Co-production in adult social care
Do you want to help to shape the future of adult social care?
Read about our co-production approach and learn how you can become an expert by experience for us.
What is co-production?
The term 'co-production' refers to a way of working, whereby everybody works together on an equal basis to create a service or come to a decision which works for them all. It is built on the principle that those who use a service are best placed to help design it. We all recognise the importance of speaking to people about their experiences of services and the impact of involvement in their lives.
In West Northamptonshire, we want to include experts by their experience to transform WNC’s services to be inclusive, responsive, empathetic and empowering.
Ladder of co-production
The ladder of co-production below is designed to support greater understanding of the stages of access and inclusion before full co-production is achieved.
Find out more about the ladder of co-production on the Think Local, Act Personal website.
7. Co-production: Co-production is an equal relationship between people who use services and the people responsible for services. They work together, from design to delivery, sharing strategic decision-making about policies, as well as the best way to deliver services.
6. Co-design: People who use services are involved in designing services, based on their experience and ideas. They have genuine influence but have not been involved in strategic decision-making.
5. Engagement: Compared to the consultation step below, people who use services are given more opportunities to express their views and may be able to influence some decisions about how their services are designed or delivered, but this depends on what the people responsible for the services will allow.
4. Consultation: People who use services may be asked to fill in surveys or attend meetings, however this step may be considered tokenistic if they do not have the power to influence or affect change.
3. Informing: The people responsible for services inform people about the services and explain how they work. This may include telling people what decisions have been made and why.
2. Educating: The people who use services are helped to understand the service design and delivery so that they gain relevant knowledge about it. That is all done at this stage.
1. Coercion: This is the bottom rung of the ladder. People who access services are made to attend an event about services as passive recipients. Their views are not considered important and not taken into account.
Based on Arnstein’s Ladder of Participation, adapted from the National Co-production Advisory Group (NCAG) model.
- Everybody is equal
- The outcomes are meaningful and positive
- People who use services, carers and families are seen and recognized as an asset
- Services will improve
- It is a fun and productive way of working together
- You have the opportunity to see different perspectives that may differ from your own
- Ensure adequate and appropriate resources are available to support co-production (participation fees, expenses, easy read documents and access needs)
- Ensure no one group or person is more important than anyone else
- Everyone can contribute given the right support
- It is important to have good facilitation and listening skills, and to reflect and act upon what is heard
- Acknowledge and respect what people who use services, their carers and families say
- Ensure everything in the co-production process is accessible to everyone taking part
- Before you start the work, decide together how you are going to work and what will make it successful, then stick to it
- Accept that sharing power means taking risks - take a chance!
- Learn to share power - doing things differently means we can work across a whole range of issues that confront us
- Work with the group to identify a clear set of identified values with a collective sense of direction
- Don’t use jargon or acronyms - plain English is better for everybody
- Create the expectation that people who use services, carers and families will be involved in every aspect of service planning, design/development and delivery at every level
- Co-production must start as an idea that blossoms with everybody involved having an equal voice
- Come to the table with a blank agenda and people it with people who use services, their carers and families
- Involve people who use services, carers and their families in all aspects - planning, development and delivery
- To achieve meaningful, positive outcomes, everyone involved must have the same vision, from front line staff to management and board members
- Start small and build up to bigger projects, letting people lead, not professionals
- Acknowledge that a range of skills are needed for co-production
- Recruit the right people that support co-production
- People who use services, carers and families should be clear about what their expectations are and be fully engaged in the process
- People who use services and their carers know what works so you can't get it right without them
- Don't take responsibility for solving every problem - allow the group to find collective solutions
- Anti-discriminatory
- Co-operative
- Empowering
- Everyone has a voice
- Open to new ideas
- Shared responsibility for finding solutions
Co-production in West Northamptonshire
In West Northamptonshire, co-production is not just something we say we will do to tick a box. We have committed to using co-production in the ICN Health Inequalities Plan and the West Northants Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy.
It is something we will do to achieve shared outcomes, strengthen our case for change and ensure we hear the voices of people in everything we do and this will mean that our services reflect the needs of our communities.
Our co-production principles are:
- Equality: Co-production starts from the idea that no one group of person is more important than anyone else and everyone has skills, abilities and time to contribute
- Diversity: Co-production should include everybody and be accessible to all - be as inclusive and diverse as possible
- Accessibility: making everything accessible is the way to ensure that everyone has an equal chance to take part fully in an activity in the way that suits them best
- Mutual benefit: ensuring people receive something back for putting something in; supporting involvement and feeling valued
These values are the things together that we believe are important in the way we deliver services and address health inequalities.
Our principles inform our co-production values which run through the heart of WNC; from developing policies, to informing what we commission, to how we support individuals, families, carers, through to influencing our frontline practice.
Our relationship with individuals is based on these values and encompasses our strength-based approach.
Our commitment to co-production
We are committed to hearing the voices of our people where possible and therefore, we commit to:
- giving consideration to co-production in our decision-making, from officer meetings to cabinet meetings
- being transparent where co-production is not possible and providing reasons why we have been unable to co-produce
- seeking to compensate people who volunteer to co-produce with us, so they are not financially disadvantaged as a result of helping us to improve our services
- looking at co-production across the partners to avoid duplication and to ensure the voices of people are heard across the West Northamptonshire system
- utilising the system engagement toolkit wherever possible
- using existing forums and groups wherever possible to support co-production engagement activity
- supporting the development of new user groups where there are gaps and to build on existing co-production structures
- uploading co-production and engagement insights into the Insights Library for others to access and draw upon
If you're interested in joining an existing user group or forum, find out more about community forums.
Priorities
- Priority 1 - Creation of the WNC Co-Production Board to set co-production priorities and monitor progress
- Priority 2 - Create learning spaces where people can share their experiences with Senior Leadership
- Priority 3 - Co-produce ideals to strengthen relationships between people and workers
- Priority 4 - Commission a provider to manage our co-production register and facilitate co-production groups
- Priority 5 - Creation of Specialist User Forums
- Priority 6 - Design a training programme on co-production for the benefit of workers and people, and include service users in interviews.
For 2024/25, the Co-Production Priorities have been set by the Council in consultation with the People's Advisory Group. This year is about creating foundations for effective co-production moving forwards.
In future years, the priorities will be updated by the Co-Production Board, made up of people who use WNC services (including families and carers), and those who are interested in the development of services in West Northamptonshire.
The board will work with council leadership to make recommendations on how different service areas can improve and develop, with the aim of seeing services develop into more person-centred, community-based support.
As experts by experience, the board members will be uniquely placed to ensure the council leadership are kept in touch with the day-to-day realities for people who use services and their carers.
As well as ensuring local people are placed at the heart of decisions around the future of our services.
The board will work to the following principles:
- Promoting independence
- Working to outcomes
- Positive risk-taking
How to get involved
To express an interest in joining a co-production group as an expert by experience, please email [email protected].
Last updated 05 August 2024