Co-production is an ambiguous term. I think I can safely say, though, it is always about bringing together the people who receive services with the people who design and deliver them, to create better services. It is largely associated with health and social care services. People often try to deliver on a key principle; sharing power. Having spent years participating in co-production projects that were incredibly valuable for me personally, but also restricted in how much they could really share power, I initiated and facilitated a peer-led project where a group of care experienced young people set their own agenda.
With funding from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, I worked with 10 young people to design a training programme and deliver on their agenda in a structured and impactful way. Below you can find links to our research reports, a resource we created on housing and home, and a series of podcasts.
I hope showing what a peer-led project can achieve encourages others to support those with lived experience to deliver quality work. There is emotional labour involved. Budget for it.