpose over process

One significant challenge in digital transformation is supporting staff through a culture shift. Many practitioners have developed a ‘form-filling mentality’ – an efficient but transactional approach to gathering information.

Digital tools can help workers to re-focus their conversations with people by shifting attention to the person, rather than the process.  For many workers, years of working with traditional assessment processes have shifted focus toward form-filling, which is an efficient but inherently impersonal approach.  It could be the fear of losing ‘professional control’ by working with tech, which enables people to have greater access to information and more control over their care and support needs, or it could be a lack of tech literacy and confidence.

Resistance often arises not from unwillingness but from pressures like caseload management and performance targets, which have historically rewarded efficiency over depth of engagement. Supporting staff through this transition requires acknowledging these tensions and integrating meaningful conversations into workflows.

Some councils, like my own, have introduced artificial intelligence (AI) transcription tools to relieve administrative burden and support better conversations, but these must be used responsibly with the person’s consent or in their best interests (Mental Capacity Act, S4).

Training staff to use digital self-assessments as conversation starters requires reimagining assessments not as data capture but as gateways to rich conversations about a person’s strengths and community assets. This shift demands a reorientation of professional practice towards genuine person-centred approaches, not just technical training.

My journey in developing digital services for social care has shown that sustained commitment to genuine partnership with people who have lived experience is fundamental to success. Co-production extends far beyond co-design, requiring ongoing collaboration and sometimes difficult conversations about changing established practices.

What intrigues me is how digital tools, when co-produced with people, can catalyse broader cultural shifts within social care organisations. Online self-assessments become more than digital services; they become vehicles for transformation, challenging how we engage with the people we serve. With commitment and curiosity, these tools empower self-discovery and collaborative care planning that truly centre the person in their care journey.

Accelerating Reform Fund

Embracing change: scaling innovation in social care in practice 

Read our new report

John Evans was a leading advocate for disability justice. His tireless advocacy shaped the Independent Living Movement, SCIE’s co-production work, and the broader fight for equality.   John sadly passed away in January 2025, and his loss was felt deeply by everyone at the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) and Think Local Act Personal (TLAP). Co-production Week was always close to John’s heart, and as we mark the first one without him, we bring together tributes to honour his legacy and the lasting impact he had on all of us.  

At the end of Co-production Week 2025, we want to celebrate the life and legacy of John Evans—a remarkable man, a fearless campaigner and a true pioneer of the Independent Living Movement in the UK and beyond. John was not only a passionate advocate for disabled people’s rights; he was also a generous colleague, a strategic thinker and a tireless force for justice whose influence will be felt for generations to come. 

John’s life and work were inseparable from the growth of the Independent Living Movement. As one of its original architects, he helped to radically transform the way we think about disability, support and autonomy. Drawing on his own lived experience, John campaigned relentlessly to ensure that disabled people had choice and control over their lives—not as a matter of charity or care, but as a matter of rights and equality. He was instrumental in setting up some of the UK’s first centres for independent living, and his leadership helped lay the foundations for direct payments, personal assistance and the principles of self-directed support. 

John brought that same energy and clarity of purpose to his work with SCIE. As a member of SCIE’s Co-production Steering Group, he was instrumental in embedding co-production into the organisation’s ethos and practice. He believed—and showed through action—that real change happens when people with lived experience are at the centre of designing and shaping the systems that affect their lives. 

His contributions were always grounded in respect, clarity and a deep belief in the power of people working together to create change. Whether in national forums, board meetings or local action groups, John’s voice was one of calm determination and moral clarity. 

This year’s Co-production Week is both a celebration and a recommitment to his vision. John helped create this movement—not just through words, but through decades of leadership, collaboration, and conviction. John showed us what leadership, courage, and solidarity look like. We carry his legacy forward by continuing to do what he always did: working together, thinking boldly and never losing sight of the power of people coming together as equals to work in coproduction to effect change. 

Kathryn Marsden OBE (formerly Kathryn Smith), Ian McCreath

Chief Executive of the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), Director, Think Local Act Personal (TLAP)

In early summer 2020, when COVID-19 held the world in its grip, John had just become Chair of the SCIE Co-production Steering Group. In his role, he recorded a welcome video for the upcoming Co-production Week 2020, which that year had to take place online for the first time due to the pandemic. In the years that followed, it would become a bit of a tradition for John to make these videos, and I remember many a unique moment of us trying to get the recording right with our very basic equipment. In addition to this, we were having a rather hard time squeezing into these brief clips everything that John felt important to include. 

