Events

London Co-production Roadshow

Date: 18.04.2011

Location: University College London

The London Co-production Roadshow was hosted jointly by the Coproduction Practitioners Network, NESTA and nef. The event was part of a series of five Roadshows showcasing examples of people powered public services across the country and providing a platform for practitioners and decision makers to share experiences on achieving more in public services.

Defining Co-production

Philip Colligan, from NESTA, set out the six principles of co-production:

  • Recognising people as assets (rather than problems)
  • Building on people's capabilities (rather than just focusing on their needs)
  • Mutuality and reciprocity (rather than passive consumption of public services)
  • Peer support networks (that complement bilateral relationships between professionals and service users)
  • Blurring distinctions between producers and consumers (with service users being actively involved in producing outcomes)
  • Facilitating rather than just delivering services

Gavin Jones, from Swindon Borough Council, talked about the work Swindon and Participle undertook to radically redesign services for families in crisis using the principles of co-production. He shared stories of the journey service professionals shared with the families to get a richer picture of the life they lead and the challenges they face. The experience has been transformative for both staff and the family members and it is estimated that work with 3 families has generated a £250K cost avoidance for the Council.

Gavin Jones' presentation (PDF 2.3Mb)


Co-producing the Roadshow together

After the keynotes, delegates split into groups and discussed the ins and outs of co-production together with a set of speakers/ "expert witnesses" who are commissioning, supporting and delivering co-produced services.

Discussions were rich and multi-dimensional as each group established their learning outcomes at the outset and dialogued with expert witnesses and with other delegates throughout the day to achieve them.

The themes that emerged from the discussions echoed those surfacing from all the Roadshows we held across the country:

  • the question of whether co-production is radically new or just a new name for approaches that have been around for a while;
  • the importance of evidencing the impact of co-production on public services and building a business case around it to start dismantling unhelpful service silos;
  • the importance of investing in people's and communities' capacity to get involved in co-producing public services;
  • the need for trust, leadership and certain soft skills as pre-conditions for making co-production happen;
  • the role of politicians as catalysts for co-production;
  • the fact that risk aversion and bureaucracy are the greatest enemies of co-production and that we need to change systems - from commissioning to performance management - to make space for co-production in public services;
  • the consciousness that we are all changing the system from within, and a strong sense of shared responsibility for driving the change that we want to see, especially at this time of public sector reform.

Speakers

Philip Colligan - NESTA

Gavin Jones - Swindon Borough Council

Lone Tonsgaard - Camden Council

Paul Kelly - Camden Council

Alexander Kenmure - Camden Council

Miriam Lantsbury - Headway East London

Amanda D'Souza - Headway East London

Howard Bradbury – Headway East London

Keith Emmanuel – Headway East London

Emma Main - Holy Cross Centre Trust

Demetria Cacafranca - Social Innovation Lab Kent

Jo Pullen - Social Innovation Lab Kent

Carrie Bishop - Future Gov