E-book contents
Here, we explore the different levels of involvement in care — from simply informing people to empowering them to lead — and show how the ladder of coproduction can help you reflect on where your service currently stands.
In this section, we introduce the six core principles that underpin meaningful coproduction — and offer real-world examples of how they show up in care services every day.
This chapter looks at where and how coproduction features in the CQC’s Single Assessment Framework — and what practical evidence providers can show to demonstrate it in action.
We spotlight some of the latest and most innovative approaches to coproduction — from lived experience leadership to co-auditing, storytelling, and digital-first collaboration.
Here, we walk through a step-by-step approach to developing care plans in partnership with the person — focusing on strengths, preferences, and shared decisions that reflect what matters most to them.
In this chapter, we explore how thoughtfully designed digital tools can make coproduction easier to embed, easier to evidence, and more accessible to the people you support.
What are the principles of coproduction?
Coproduction is more than a method — it is a mindset. It is not just about involving people more often, but about working in ways that value lived experience equally to professional expertise. To do this well, care teams need a clear foundation to build from.
That is where the principles of coproduction come in. These principles guide how we work, not just what we do. They shape culture, relationships and practice. And when embedded properly, they help create services that are not only person-centred but person-led.
Why the principles of coproduction matter
As we explored in what is coproduction in social care?, there is often confusion about what coproduction really involves. Some teams equate it with consultation. Others focus more on outcomes than on how decisions are made. Having a shared set of principles brings clarity and consistency to the process.
Principles help everyone — care workers, managers, people who draw on care, families, advocates — understand what good looks like. They keep the focus on relationships, trust and shared purpose.
The six recognised principles of coproduction
The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) has identified six core principles that underpin meaningful coproduction in social care. These have been adopted widely across local authorities, provider organisations and community-led services.
- Equality
Everyone’s experience, insight and perspective are treated as equally valuable. Professional roles or qualifications do not outweigh lived experience. Decision-making is shared fairly, and different contributions are respected.
In action: A support worker and a person they work with co-chair a planning meeting, with equal say over outcomes.
- Diversity and inclusion
Coproduction must include voices from across the community, especially those often excluded or marginalised. This means removing barriers to participation and actively seeking out a range of perspectives.
In action: A provider runs accessible workshops, with interpreters and easy-read formats, to involve people with a wide range of communication styles.
- Accessibility
Information, spaces and systems must be designed to include everyone. That includes making adjustments for communication needs, scheduling, physical access, and emotional safety.
In action: A service uses visual tools and digital platforms so people can contribute to their care plans in ways that feel comfortable to them.
- Reciprocity
There is mutual benefit for everyone involved. People are not simply asked for their time or insight. Their contributions are recognised and valued. This might mean paying people, offering training, or creating leadership pathways.
In action: A care organisation develops a lived experience leadership plan that includes payment for peer mentors and training for advisory roles.
- Strengths-based approach
The focus is not just on what people need, but on what they bring. Coproduction starts from the assumption that everyone has assets — skills, knowledge, passions and life experience — that can improve care and support.
In action: A resident with an interest in food or a background in catering leads the redesign of food and mealtime routines for their service.
- Partnership
Coproduction is not about feedback or consultation. It is about shared ownership of problems and solutions. This principle requires trust, openness, and an understanding that the process may take more time — but leads to better results.
In action: A team redesigns its approach to incident reporting by coproducing the new system with residents, families and frontline staff.
Embedding the principles in practice
Embedding these principles requires more than a checklist. It involves reviewing how decisions are made, how meetings are run, how feedback is collected and how services are evaluated.
One helpful starting point is our coproduction self-audit checklist, which enables teams to reflect on how well they are applying these principles in day-to-day work. It covers key areas such as care planning, staff recruitment, quality reviews and service governance.
You can also use the user involvement spectrum to map which principles are strongest in your organisation — and where further development might be needed.
Culture before process
Principles are not just for projects or pilots. They need to sit at the heart of organisational culture. That means embedding them in:
- Policies — with clear commitments to partnership working and co-leadership
- Staff training — including communication, trauma-informed practice, and working with lived experience
- Leadership — where people with lived experience hold decision-making roles, not just advisory ones
- Technology — tools that are inclusive, adaptable and designed to support shared decision-making
In how technology supports coproduction in care, we explore how to put these ideas into action with digital platforms that reduce barriers and improve inclusion.
It is not all or nothing
Not every coproduction effort will meet every principle fully. That is normal. What matters most is being intentional, reflective and willing to adapt. If people feel included, respected and empowered, the principles are likely being met — even if imperfectly.
And when they are embedded well, these principles do more than improve care. They improve confidence, connection and outcomes for everyone involved.
Read chapter four: How does coproduction align with CQC?
Contents
Here, we explore the different levels of involvement in care — from simply informing people to empowering them to lead — and show how the ladder of coproduction can help you reflect on where your service currently stands.
In this section, we introduce the six core principles that underpin meaningful coproduction — and offer real-world examples of how they show up in care services every day.
This chapter looks at where and how coproduction features in the CQC’s Single Assessment Framework — and what practical evidence providers can show to demonstrate it in action.
We spotlight some of the latest and most innovative approaches to coproduction — from lived experience leadership to co-auditing, storytelling, and digital-first collaboration.
Here, we walk through a step-by-step approach to developing care plans in partnership with the person — focusing on strengths, preferences, and shared decisions that reflect what matters most to them.
In this chapter, we explore how thoughtfully designed digital tools can make coproduction easier to embed, easier to evidence, and more accessible to the people you support.
