Co-production: I was intrigued

Since joining SCIE I’ve heard the term co-production being used a lot and was quite intrigued in the beginning. At SCIE: “We acknowledge there is no single perfect definition of co-production, but we use the following as a good starting point. We see co-production as a process that involves people who use services being consulted, included, and working together from the start to the end of any project that affects them. When co-production works best, people who use services and carers are valued by organisations as equal partners, can share power and have influence over decisions made”.

I was present at SCIE’s panel event during co-production week in 2022 (read my blog post below) and spoke to people from various professional backgrounds and with lived experience of accessing different services. Since then, there has been some keen interest on what the practice means to different people, what other terms are used in different settings, and what barriers may exist in its implementation.

• Tasnim’s blog on the SCIE panel event

To understand this, we have launched a survey for adult social care professionals and people with lived experience of adult social care services, to look at how familiar people are with the term co-production and its principles. The survey is not to test anyone’s knowledge, but to explore differences in language, opportunities, challenges and barriers. The survey will close on Tuesday 4th April 2023, and the findings of the survey will be reported between co-production week from Monday 3 July 2023 to Friday 7 July.

• Take our co-production survey

Ready for Social Work Week, we have launched a survey for adult social care professionals and people who draw on services, to share their thoughts and experiences on co-production. The survey will close on Tuesday 4 April, and its findings will be reported between National Co-production Week from Monday 3 to Friday 7 July.

• Co-production: what it is and how to do it | SCIE
• Developing our understanding of the difference co-production makes | SCIE
• National Co-production Week | SCIE