He was incredibly passionate about co-production, and so there was a lot he had to say about it. Looking back at the Co-production Week 2020 video message now, it reminds me of so many different aspects of John’s personality that I loved and that I know his friends and colleagues appreciated just as much. You can sense his enormous commitment to co-production, his firm belief in its importance and his wish to share his experience. 

John was always very personal in discussions and presentations, giving people an unusual insight into his life, his hopes and his challenges. It is only now that I think I fully understand why he would do that, why he would not shy away from exposing things that other people might try to hide rather than discuss. With his openness, John made people see the importance of lived experience, of considering other perspectives, and of including everyone who is potentially affected by a decision-making process. John’s life was about choice and control, for himself and other people; this is what he fought for, and this is exactly what co-production is about. 

There is another aspect of John’s first welcome video message from 2020, which is so very typical of him. When COVID-19 hit and the entire country was in lockdown, it was hard, there is no other way to put it. I am sure everyone remembers that all too well. John and I were extremely worried about his safety due to the specific situation we were living in and John’s health condition. John reflected on that on various occasions, again in his usual open manner. But, John being John, he focused on the positive side of things—and in his message pointed out how co-production made all the difference during lockdown in communities all over the country, when local groups formed to improve the situation, to help and to look out for each other.  

As John said, “co-production has come into action.” He went on to mention how this important experience could and should be used to learn how to improve social care—this focus on the future, on learning and developing and changing things for the better, again says so much about John’s remarkable personality. 

Back in 2020, the theme of the Co-production Week was ‘Co-production in a Changing World’. And how the world has changed since then! It’s hard to believe it’s only been five years since then. For me personally, the biggest change was, of course, that John is not here with me anymore, not here with us to celebrate this year’s Co-production Week. I do know, though, that he would have wanted all of us to celebrate, to carry on, to include co-production in every aspect of our lives, to insist that it’s being implemented on every level. 

This year’s Co-production Week’s theme is ‘Innovation Through Co-production’. I can easily picture John talking about how important a topic that is and engaging in discussions and workshops, sharing his takes and eagerly absorbing what the other participants have to say. The annual Co-production Week was always one of the most important weeks of the year to him. 

Jana Bleckmann-Evans,

John’s wife and friend of the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE).

I first met John in Brixton in the mid-1990s at an event that brought people together to discuss advocacy. He was always a pleasure to work alongside, someone who really listened and responded respectfully to everyone, while maintaining an unwavering commitment to improving the lives of disabled people. 

Not only was he a valued and supportive colleague, but he was also a lovely person with wide-ranging cultural interests, and the thing that springs to mind as I write this was a conversation we had about music in Sheffield around this time last year. It was a pleasure and a privilege to know him.  

Patrick Wood

Chair, the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) Co-production Steering Group.

John’s leadership was truly inspiring. He had a rare talent for bringing people together, always encouraging genuine collaboration and making sure every voice was heard. His passion for co-production went beyond the work itself—it was about building a community and creating real change. I feel lucky to have worked alongside him and learnt so much from his dedication and kindness. He leaves a huge legacy that will continue to inspire us all.  

Isaac Samuel OBE

the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) Trustee and Co-Chair, National Co-production Advisory Group (NCAG).

I really admired John. He was radical and had such integrity, but he was also pragmatic and practical. Most of all, he was so warm and wise.  

I remember the first time I met him. John was in a foul mood as he’d just come back from Europe, and the airline had lost his wheelchair. I must admit to being slightly scared. 

From that first meeting, I never would have guessed what a gentle and kind person John was. And what a good friend he would become. But it did give me a clue to his fiery spirit that yearned for change, and which made him such a brilliant advocate for disability rights.  

Pete Fleischmann

Head of Co-production, the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), 2004 – 2019.

He was an amazing person.  I saw him in a video when I started doing self-advocacy in the Wirral, and was so impressed by him that I really wanted to meet him. I met him in the end and always found him supportive, helpful and a true gentleman. He was someone I looked up to.  I miss him.

