Why Co-Production Matters in Positive Behaviour Support

July 30, 2025

Positive Behaviour Support only works if it’s truly collaborative. That means co-producing support strategies with the person themselves — and with the people who know them best. Not just professionals, but families, friends, and advocates.

To evidence collaboration credibly in tenders and inspections, your approach should clearly align with established PBS principles and values and be grounded in robust PBS ethical frameworks. Co-production is not an optional extra in PBS — it is a core value that protects rights, improves accuracy of support planning, and strengthens outcomes over time.

To embed consistent PBS practice across teams, many organisations use resources from the central PBS knowledge hub covering proactive support and human rights.

🧩 What Co-Production Looks Like in PBS

Co-production in PBS goes beyond “consulting” the individual. It means shared design, shared learning, and shared accountability. In practice, this includes:

Working with the person to understand their needs, goals, communication style, and preferences.
Recognising family members as experts in their loved one’s history, triggers, routines, and protective factors.
Jointly reviewing support plans and behaviour data to shape future strategies.
Giving people real choice and control — not just token involvement.
Ensuring information is accessible (easy-read, visual formats, audio, symbols, plain language).

True co-production changes the tone of PBS planning. It shifts from “professional interpretation” to “shared understanding”.

🧠 Why Co-Production Improves PBS Accuracy

When support plans are written without meaningful input from the person or their circle, critical context is often missed. Co-production improves:

Functional understanding: families often recognise early warning signs long before professionals do.
Trigger identification: historical patterns, trauma cues, or sensory preferences may not be obvious without family insight.
Preventative strategies: what worked at school, at home, or in previous placements can inform better planning.
Consistency: aligned approaches across home, service, and community reduce confusion and escalation.

Better information leads to better plans. Better plans reduce distress. Reduced distress reduces restrictive practice.

🎯 Why It Matters for Outcomes

When people are involved in shaping their own support, the outcomes are measurably better:

Fewer incidents because plans reflect real-life preferences.
Greater engagement in meaningful activity.
Increased trust between staff, the person, and families.
Improved placement stability and reduced breakdown risk.

Families feel reassured when their voice is valued. Staff feel more confident when plans are grounded in lived experience. People supported feel respected when their choices genuinely shape practice.

📊 How to Evidence Co-Production in Tenders

Commissioners increasingly expect concrete examples, not statements of intent. In learning disability and mental health tenders, describe the mechanisms behind your co-production model:

Initial assessment process: how you gather “what matters to me” information.
Joint PBS planning meetings: frequency, format, accessibility.
Family review forums: structured opportunities to contribute feedback.
Shared data review: how incident trends are discussed transparently.
Accessible documentation: how support plans are presented in person-friendly formats.

A strong tender example might read:

“All PBS plans are co-produced with the individual and, where appropriate, their family or advocate. Quarterly reviews include trend analysis and collaborative refinement of proactive strategies. Over 12 months, co-produced adjustments reduced escalation frequency by 45% across the service.”

This demonstrates both value alignment and measurable impact.

🛠️ Practical Co-Production Methods

1️⃣ Accessible Planning Tools

Visual “About Me” profiles.
Communication passports.
Now/Next boards co-designed with the person.

2️⃣ Family Insight Interviews

Structured conversations exploring early indicators of distress.
Exploring historical patterns that inform preventative work.
Recording “what has helped before” and “what makes things worse”.

3️⃣ Shared Debriefs After Incidents

Reviewing what happened using a learning lens.
Inviting family or advocate reflection (where appropriate).
Agreeing adjustments collaboratively.

4️⃣ Ongoing Feedback Loops

Regular check-ins on “How is this working for you?”
Confidence scales or simple rating tools.
Open-door communication policies.

⚖️ Ethical Foundations of Co-Production

Co-production is not simply best practice — it is ethically grounded. It supports:

Dignity and autonomy.
Least-restrictive decision-making.
Respect for lived experience.
Shared responsibility for positive risk-taking.

When restrictions are considered, co-production ensures they are discussed transparently, time-limited, and reviewed collaboratively.

🏢 Governance and Leadership

Embedding co-production requires leadership commitment. High-performing services demonstrate:

Senior oversight of family engagement metrics.
Inclusion of co-production in quality improvement plans.
Tracking of complaints, compliments, and themes.
Board-level review of restrictive practice reduction data.

When co-production is monitored and resourced, it becomes culture — not rhetoric.

📈 Measuring the Impact of Co-Production

To make co-production visible in bids and inspections, track measurable indicators:

Percentage of plans co-produced or updated with family input.
Reduction in incidents following collaborative plan changes.
Family satisfaction scores.
Number of restrictions reduced or removed after joint review.

Data, combined with human stories, creates a compelling narrative.

🌱 From “Doing To” to “Doing With”

It also strengthens your tender responses. Commissioners want to see that you don’t just “do to” — you “do with.” Services that can clearly describe shared planning, shared learning, and shared decision-making demonstrate maturity and accountability.

Co-production is not a meeting. It is a mindset. When embedded properly, it improves outcomes, reduces conflict, and strengthens trust across the whole support system.

In PBS, collaboration is not an add-on — it is the foundation.