Pre-produce, co-produce, evaluate

What this means 

Often, people are ‘invited’ to a co-production project after agendas are set and boundaries are put in place. Think about co-production from the very earliest ideas stage – something the group members defined as ‘pre-production’. Co-create outcomes to provide transparency. One group member, Iggy Patel, has written about about pre-production and also explains more in this video.

What are pre-production and co-production?

In this clip, Iggy Patel explains what 'pre-production' and 'co-production' mean:

Co-production isn’t only about a process. There should be a product at the end of it, otherwise it’s just a series of meetings. What comes out of a co-production process should be evaluated and reviewed. Setting outcomes and evaluating how far they have been reached is basic business sense, because, without them, change is limited. 

I can feel like I’m social Elastoplast - power is still held by those who set the questions and the scope.

How are some of the ways in which power manifests in social care?

In this video, Bob Jones describes some of the ways in which power manifests in social care:

The research 

Co-production is discussed extensively in this evidence review ('Co-production in civic design'). However, when it comes to sharing power as equals, who sets the parameters of co-production is itself an expression of power.

Co-production involves a shift of power. Trust in people is fundamental, with leaders and practitioners – who may be used to holding power and directing discussions, creating agendas and guiding actions – consciously taking a hands-off approach (Weaver, 2019; Fleming & Osborne, 2019). Investing in co-production as a long-term goal, rather than a one-off project, can really help shift traditional power structures – with senior leaders using their existing power to build the power of others (Rosen & Painter, 2019). 

This also includes a commitment to building capacity for co-production, rather than concentrating on co-producing with citizens who are already experienced or confident in co-production. Research suggests that, without capacity-building, diversity can be limited, and can particularly exclude people from Black and ethnic minoritised communities (Rose & Kalathil, 2019), or people with different communication needs. It can also result in one-off projects, rather than having co-production embedded as a way of working throughout the system. 

Finding out the issues that matter to people in the pre-production stage, rather than assuming what those issues are, involves creative thinking and knowing your local community. For instance, one study found that consultations held outside, in a public space such as a park, had a much higher attendance than meetings held in civic buildings (Buddery et al., 2016). Such initiatives also address head-on a weakness of many co-production projects, which is to arrange co-production sessions in times and locations convenient for professionals rather than people (Pieroudis et al., 2019). The group related similar experiences of this, of imposing town halls, difficulty securing accessible parking spaces or passes to buildings, or a lack of awareness of public transport links to meetings. 

This sends a message, that it’s meeting with professionals on their own home turf. 

At the other end of the co-production process, it’s important to review and evaluate what emerges alongside the people involved in the project. The research suggests that doing this may involve measurements that look different from established ways of evaluation and quality assurance (Donetto et al., 2014; Martikke et al. 2018). The outcomes that will be measured, and how this will be done, is also a question for the whole co-production group rather than something decided on by professionals. 

What you can do 

Truly listen to people. Keep open minds and be open to new ways of thinking, seeing, acting and working.  Accept they’re not always right, often they’re not. Demolishing and changing cultural behaviour forever!
(Dean Thomas) 

If you are a senior leader: Co-production projects, often unconsciously, ask the question that a system wants the answer to, and this is an expression of a power imbalance. Instead, what issues do people with care and support needs want addressed? 

You might consider the previous section in Sharing Power as Equals, ‘Be open to suggestions for change and do not be defensive’, where analysis and responses to feedback were considered. What does this feedback tell you about the issues people want addressed? How can you find out more – perhaps by following up these issues directly with the people who have given the feedback, and working with them to co-produce solutions? 

Think about how you gather your intelligence for the pre-production stage. One group member spoke for many when he said: Get out of your office. Go speak to people - no surveys, no written forms. Are you only finding out about issues in traditional ways (which will also exclude people in traditional ways)? 

When it comes to the early stages of co-production, make sure you think critically about how you involve people. Are you using terminology such as ‘Invite people to meetings’, and holding these meetings without consulting everyone, as equals, about time and place? Do you gather ideas for meeting agendas and co-produce these, rather than sending out an agenda created by professionals? Do you ask whether people with lived experience would like to chair meetings or write minutes? 

Do you review the project after a set amount of time – for example, after a year – and measure its success? Who decides what success looks like? 

Further information 

Listen

Think Local Act Personal has a podcast on creating the right conditions for co-production.

Read

The London School of Economics has a blog on evaluating co-production, looking at four factors that can be considered in any evaluation. Please note: this blog, while useful, doesn’t have anyone with lived experience listed among its authors.