Co-Production in Adult Social Care: From Policy Requirement to Everyday Practice
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Co-production has moved from being an aspirational concept to a clear requirement across adult social care policy, commissioning frameworks and regulatory expectations. Commissioners increasingly expect providers to demonstrate not just that people are listened to, but that lived experience meaningfully shapes service design, delivery and improvement. This sits closely alongside expectations on outcomes, quality and governance, and is frequently referenced within CQC quality statements and wider approaches to working with commissioners.
Despite this, many providers still struggle to move beyond consultation exercises or tokenistic engagement. Genuine co-production requires a shift in culture, systems and power-sharing, not simply better feedback forms.
What Co-Production Really Means in Adult Social Care
In practice, co-production means people who draw on support are actively involved in shaping decisions that affect their lives. This includes involvement at strategic, operational and individual levels, rather than being limited to annual surveys or service-user forums.
Effective co-production recognises that lived experience brings expertise equal to professional knowledge. Providers that do this well create multiple routes for people to influence decisions, using methods that are accessible, flexible and proportionate.
Commissioner Expectations Around Co-Production
Commissioners rarely expect perfection, but they do expect evidence that co-production is embedded and taken seriously. This typically includes:
- Clear examples of how people have influenced service design or change
- Evidence that feedback leads to action, not just collection
- Inclusive approaches that reach people with different communication needs
- Governance arrangements that include lived experience voices
Importantly, commissioners will often look for consistency between what providers say about co-production and what people using services report during reviews or inspections.
Embedding Co-Production in Day-to-Day Operations
Co-production works best when it is part of everyday practice rather than an add-on. This can include involving people in staff recruitment, contributing to training content, shaping activity programmes, or reviewing policies in accessible formats.
Operationally, this requires managers to plan time, resources and support for meaningful involvement. Staff also need confidence and permission to share decision-making, particularly where risk, safeguarding or regulatory concerns are present.
Governance and Accountability
Strong providers link co-production to governance. This might include regular reporting on lived experience feedback, action tracking, and escalation of themes to senior leadership or trustees. Doing so demonstrates that co-production influences decision-making at all levels, not just frontline interactions.
Moving Beyond Tokenism
The difference between tokenistic engagement and genuine co-production is often visible in outcomes. Where people can see how their input has changed something tangible, trust grows and engagement improves. Over time, this strengthens service quality, relationships with commissioners and regulatory confidence.
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