Jenny Carter

National Co-production Advisory Group (NCAG) member

John was a true ambassador for co-production. His light shone brightly for years as he campaigned tirelessly for the Independent Living Movement and the rights of disabled people to live independent, fulfilling lives. He had this relentless warmth and positivity. Even in challenging circumstances, he would remain open, constructive and collaborative. He had a quiet feistiness and loved music! All of this will stay with me. It was a pleasure working with him on the SCIE Co-production Steering Group, which he ably chaired for several years alongside countless other projects. He’ll be missed, but I know his spirit and the legacy of his co-production work will live on.

Kate Pieroudis

Senior Co-production Adviser, Think Local Act Personal (TLAP)/Co-production Development Manager, the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), 2018-2020.

I didn’t really know John, but I worked with him on designing Co-production Week last year. I always found him to be a quiet, gentle man with amazing knowledge. He had a ‘way’ about him.  

Paula Sardinha

National Co-production Advisory Group (NCAG) member.

When I first started at SCIE, my world was personally reeling after being diagnosed with a serious illness (thankfully behind me!), and it was a struggle some days to retain my ‘poker face’ and keep on keeping on.  John Evans was there for me. Sharing an illness meant he was instantly in tune with what I was going through. We had open and honest conversations that you can’t have with anyone else; things we didn’t need to explain were understood.  He was quite simply just wonderful to me at a very vulnerable time.  This was the essence of John; I will never forget his compassion despite his own trials and tribulations.  A truly lovely man.

Claire Cosgrove

Partnerships & Development Manager, the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE).

John had a spinal injury like mine. Only his was at a much higher level.  I took hope from John that if and when I lose the ability to use my arms and hands, life would still be worth living.  He was the founder of the disability movement.  And thanks to his fight, people are able to live in their own homes.  John always had so many words of wisdom.  It was a privilege to have met and worked with him through SCIE. May his memory be a blessing and inspiration.  

Jennifer Pearl

National Co-production Advisory Group (NCAG) member

John was a proud Welshman and came across as a very quietly spoken man, and yet he was a huge leader in the Independent Living Movement.  He was a freedom fighter.  I was very inspired to follow his lead to get direct payments made a right in England for mental health users/survivors. He remained a good friend over the decades, and he never gave up the fight for himself and others with disabilities to have a true voice. Like him, I am also a Hampshire ‘blow-in’, but I knew it was also my home. I will miss his wise counsel and indomitable spirit.

Tina Coldham BEM

former Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) trustee and former Chair, Co-production Steering Group

Co-production with people with lived experience of social care and health underpins and informs the work that the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) and Think Local Act Personal (TLAP) do, enabling us to recommend best practice in social care.   Monday marked the start of our 10th annual Co-production Week, a celebration of the power of co-production to design and develop better ways of doing things in social care. This year’s theme, ‘Innovation through co-production’, focuses on exploring how co-production can help innovation.   Innovation in social care refers to developing and applying new ideas, practices, models or technologies that improve the quality, accessibility and outcomes of social care. SCIE has always been at the forefront of uncovering and promoting the transformational power of innovation in social care. This includes the Social Care Innovation Network, which SCIE established in 2019 along with partners TLAP and Shared Lives Plus, and the more recent Accelerating Reform Fund (ARF), for which SCIE provided expert support to projects over 2024. 

Yesterday, we launched our new report, ‘Embracing change: scaling innovation in social care in practice’ in Westminster. Drawing on SCIE’s hands-on work with local authorities and partners across the country, the report presents invaluable learnings for the wider sector,  providing a clear understanding of the approaches people use, and what works in practice. Given the limited evidence and learning on this topic at this scale in adult social care, these findings should be seen as the beginning of a significant journey towards improvement. 

The report explores the barriers and enablers to innovation on the ground, including the conditions and relationships that enable meaningful co-production to flourish. It highlights how local areas have approached complex challenges in new and collaborative ways—offering practical examples of what works, why it works and how it can be replicated or scaled. In it, you’ll see recommendations for central Government, local government and system bodies (including SCIE) for how we can support innovation and embrace change.  

