Implementation and how we will co-produce
Making co-production happen in practice is about all those who participate in the process - who may have different points of view - working together to achieve agreed aims. This means building relationships. But there can be difficulties in the relationships between the people who draw on care and support and professionals working in services.
It is important to make sure that people who draw on care and support attend all co-production meetings. This will help new working relationships to develop. It will also help with the shift in power that is involved in co-production. It is also helpful if people who draw on care and support are given opportunities to meet on their own to talk about and agree their priorities.
The relationships involved in co-production need to be based on trust and confidence. The success of co-production is likely to be based on the people involved and their relationships. Success needs to be defined in terms of achieving the long-term goals of co-production as a means of creating better services, which are more responsive to the needs of people who draw on care and support, with understanding that there may be some mistakes along the way.
Access is a key issue in supporting equality. Co-production cannot happen if processes and practices are not accessible.
It is important that information is accessible. It is also important that meeting places are accessible. But this accessibility needs to flow through the entire process of the meeting. People need to be able to easily prepare for, get to and be heard at meetings and events. They then need to be able to follow progress through minutes and reports.
Taking action to develop or use the capacity of the people living in a particular area is crucial to the success of co-production.
The need to build the capacity for co-production links to issues of funding and making sure that user-controlled and community organisations have enough resources to actively support co-production. Working with organisations run by people who draw on care and support is essential to co-production and the empowerment of people who draw on care and support.
It may be useful to map the assets and resources in a community rather than just looking at problems and needs. Where a community does not have the capacity to develop co-production, it would be necessary to identify exactly what capacities are needed and how they can be developed.
We will:
Involve everyone who will be taking part in the co-production process from the start.
Value and reward people who take part in the co-production process.
Ensure that there are resources to cover the cost of co-production activities.
Ensure that co-production is supported by a strategy that describes how discussions and decisions are going to be communicated.
Build on existing structures and resources by using people outside of Wirral if we need to.