Inclusivity and Co-production - Blog and report
The “desire” to co-produce to create more tailored, specific services is the first step in a positive journey towards co-production - and a very positive one at that. 😊
But you may have struggled to get to grips with it and asked - how can it be done; where would we start; what are the dangers; what are the positives; why should we even think about it at all, as well as many others. Issues such as equity, inclusivity, ownership, safety etc sometimes seem overwhelming, however, co-production is being used positively in many different organisations and services to excellent effect.
As CEO of Families in Trauma and Recovery, I desperately wanted to see services collaborating with those with “lived experience” to create something much more holistic, designed around the needs of the service users rather than the other way round. But being honest – I was the ultimate cynic – I had been at the mercy of different services and thought it was a pipe dream to believe that everyone would put off their official “hats” and work together on a project. But, after taking part in a project initiated by the “Lived Experience” team from Fife Voluntary Action, NHS Fife and any members of the lived experience team who were able to be involved – it seemed we were able to do this with everyone feeling they had an equal part in creating the report which you can find here…….
Not only was the creating of the final report a useful exercise in this collaborative method, but implementing these methods in the same manner with Fife NHS Health Promotion Team in their annual “Suicide Awareness Campaign” meant we were able to create an extremely valuable toolkit incorporating the ‘real voices of lived experience’ within the campaign.
So ultimately, Fife Voluntary Action’s “Lived Experience” team, NHS Fife and myself as a third sector organisation were able to work side by side on a few co-production projects, and hopefully there will be many more in the future. As each project comes up – and we do have our report we can refer to, it’s vital that we remember this is not a template or cookie cutter exercise. Each new project must be approached with respect and dignity and given the attention it deserves. There are different pros and cons which need to be taken account of – but with the right initial approach – it can be done! Lots of organisations are creating their own ideas and reports – tap into these if you want to find out more. Learn from the mistakes and the good points too, and most of all – approach with curiosity, just like a child. And just like that child we can enjoy the process too.
You can read the full report here.
Pegs Bailey – Employability Development Manager Fife Voluntary Action - pegs@fva.org
Patrick Doyle – Principal Clinical Psychologist, NHS Fife - Patrick.Doyle@nhs.scot
Maggie Wright – CEO – Families in Trauma and Recovery – maggie@familiesintrauma.co.uk