From the ARF, we have seen that, where local areas are given a small amount of dedicated funding to support innovation, they are freed up to try new things—initiatives that they’ve always wanted to pursue but never had the headspace or resource to get behind, or new ideas that they hear about from peers but can’t get off the ground without that initial investment. 

In some areas, like Worcestershire, the Council has worked in partnership with community and unpaid carer groups and a technology partner to improve the hospital discharge process by providing technology-enabled care (TEC) to people leaving hospital, giving confidence that new ways of working can help people stay at home. 

This kind of partnership-working was, in fact, evident across many of the projects. We have seen in Cornwall how the Carefree App is providing a win-win model of support to unpaid carers, helping them with free respite breaks in unused hotels to reduce the risk of them burning out. Simultaneously this has made them aware of the Council’s wider unpaid carers offering, and increased hotel occupancy—a great partnership across public, private and charitable sectors. 

A partnership example at scale can be seen in the North East, where thirteen Local Authorities collaborating with the NHS and Integrated Care Board commissioned a single approach to identifying unpaid carers that were not known to the public services in order to be able to engage and support them better. 

And outside of the ARF, we see that a partnership approach to designing innovation, implementing improvements and learning and adapting to change is crucial for Councils to gain buy-in from their own staff, the care workforce, and, most importantly of all, the people in their communities whom they serve.  

We have worked with a number of Councils in the last few years around digital maturity, helping identify where they are on their digital journeys and ensuring they understand what the community and workforce need from digital innovation. Mirroring a key learning from the ARF, we have seen that digital literacy levels are low (which leads to fear of transformative change), and that time and effort need to be put into shaping a business case for change. If that is done well, then there are multiple benefits to be reaped from it.  

We use a co-production approach at SCIE to ensure that digital changes are not thrust upon people but made in response to their needs.  It’s great to see from the ARF that almost every team, of which many have digital elements, used co-production to support the design and delivery of their projects. 

We all know how resource-strapped the adult social care sector is, and if we want to improve ways of working, take on risk in a considered way and try to transform and improve what we do, then we need to embrace change.  

We want to build on this work to plan what a good social care innovation system should look like – we need your help, we’re looking for partners interested in working with us to help map out innovation journeys, share learnings from work in progress and develop support to help make innovation business as usual. 

Join us on this journey, and get in touch to share your stories, challenges and learnings with us. 

In Cornwall, we asked a bold question: How do we make adult social care work with people—not just for them? That question sparked a transformation. Launched in summer 2023, our Personalisation Programme set out to boost independence, rethink care delivery, and focus on prevention. But we quickly realised: real personalisation means shared power. So, we leaned into co-production.

From consultation to co-creation

We started with an open invite—over 80 experts by experience joined us online, not to be consulted, but to co-design. Their feedback was honest, challenging, and game-changing. The message was clear: if we’re doing co-production, we’re doing it properly.

Building together

Out of those conversations came our Co-Production Framework—crafted with people, not behind closed doors. It set out our commitments, how co-production works, and what residents can expect—including fair pay for their time. Leadership followed suit. Our steering group is co-chaired by David Burns from Citizen Checkers and Alison Bulman, Director of Adult Social Services—a true partnership driving real change.

Tools for real impact

We co-created a toolkit to embed co-production in everyday work. It’s not a manual—it’s a living resource, packed with values-based guidance, inclusive meeting tools, and strengths-based planning tips. And we backed it with co-produced training, delivered with people with lived experience.

Making it matter

Co-production in Cornwall isn’t just a concept—it’s driving real change. Our steering group, made up of council staff and experts by experience, has helped shape everything from our “I” and “We” statements to practical tools for frontline teams. Together, we’ve co-designed services like day opportunities and direct payments support, and are co-producing strategies for autism and carers.

One standout success? The Accelerating Reform Fund. Through this national initiative, our co-production approach delivered tangible improvements for carers and people receiving support—proving that when we design with people, not for them, the results speak for themselves.

A new model for collaboration

In February 2025, we paused to reflect. Over 60 people—mostly with lived experience—came together at a face to face event to shape what’s next. The result? A new two-part model:

  • The Board: overseeing all co-production activity
  • The Assembly: where ideas are shared, services shaped, and decisions influenced

This isn’t just about better services—it’s about trust, transparency, and true collaboration.

