Supporting people through co-production
/This article was featured in the SCDC Weekly - 5th November
Co-production is a key tool to enable people and communities to be empowered, valued and meaningfully involved in how decisions are made.
Supporting people to ensure they have skills, knowledge and confidence to be part of a co-production process as key.
Removing barriers which could prevent people from being involved is critical first step. Whether those are barriers around accessibility, finances, availability or language - addressing them will mean everyone is valued equally from the start of the process and power can be more evenly shared.
Co-production cannot be achieved without developing good relationships, built on trust and mutual respect. That means valuing lived experience, respecting diversity and committing to sharing power and acting in a transparent way.
There also must be a shared belief in co-production. Being positive about what can be achieved using this type of approach, invested in the activities and creating an enjoyable process.
It’s not always easy, but working together towards a collective goal can motivate and energise positive relationships and make change happen.
Read more from the Co-production Guide.
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