Why we’re involved in the Great British Care Awards: a humble celebration of co-production and care across the UK- SCIE

There is something deeply grounding about the Great British Care Awards. They are not about noise or status. At their heart, they are about people—real people doing real work, every day, to support others to live good lives.

Held across the UK, the awards bring together the breadth of the social care sector: the statutory, independent and voluntary sectors, alongside unpaid carers and community organisations. That matters because care does not sit neatly in one place. It lives in homes, neighbourhoods and relationships. It is shaped by communities and by the people who draw on support, as much as by the professionals who provide it.

For those of us involved in the awards, our participation is rooted in one principle above all else: co-production.

Co-production is about shared power

Co-production is not just a category on a nomination form. It is a way of working. A way of thinking. A way of valuing lived experience.

At its core, co-production recognises that lived experience is not simply something to be consulted. It is expertise. When people who draw on care and support are meaningfully involved in shaping services and decisions, the result is often more responsive, more human and ultimately more effective.

Looking at this year’s nominees for the Co-Production Award, what stood out was not just innovation or success. It was humility. These were individuals and organisations quietly shifting the balance of power by listening differently, working alongside people, and designing support with communities rather than for them.

This year’s nominees included:

Syd Coombes, Active Pathways
Abby Cummings, 1st Grade Care (Winner)
Sue Estcourt, Macc Community Care
The Good Care Group
Joan Lyon, University of Stirling
Dawn Mitchell, Exemplar
Sophie Sayer, Lifeways
Chell Seymour, PA Services for You (Highly Commended)
Ridgeway Care, Expanding Horizons
Amy Varney, Komplex Care
Joanne Williams, Cavell Healthcare

Each nominee reflects a commitment to doing things differently. Their work reminds us that genuine collaboration is not always loud or headline-grabbing. Often, it is built through everyday relationships—through trust, listening and the willingness to share power.

Why this matters personally

For me, this work is not abstract.

As someone with lived experience, and as Co-Chair of the TLAP partnership board and a trustee at SCIE, I do not take these spaces lightly. They represent opportunities to ensure that the voices of people who draw on care and support are not just present, but influential.

Social care, after all, is not really about services. It is about lives.

It is about dignity, belonging and choice. It is about relationships, independence and the everyday moments that shape how someone feels about their own life.

Standing on stage with Ben Shepard at the awards was a genuine highlight for me. Not because of the spotlight, but because of what that moment symbolised. Two people representing lived experience and leadership standing side by side, recognising a workforce that too often goes unseen.

Moments like that remind us that progress in social care happens when people work together across boundaries, between organisations, professions and lived experience.

A sector worth celebrating

The Great British Care Awards, including the national finals in Birmingham, are not simply about trophies or recognition for their own sake. They are about visibility.

Care work is skilled, complex and deeply human work. Yet, too often, it is undervalued or misunderstood in public conversations about health and social care.

Awards like these help shift that narrative. They provide a space to recognise dedication, creativity and compassion across the sector. They give teams the chance to celebrate the difference they make in people’s lives.

When someone takes the time to nominate a colleague or organisation, they are doing more than completing an application form. They are saying that this work matters. They are acknowledging the commitment behind it. They are expressing pride in the people and teams who make social care possible.

And in a sector that faces ongoing pressures, that sense of pride and recognition matters more than ever.

Why we continue to support the awards

At SCIE, co-production with people with lived experience of social care underpins and informs what we do, enabling us to recommend best practice in social care.

Our involvement in the Great British Care Awards reflects something simple but important. Co-production deserves to be recognised and celebrated. The workforce deserves to be seen and valued. And excellence in care should never be invisible. It is through sharing it that we can inspire and support others to do co-production better.

Across the UK, people are building better lives every single day—often quietly, without fanfare. The awards simply shine a light on that reality.

Sometimes, shining that light is enough to inspire others, strengthen partnerships and remind us why this work matters.

Standing on that stage reminded me that when lived experience and leadership stand side by side, the whole sector moves forward together.

To find out more about the Great British Care Awards, please see here.

And to find out how SCIE can support you with co-production—through resources like our impact tool, helping you demonstrate the difference co-production makes, guidance, training and direct consultancy support, contact us here.