Looking ahead

Now, co-production is expanding beyond social care. The Board and Assembly are becoming central to all council work—from housing to transport. Experts by experience are now embedded in decision-making, ensuring Cornwall’s services reflect the voices of those who use them.

We’re not just changing how we work—we’re changing who we work with. And that’s how we build a Cornwall that works for everyone.

To find out more about what’s going on, please visit the SCIE website.

National Co-Production Week 2025

The government has put great stock in the NHS 10-Year Health Plan (the Plan), especially the three shifts for adapting the NHS to a health service fit for the 21st Century: hospital to community, sickness to prevention and analogue to digital. The drip-feed of media speculation has heightened public awareness that big changes are planned.  We know from the recent Spending Review in June, however, that one aim of the Plan will be to extract greater public value out of the NHS’s £215 billion budget. With the Plan’s launch imminent, a critical review of its impact on the social care sector is warranted. Rather than being viewed solely as a partner to the NHS, social care must be recognised as a central force for promoting population health and supporting people to live better lives. To get beyond the rhetoric and the headlines, at least three deep dives are initially required. Will the Plan create positive opportunities for social care, including:

    • fairness and equity for people who draw on care and support;
    • a wider preventative role for social care that extends beyond managing hospital discharges and patient flow;
    • clear mechanisms for shifting resources from acute services to the community, including funding and incentives for better joined-up health and social care.

First test: the Plan’s approach to addressing inequalities

Early media reports suggest the Plan may target investments to address health inequalities in local areas with higher rates of deprivation. This is laudable, but from our research at the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), we know that deprivation alone is a poor proxy for tackling inequalities for people who draw on social care. I would be concerned if the Plan ignores other systemic causes of inequalities.  SCIE’s work has shown that tackling inequalities requires a broader lens, one that reflects people’s lived experiences. Personalisation, co-production and community-based support are essential to reducing disparities in access and outcomes, particularly for disabled people and those with long-term care needs.

Factors like ethnicity, age and disability, especially when combined, contribute to problems in accessing services, poorer outcomes and experiences, and exclusion of people who draw on care and support.  Mortality data from the Covid-19 pandemic provides a stark reminder of the compounding effects of multiple disadvantages on older people, people living with dementia and those with learning disabilities.

Second test: what the Plan expects from social care

We will want to assess the extent to which social care’s role in prevention is recognised and supported within the Plan. A sole focus on health interventions would be narrow-minded – as would a “digital first” approach to improving access to care and support. We have good evidence linking social care’s role in supporting people’s independence with enabling people to manage their own health and wellbeing.

Early support from social care can also enable people to live independently and for longer in their own homes.  As SCIE has argued, social care should not be relegated to a discharge function. It has a proactive role in helping people maintain independence, avoid crisis, and contribute meaningfully to their communities. The potential to expand reablement services for preventative purposes – e.g., to reduce unplanned hospital admissions-  remains untapped.  

The digital investment promised in the Plan needs to take account of people’s digital skills, the affordability of broadband and kit, and other access issues. Joint planning with local government will be essential. That’s because digital exclusion disproportionately affects individuals with lower incomes, older people, people with disabilities and not in employment – in other words, many of the same people who draw on social care. As the Plan invests in innovation, it must also build digital confidence, invest in local partnerships, and safeguard face-to-face options for those who prefer or need them; we need to ensure the NHS works for everyone, especially people with complex health and care needs.

Other details about how the new NHS will interface with social care remain unknown. For instance, we will be eager to understand the expectations of local government for influencing Integrated Care Boards’ strategic commissioning, as well as the opportunities for integrating social care within neighbourhood health services. If ICBs are to deliver truly integrated support, then social care, and local government, must have meaningful influence in strategic planning and resource decisions. Media reports about the abolishment of HealthWatch create a gap for local accountability, one which local government can also fill. Another important area worth probing is the role of voluntary and community services and the critical services they are expected to provide. Many of these services provide social care and support.

Third test: a close analysis of the balance of power within the Plan

Previous attempts to transform the NHS, starting with the Blair reforms in the early 2000s, have all expressed the goal of bringing services closer to home to reduce demand for high-cost emergency and acute care. Successive visions and NHS plans have also attempted to reorganise the system’s structures and to devolve powers, especially to primary care. But the real power has remained firmly within acute hospitals, where the majority of NHS funding resides.

