10 Tips to Support Meaningful Co-Production
This week, between the 4th and 9th July, is National Co-production Week. Co-production is:
“A values-driven approach which respects those who use services as best placed to design them.” (SCIE, 2020)
It is therefore a transformative process where communities come together to find shared solutions to problems and make decisions that affect them as citizens. This was evident in the LD space throughout the recent trial of the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training; people with lived experience were equal partners, co-creating and delivering the training.
So, how do we implement meaningful co-production in service development for adults with a learning disability? Here are my top tips:
1. Devise a set of co-production principles which clearly state the benefits of the approach and identify achievable outcomes
2. Involve individuals with a learning disability from the beginning of the project, at every stage of development
3. Ensure that co-production is supported by a strategy for effectively communicating with individuals with a learning disability throughout the process
4. Be risk aware rather than risk averse when involving individuals in co-production
5. Value all individuals who take part in the co-production process
6. Ensure that co-production is completely accessible, including availability of, and access to resources
7. Ensure everyone involved is trained in the principles and values of co-production and supported to develop skills to support their involvement
8. Ensure that time, resources and flexibility is given to ensure co-production is meaningful and effective to practice
9. Provide necessary support to make sure individuals have the capacity to be part of the co-production process
10. Conduct and co-produce regular reviews and evaluations to ensure that co-production is making a real difference to learning and resulting practice
And finally, have fun with it!
To find out more about how co-production is used in the courses available from Montgomery Simpson, please drop me an email nicola@montgomerysimpsoncaretraining.com
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