8 June 2026
The Social Care Institute for Excellence’s (SCIE’s) 11th annual Co-production Week is fast approaching. The theme this year, 29 June to 3 July 2026, is ‘Care equity: who gets care?’
Social care in England is marked by stark variation. People with similar needs can have very different experiences depending on factors such as where they live, their socioeconomic circumstances, ethnicity, disability, or gender.
SCIE will host a webinar or workshop each day to share learning and insights to help overcome inequities in access to care, its quality, and its outcomes, and to showcase innovative projects seeking to achieve fairer care.
We will launch our new research, ‘Understanding People’s Experiences of Inequities in Social Care’, and explore SCIE’s Care Equity Evidence Hub—an online resource bringing together research, data, and practice evidence to address inequities in social care. We will also consider, drawing on real examples from local authorities and insights from lived experience, how to tackle inequity, who is missing from co-production, how co-production is shaping innovation in social care, and recognition, payment and fairness in co-production.
This Co-production Week is about championing the power of co-production in shaping care equity. Through the sessions, we will be exploring what it means to ensure that everyone, regardless of their background, identity or circumstances, has equal access to high-quality social care.
It is an opportunity for all those involved in the social care sector to share their experiences so that they can influence the way that services are designed, commissioned, and delivered, and to reflect on their work and embed co-production more meaningfully in it. Ultimately, our aim is to create a better, more inclusive future for social care.
We hope you will join us.
Gerard Crofton-Martin
Interim Chief Executive of the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE)
Co-production Week is for everyone. It’s about listening to each other and sharing what matters to you. Whether you draw on services, care for someone, work in care, or are part of your community—your view matters.
Almost all of us will be touched by care at some point in our lives, whether that’s supporting someone we love or receiving care ourselves. When we listen and work together, we can make things better for everyone.
Come visit, join in, and help us co-produce a care system that is kind to all.
Kevin Minier
Member of the SCIE Co-production Steering Group
Programme of events
The programme is designed to support organisations, practitioners, people with lived experience, and communities to come together, exchange ideas, and explore how co-production can shape more inclusive and responsive care:
Co-production: The key to achieving care equity (Monday 29 June, 11:00 – 12:30)
Discover SCIE’s Care Equity Evidence Hub, hear the latest insights from research, and take part in interactive discussions about tackling inequality.
Who’s Missing? Inclusive co-production in practice (Tuesday 30 June, 13:30 – 15:00)
This engaging session will explore how to reach and involve communities whose voices are too often unheard.
West Midlands ADASS AI Playbook (Wednesday 1 July, 10:30 – 11:30)
Learn more about how co-production is shaping innovation in social care.
Towards Fair Care (Thursday 2 July, 14:00 – 16:00)
Join us for an open, honest conversation about care equity—the barriers, challenges and solutions.
Valuing and recognising lived experience: from good intentions to fair practice (Friday 3 July, 14:00 – 15:30)
This powerful panel will tackle the realities of recognition, payment, and fairness in co-production.
Visit the Co-production week page to find out more about each session and register your place.
To stay up to date on all things Co-production Week, follow the conversation on social media using #CoProWeek2026. And if you would like help to improve your co-production approach, please contact consultancy@scie.org.uk to hear more about how we can support you.
About SCIE
The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) improves the lives of people of all ages by co-producing, sharing, and supporting the use of the best available knowledge and evidence about what works in practice. We are a leading independent social care charity working with organisations that support adults, families and children across the UK.
If you have any questions regarding this release, please do not hesitate to contact Molly Pennington, Press and Media Relations Officer, at molly.pennington@scie.org.uk