The underlying principle is that there are more efficient ways of delivering better care. We will try to discern what the government believes is truly important, and that means clarifying how and where the Plan allocates funding and who holds the power and the purse strings to make the necessary strategic investments.

In this new Plan, we expect to hear again about the value of virtual wards, the expectations for neighbourhood health services and the role of a re-launched Better Care Fund. NHS leaders refer to this as the “left shift”.  We will want to assess how well the NHS’s funding streams align with these ambitions.  Because existing funds support core services, we fear it will continue to be difficult to move money out of hospitals, let alone create incentives for better coordinated care in the community or at home.

“People power” is another anticipated theme of the Plan, but it is unclear if this means a true re-balancing of power and genuine support for co-production. Beyond the boldness of the language, the real test of success will be whether the Plan delivers better personalised care and support. We don’t have to start from scratch to make these judgements. The Making It Real “I” statements offer a useful framework, starting with: “I have care and support that enables me to live as I want to, seeing me as a unique person with skills, strengths and personal goals.”  

Ultimately, actions speak louder than words. We will pay close attention to how the Plan “wills the means” to rebalance the power within the NHS and in relation to social care. There’s no doubt that these ambitious policy reforms present a unique opportunity for leveraging the leadership, resources and untapped potential of the social care sector.

To find out more about what’s going on, please visit the SCIE website.

National Co-Production Week 2025

There is a lot of talk right now about the immense pressures facing the social care system in England, and rightly so. Workforce shortages, unmet needs, delayed hospital discharges, and persistent geographic inequalities have left many people without the care and support they need to live the lives they choose. Family and friend carers (sometimes called unpaid carers) continue to carry huge responsibilities, often unsupported and unrecognised. But while these challenges are real and urgent, they are not the whole story. Social care is also a place of enormous resilience, creativity and compassion. Every day, people who draw on care and support, family and friend carers, practitioners, and organisations are working together to improve lives in ways that are deeply inspiring. We must change the narrative around social care, because when we only focus on what’s broken, we risk missing the energy, innovation, and humanity that are already driving progress. We need to move beyond tired headlines of crisis and deficit, and instead create space for optimism, reform and action.

That’s why this year’s Co-production Week, running from 30 June to 4 July 2025, is such an important moment. Under the theme ‘Innovation through co-production’, we’re shining a light not just on what’s going wrong in social care, but on what’s possible when people work together to create better solutions.

Innovation is essential, not optional

At SCIE, our work through the Accelerating Reform Fund, and other improvement initiatives, has shown us what’s possible when innovation is meaningfully co-produced. Whether it’s designing new models of care, shifting commissioning practice towards commissioning with people and communities, improving discharge pathways, or embedding personalised support in communities, innovation, when done well, can transform outcomes.

But innovation isn’t just a ‘nice to have’ in social care anymore. It’s essential. The status quo is unsustainable. Unless we change how care is delivered, funded and experienced, more people will go without the support they need, and that’s a price we simply cannot afford to pay.

And yet, despite the appetite for new ideas, innovation in adult social care has often struggled to take hold. Why?

The reasons are many and complex. The sector is fragmented, with over 18,000 providers serving diverse populations and needs. Funding is typically uncertain and short-term, with little clarity on who should invest in innovation, and who benefits. The workforce, already overstretched, has limited time to engage in change efforts. And while there is no shortage of pilot projects or promising practices, too many never scale because the mechanisms for doing so just don’t exist.

Co-production: The missing link

This is where co-production comes in. For too long, co-production has been treated as a tick-box exercise rather than a fundamental shift in power and perspective. Many attempts at co-production fall short, not because of bad intent, but because systems haven’t fully grasped what it means to share decision-making, resources and responsibility with those who draw on care and support.

We have often missed the point: co-production is not a tool to fix problems for people, it’s a way to understand and solve them with people. When done right, co-production doesn’t slow down innovation; it makes it better, more targeted, more sustainable, and more equitable. It closes the gap between policy and practice. It builds trust. And it surfaces insights that no amount of data or strategy papers can reveal on their own.

