The Co-production Narrative Guide: Launch!

News
We are excited to launch our new co-production guide aimed at those working in physical activity or sport, co-produced by Disability Rights UK alongside a team of individuals, organisations and researchers. We are launching this resource on Thursday 5th June – kicking off with a launch webinar at 2.30pm where you can find out more. Sign up and read more below - we look forward to seeing you there!

What is co-production?

Co-production and working in partnership with communities is becoming increasingly expected and is a popular approach in many areas of work. Working in this way can mean you are able to develop more inclusive activities from the beginning without wasting valuable money or resources, develop better relationships with your local community and therefore improve your reputation, as well as ensuring any work you develop is accessible, relevant and will make a difference. However, lack of understanding and misuse of the word co-production runs the risk of the approach becoming tokenistic.  

We have therefore created this practical guide to support the sport and physical activity sector, as well as wider organisations, to provide direction and clarity around what co-production is and what it isn’t. We have included case studies from a variety of organisations working in the sector so that you can see how others have embedded co-production in practice. The guide, alongside the information and hints/tips, can be used as a starting point to guide conversations and help support how you might decide to do co-production in ways that fit your work and the people you work with. 

Liddie Bone, Co-production Lead at Disability Rights UK, commented: “I’m excited to introduce this new, practical resource - designed not only for the sport and physical activity sector but for anyone interested in co-production. Co-produced alongside individuals with lived experience and organisations, this guide is engaging, user-friendly, and easy to apply in practice.  We hope it proves a valuable resource to those working in sport and physical activity, supporting them in partnering with Disabled people to co-design and deliver inclusive physical activity and reducing barriers many Disabled people face when it comes to getting active”.  

Rachel Hill, a member of our co-production group who developed the resource, commented: “All four of our co-production team - myself, Anita, Ella and Molly, thoroughly appreciated the genuine and authentic part we played in producing such a valuable tool that anyone can access.  From the very start we have shared the decision making and have felt respected, valued and appreciated.  It has been demanding, but ultimately enjoyable, to work with such an inclusive and credible process with such far-reaching potential. I hope this resource will create more opportunities for Disabled people to be active in inclusive spaces, where we are seen as partners in the design and delivery of physical activity” 

Professor Brett Smith from Durham University: “Genuine coproduction can be transformative. It can transform individual lives, local communities, and organisations. The transformative power of coproduction extends to physical activity - including changing not just the quantity of movement we do but also the quality and our experiences of it. With coproduction we are better placed to empower the least active to be more active and address inequalities”.  

Sign up to our launch webinar!

  • We will be sending out further information after the launch on the 5th June about where to find and download the resource. 

For more information: please contact Liddie Bone – Co-production Lead at lydia.bone@disabilityrightsuk.org