Chloe Harris (expert by experience) and Natalie Brown (Strategic Engagement Lead at Staffordshire County Council) discuss how co-production works in practice from both perspectives, suggesting some useful tips to help move practice in the right direction.
Chloe has over fifteen years of advocacy experience and has worked as a Social Wellbeing Assessor. Chloe has cerebral palsy and employs a small team of Personal Assistants funded through Direct Payments to carry out all aspects of daily life. She is keen to use her lived experience through co-production to improve experiences for others.
Chloe suggests three top tips to build positive relationships with experts by experience to enable true co-production to happen.
1st Tip “listen, believe and act”.
If you are involving a person with lived experience in co-production make sure that your intentions are true – there is no point in asking someone what they think, but then ignoring what has been said.
2nd Tip “don’t make any assumptions“.
Ask. Qualify your thinking with the person as much as you can – put them in the driving seat to tell you what works best for them and why.
3rd Tip “Put people at ease”.
Wear informal clothing, meet in comfortable less formal places, take an interest in the person beyond their disability or support needs. Acknowledge the power imbalances that exist and work to readdress these. By being self-aware you are better able to build positive working relationships and gain peoples trust and grow confidence as a result you will get further.
Chloe explains “there is an essential difference between professionals’ involvement in co-production and people with lived experience. The difference is, I don’t just know or understand it – I feel it and that makes all the difference. This isn’t a role, or a job for me it’s life!”.
“I want to see co-production really progress to a place where people with a disability and who access health and care services are employed as experts on an ongoing basis. Not just invited to the table, but sat there all the time, able to change culture from within and informing approaches”.
Natalie Brown works for Staffordshire County Council within the Health and Care Directorate. She champions the notion that lived experience is the answer to most (if not all) questions we have around Health and Care services.
Natalie explains “we risk underselling the task at hand if we don’t appreciate the value in upskilling the workforce AND people with lived experience to truly understand what we mean by co-production.
“People don’t come to co-production already knowing what it is or how it works. We can’t expect people to be confident to contribute fully. Nor can we expect people to be aware of the wider context that is necessary to give informed views around a decision. We need to invest time and resources into making this happen”.
“The key to co-production really gaining traction and making systemic impact is as much about building confidence and working relationships as it is the outcomes of individual projects”.
Natalie’s Top Tips to co-production:
1st Tip – “who are the experts and how do you involve them”
Before you start out on a piece of work or decision-making process - have a really good think about who this is going to affect most. How do you make sure that those people are meaningfully represented throughout this process. I would also suggest having a conscious bias for representation of people with lived experience and the people who care for them.
2nd Tip – “information – is it really clear?”
Acronyms, complex language, information overload – oh my! We need to be proactive about adapting spoken, written and other communications that are accessible and approachable to everyone involved.
For people to meaningfully contribute they need to understand context, or they are at a disadvantage from the outset.
3rd Tip “think long term - working relationships take time to build”
Professionals and experts by experience alike both need time to build confidence, working relationships and understanding in co-production. It is such a waste of time and resource to start over every time a new piece of work or decision is required. Continuity and commitment is key.
Both Natalie and Chloe agree that there is a ‘sweet spot’ we are moving towards with co-production within social care. This will not be an overnight success, but something that builds with time.
As professionals and experts by experience continue to build positive working relationships on projects and pieces of work - mutual respect, trust and understanding starts to unlock new opportunities.
For co-production to truly flourish within social care we need to commit to the long game. Continuing to learn by doing, focusing our efforts on cultivating positive working relationships and good practice over time.