Co-production is about people shaping their own support and services. It means working with—not just for—those with lived experience. As DASS, you must lead a culture where co-production is embedded at every level: strategic planning, service design, commissioning, and day-to-day practice.
Create structures that empower people to participate meaningfully, including those seldom heard. Resource user-led organisations and support carers and communities to lead change. Done well, co-production improves outcomes, builds trust, and drives innovation.
Co-production isn’t just good practice—it’s a statutory requirement. The Care Act places duties on local authorities to involve individuals, carers, and others in all aspects of care and support planning. It aligns with broader public service reform around participation, transparency, and accountability.
As a Director, your role includes:
- Embedding co-production in your governance and reporting structures.
- Supporting a local voice and influence strategy.
- Modelling inclusive leadership and ensuring feedback is acted upon.
- Recognising and addressing power imbalances.
Be honest about the challenges—time, trust, representation—and take active steps to remove barriers. Language, accessibility, and payment for participation all matter. Work with people, not just consult them.
Co-production is not a ‘nice to have’—it is core to ethical leadership in adult social care. At its best, it creates space for new thinking, balances expertise with experience, and puts people’s voices at the heart of decisions. Your leadership can make it credible, inclusive, and transformative.