A platform for national learning

Co-production Week 2025 is more than a celebration. It’s a platform for national learning, reflection, and connection. Over the course of the week, SCIE will host conferences, workshops, and live discussions that bring together people with lived experience, practitioners, system leaders and policymakers. We’ll hear from the innovation projects supported through the Accelerating Reform Fund – why they were set up and how co-production features across a range of settings, with key learning, and we’ll explore what it really takes to embed co-production in practice, not just as a principle, but as a driver of change.

These events are a chance to share what works, to ask hard questions, and to build momentum for a different kind of future.

Join us

We invite everyone, whether you work in the sector, draw on care, care for a loved one, or make decisions that shape the system, to be part of Co-production Week 2025.

To find out more about what’s going on, please visit the SCIE website.

National Co-Production Week 2025

For Learning Disability Week 2025, the theme is a powerful one: Do you see me?

I am going to approach this theme from a number of different perspectives. I believe that it is important to try and understand what life may feel like for someone with a learning disability as well as someone without, so we can connect to one another.

Historically, people with learning disabilities were often educated and supported away from their communities – sometimes in separate schools or in institutional settings. This meant that there were fewer opportunities to grow together and develop social relationships.

Nowadays, people with learning disabilities are more likely to be visible in their local communities: going to the corner shop, attending their GP practice’s surgeries and riding the local buses.

However, this proximity to others doesn’t necessarily mean that decent connections are made. Visibility does not always lead to inclusion. I still hear phrases like “they don’t want to know you”, suggesting that others do not want to get close to or interact with people different to them, because they might get embarrassed or feel uncomfortable due to stigma.

Both people with and without learning disabilities have recently told me that the public need more ‘awareness training’. In schools this could be added to the curriculum, and it might help prevent the harmful language or attitudes people with learning disabilities still experience.

I remember going to speak in a secondary school in South London in the 1980s. The students were doing a 10-week course on learning disabilities, and in week 6 they met Sarah*, a passionate self-advocate, and me.  When we asked the students for questions at the end of our talk, no one put their hand up. Over tea and biscuits afterwards, one of the female students said quietly to me, “I’ve got a sister like Sarah*”. I suggested that she go over and talk to her, and they hit it off straight away. She hadn’t felt confident enough to say this in front of her peers though.

Another person recently told me, “Nobody knows I’ve got a learning disability until I tell them”. The fact that many of us have ‘hidden conditions’ is these days recognised more widely. Transport for London (TfL)’s excellent blue-coloured “please offer me a seat” badge and card reads “remember not all impairments and conditions are visible”. 

People with a wide variety of conditions and learning differences are also more visible and positively displayed on TV these days. ‘The Assembly’ on ITV is a great example of the collective energies of a group of people demonstrating their creative talents, humanity and humour, and inviting others onto their turf.

The last words go to Sedley Wilson, a member of the SCIE Fliers, a group of self-advocates who have worked on a three-year project to challenge inequalities in health and care…

“Can you see me? We live in the same community. But he refused to see me. But we get on the same bus every day. Is it because you don’t want to see me?”

 

John Hersov, with a little help from his friends in the SCIE Fliers and beyond.

*name changed to protect identity

SCIE’s ‘Tackling inequalities in care for people with learning disabilities and autistic people’ project explores inequalities, such as delays in diagnosis and lack of reasonable adjustments, and the ways in which they can be addressed. We worked with our co-production group, the SCIE Fliers, to understand their experiences and draw out lessons and opportunities for learning that could be shared to support the sector. Find out more by visiting our webpage to access educational resources, including two videos and an easy-read guidance document.

https://www.scie.org.uk/tackling-inequalities/

I have to say, it has been a real privilege to be involved in the development and implementation of our very first SCIE Social Care Impact Awards. These awards have been created to celebrate the people, teams and organisations working in and alongside adult social care who are making a real difference to people’s lives. Often, those working in small user-led, voluntary and community-based organisations go under-recognised, despite playing a vital role in promoting wellbeing, independence and inclusion. This is our opportunity at SCIE to shine a light on their exceptional contributions and the positive impact they have in their communities. Supporting and recognising best practice is an important element of our mission as a charity, and throughout the whole planning process, it was so heartening to see how important these awards are to the SCIE team, our Trustees, and the SCIE Co-Production Steering Group.  It really has been a cross-team effort. The awards have received a remarkable response from across the sector. I would like to extend a big thank you to all those who helped promote them; we have been rewarded with entries that have been really inspiring and showcase a range of human stories that remind us why we do what we do.

