Co-production in Shropshire
The voice of Shropshire Parent Carers can be heard in many ways. PACC is one of those ways that Shropshire Parent Carers can share their experiences and feedback to local decision makers. As the recognised Parent Carer Forum for Shropshire, we provide representation at a range of strategic and operation meetings with Shropshire Council, Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin Integrated Care System and the Shropshire Voluntary and Community Sector.
Coproduction can only happen when the system is working with indivdiuals or communities that use the services provided. It is not coproduction when different parts of the system work together or the system works with other organisations that deliver services. This is collaboration.
PACC regularly runs surveys, host Conferences and runs workshops to provide parent carers with the opportunity to feedback on their experiences of services. We are active on Social Media, particularly Facebook where parent carers can share their experiences on a daily basis with the PACC Team.
PACC’s Community Support activities also play an important role in our Influence & Change work, providing opportunities for PACC to meet with and hear from a wide range of families in more informal settings. All the feedback from SEND families informs PACC’s conversations in a range of meetings across Education, Health and Social Care services.
In April 2025 PACC co hosted the launch of the Shropshire Co-production Framework. The Co-production Framework is all age and applies to all of Shropshire Council activity. It was co-produced with Shropshire Council, the Shropshire Making it Real Board and PACC. The Framework ensures a shared understanding of what Co-production means in Shropshire and outlines the key principles that will be embedded in all Shropshire Council activity to deliver co-production at all levels. This is the first step in creating a culture where co-production can grow and develop, ensuring that the voice of those who draw on care and support are central to all decision making, at all levels.
The Shropshire Co-production Framework recognises and includes the PACC Co-production Bench. This model, developed by PACC, highlights that co-production is achieved via several activities, all of which should be implemented in a co-produced way. Describing this as a bench rather than a ladder illustrated the collaborative nature of co-production, involving multiple elements of participation, which can be combined to deliver true co-production. The model offers three levels of co-production;
- Individual Co-production: Working in a person-centred way with the individual with support needs, to plan how they want to live their life.
- Operational Co-production: Involves a service or a team working with those who use their services, to design, develop and monitor processes and delivery. This can involve Experts by Experience or Parent Carer Reps. The service needs to hear from more than one voice, and it is important that information is shared with the wider community.
- Strategic Co-production: This is about an organisation working with a community who relies on the services it delivers. At a strategic level hearing from the community is key and experience led, representative organisations play an important role in sharing the experiences of the community.