Joint Learning Event: Key Messages for Coproduction from Wales & Scotland

In August we held a learning event for members to share their stories, learning and experiences of using co-production approaches during the pandemic.

Building on that event, we invited members of the SCN and Co-production Network for Wales to join us at a joint online learning event to discuss what the key messages about co-production might be, and who we need to tell them to.

Part of Co-production Week Scotland, this session was task-based with a view to compiling key messages that can be shared and ‘sense-checked’ with the wider Networks, and to make suggestions for how best to communicate them with policy makers and others.

Setting the scene

Following the August event we produced an event report which concluded:

“Through our discussions it became clear that, despite the pandemic and the challenges this presents, the enthusiasm and drive for co-production is still going strong. We’ve had to adapt to this new normal with extraordinary speed and under intense pressure, and in many cases it’s been a clear success.

What’s less clear is how we can continue to sustain this approach, especially as the longer term impact (whether that’s lost funding or having to use zoom for longer than we’d like) is so unclear. There’s a danger that whilst we’re still busy reacting and responding individually and organisationally to meet the needs of the people we work with, we’re missing an opportunity to speak with a collective voice about what building back better means for us all. 

To help make more sense of this and maximise opportunities to promote better ways of working, it was agreed that we would continue this conversation between members to explore some of these questions further and develop the key lessons learned to share with, funders, policy and decision makers over the coming months’.  

Video: Summary of the event