Judging is now underway! Our panel of judges comprises SCIE staff, trustees, and a person with lived experience of social care. We are really enjoying reviewing the entries and diving into the details of the important social care work taking place in communities around the country.

The awards presentation will take place during Co-Production Week—SCIE’s annual celebration of the contribution people with lived experience make to creating better social care. This year, Co-Production Week will be held from 30 June – 4 July 2025, and the theme is ‘innovation through co-production’.

With multiple prizes available, ranging from in-depth and bespoke consultancy days and training support to spaces on SCIE training courses, we are looking forward to working with the winners. To get to know them and their work will be an exciting, rewarding experience.

I can’t wait to see what emerges. This really feels like the start of something, and we will look forward to sharing this all with you over the next few months. The SCIE Social Care Impact Awards really highlight the fact that, while the sector is a collective of all shapes and sizes, we all have one thing in common: we care.

For more details about the Social Care Impact Awards, please visit: https://www.scie.org.uk/social-care-impact-awards/

 

The relationship between SCIE and Hi-Vis UK stretches back to 2013, when the Department of Health and Social Care brought us together to explore and prepare for the rollout of Section 6 of the Care Act 2014. That initial collaboration sparked a powerful and lasting partnership focused on improving services for people who are deafblind. Since then, we’ve worked side-by-side to develop and promote bespoke, high-quality training that meets the real-world needs of professionals. One of the most exciting outcomes of this partnership is the newly launched level 5 diploma in deafblindness, duties and compliance for senior leaders and practitioners. So, what sets this qualification apart? This diploma didn’t appear out of thin air; it was developed in direct response to requests from local authorities who wanted to better support their DASS/DCSS, particularly following legal challenges, where their personal legislative accountability was brought into sharp focus.


 The need for these local authorities to have key team members with robust training and qualifications around deafblindness duties, compliance, and legal responsibilities became more urgent than ever.

This qualification gives senior leaders and practitioners the confidence and clarity to lead deafblind assessments under the Care Act 2014 and/or the Children and Families Act 2014, fully understanding their duties and obligations and ensuring that the most complex specialist deafblind assessments can be cost-effectively carried in house by your own team.

But what really makes this training special is its flexibility. Sessions are delivered online, and the dates and times are arranged around your schedule. Whether you’re balancing a full-time role, a busy home life, or both, this course is designed to work with you—not against you.

This course offers a personalised, relaxed learning experience that moves at a pace that suits your individual needs.  No cramming. No stress. Just real, meaningful learning that supports your growth as a leader.

We’re proud of what we’ve built together, and even prouder of the professionals we’ve had the chance to support through our training.

As we continue to grow and adapt to new challenges, one thing remains constant: our commitment to empowering those who support some of the most marginalised individuals in our communities.

 

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) helps people in England and Wales to stay in control of decisions about their health and finances and make important decisions for others who cannot decide for themselves. We do this by:

  • maintaining the registers of attorneys, deputies and guardians
  • supervising deputies and guardians appointed by the courts, and making sure they carry out their legal duties.

Working with OPG 

To support and protect people who may lack mental capacity, partners in the health and social care sector should work closely with OPG. To support this, here are some steps that practitioners can take: 

1. When working with someone who may lack mental capacity, it’s important to check if they have a power of attorney or a deputyship. If they do, please consult their attorney or deputy where appropriate. You can find out if someone has an attorney or deputy by searching OPG’s register of Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs), Enduring Powers of Attorney (EPAs), and deputy court orders by filling in an OPG100 form. 

2. When presented with an LPA, EPA or deputy court order, check it’s legally valid. How to know whether a power of attorney or deputyship is valid. 

3. If you have a concern about how an attorney or deputy is acting on behalf of the donor, you can raise the concern with OPG: Report a concern about an attorney, deputy or guardian. 

4. Or you may be able to view the LPA online:  View a lasting power of attorney.