Blog: How far have we come in our journey of co-production in Scotland? - Sarah Currie, SCVO

Well last week was well timed to re-immerse myself in the world of co-production and try to answer this question I had boldly posed: How far have we come in our journey of co-production?

Having been a national lead for co-production, I’ve had a year out on maternity leave (a different kind of co-production 😉) and in my new role back in the voluntary sector, I’m determined to continue to fly the flag for participation, co-design and co-production. Whether that means building on my expertise to have a chat with someone about what co-production actually means, right through to implementing participative approaches where possible.

The Scottish Co-production Network is such a richness of people, experiences and learning. 1300 people from across Scotland all willing to share their story and learn from one another. It epitomises what a network should be for me. It never fails to inspire and invigorate me. It was great to see so many new faces at the SCN’s Learning Event, testament to the continued reach of the network, and hear what people are embarking on or looking for some support. 

My big question for the week, and the learning event to kick-start the week, was ‘how far have we come on our co-production journey?’ A bold question classed under the fundamentals for the event. 

So what’s my answer?  Well, we’ve come further than we think. It sometimes feels like we’re aiming for something so far in the distance that it seems undoable and people aspire to have perfect co-production. Whereas if we focus on creating the conditions, that’s something we can all play a part in and have already achieved a lot, evident from the emphasis on community development, participatory budgeting and the language used around participation we’ve seen throughout Scotland and particularly from Scottish Government over recent years, for example the Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland. 

At the risk of sounding like a politician, I think I’d have to answer my own question with a question: ‘What’s within your own gift to give?’ Essentially we have to ask  ourselves ‘What can I do in my own world / environment / work / interactions that can contribute to enabling participation, co-design and co-production?’ 

I think we need to give ourselves more credit and confidence when it comes to co-producing. As we heard at last week’s event, definitely share your stories with the network (good, bad and indifferent!) as it might help you identify what you’re grappling with, as well as provide peer support to others across the country.

And if you ever need some inspiration, confidence or just someone to talk to about all things co-production... get in touch with the Network!

Sarah Currie is the Membership Development Manager at SCVO