Co-producing research: working together or falling apart?

A training activity which enables collective decision making

This literature review was written as part of the project Co-Design: Learning Reflections, part of the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s (AHRC) Connected Communities programme. At the beginning of 2013 the Connected Communities program awarded 10 projects under a funding call designed to encourage “creative, innovate and ethical” ways of conducting research with communities, rather than on communities. This review was written to act as a conversation starter in order to develop a common baseline for shared learning and cross-project discussion.

This paper proposes that co-production can be understood as an exploratory space and a generative process that leads to different, and sometimes unexpected, forms of knowledge, values, and social relations. By opening up this discussion, the authors hope to stimulate future debates on co-production as well as draw out ways of thinking differently about collaboration and participation in health care and research.

Exploring everything from eradicated black history to the inextricable link between class and race, this book is the essential handbook for anyone who wants to understand race relations in Britain today. We are aware that you may need to buy this book, if you would like to borrow a copy please just ask by emailing us on coproduction@ucl.ac.uk

The mixed population is the fastest-growing group in the U.K. today, but the mainstream conversation around mixedness is stilted, repetitive and often problematic. At a time when ethnically ambiguous models fill our Instagram feeds and our high street shop windows, and when children of interracial relationships are lauded as heralding in the dawn of a post-racial utopia, journalist Natalie Morris takes a deep dive into what it really means to be mixed in Britain today. We are aware that you may need to buy this book, if you would like to borrow a copy please just ask by emailing us on coproduction@ucl.ac.uk

Trevor was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison. Born a Crime is the story of a mischievous young boy who grows into a restless young man as he struggles to find himself in a world where he was never supposed to exist. We are aware that you may need to buy this book, if you would like to borrow a copy please just ask by emailing us on coproduction@ucl.ac.uk

'The hierarchy of caste is not about feelings or morality. It is about power - which groups have it and which do not'. Beyond race or class, our lives are defined by a powerful, unspoken system of divisions. Isabel Wilkerson gives an astounding portrait of this hidden phenomenon. Linking America, India and Nazi Germany, the author reveals how our world has been shaped by caste - and how its rigid, arbitrary hierarchies still divide us today. We are aware that you may need to buy this book, if you would like to borrow a copy please just ask by emailing us on coproduction@ucl.ac.uk

A book that honours the remarkable achievements of key Black British individuals over history. With a foreword written by David Olusoga, the book includes a list of Black British names and accompanying portraits that explores these individuals’ contribution and legacy to British History. We are aware that you may need to buy this book, if you would like to borrow a copy please just ask by emailing us on coproduction@ucl.ac.uk

Covering everything from the police, education and identity to politics, sexual objectification and the far right, Natives speaks directly to British denial and squeamishness when it comes to confronting issues of race and class that are at the heart of the legacy of Britain's racialised empire. We are aware that you may need to buy this book, if you would like to borrow a copy please just ask by emailing us on coproduction@ucl.ac.uk

When did Africans first come to Britain? Who are the well-dressed black children in Georgian paintings? Why did the American Civil War disrupt the Industrial Revolution? These and many other questions are answered in this essential introduction to 1800 years of the Black British history: from the Roman Africans who guarded Hadrian’s Wall right up to the present day. We are aware that you may need to buy this book, if you would like to borrow a copy please just ask by emailing us on coproduction@ucl.ac.uk

A vivid confirmation that black history can no longer be kept separate and marginalised. It is woven into the cultural and economic histories of the nation and it belongs to us all. We are aware that you may need to buy this book, if you would like to borrow a copy please just ask by emailing us on coproduction@ucl.ac.uk

This paper highlights the benefits of co-production during covid-19 and calls for it to be become embedded in policy making

This paper explores how social science research and health care improvement practice were linked through a programme designed to broker collaborations between clinicians, academics, and patients to improve health care – the UK National Institute for Health Research Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care for Northwest London. The authors discuss the successes and challenges of the collaboration and make suggestions on how to develop synergistic relationships that facilitate co-production of social science knowledge and its translation into practice.

This editorial argues that full partnership with patients is essential to any modern research enterprise

The authors present a series of reflections on experiments in co-production, each of which invites us to reflect on our own assumptions, and our own positions, in the shared project of using research to better address the problems that substance use can pose.

The Common Cause project aims to explore where and how common cause can be made between change agents in universities, communities and funding bodies who are looking to create an Arts and Humanities knowledge base that fully reflects the cultures and experiences of the UK’s Black and Minority Ethnic communities. Their resources collection aims to assist others in working in this area

In this study investigating cancer care in prison, academic researchers collaborated with three Experts by Experience, or lived experience researchers, from Revolving Doors Agency (RDA). This paper aims to encourage others to harness the benefits of co-producing research with people with lived experience of health care in prison, in a safe and genuine way, by offering our reflections on the process.

Co-production needs to become an integral part of the training and funding of researchers to ensure research meets everyone’s needs, argue the writers of this paper. They go on to outline some of the key challenges facing the sector

Participatory approaches to developing health interventions with end-users are recommended to improve uptake and use. This work aimed to explore the experiences of co-designing an online-delivered pain management programme (iSelf-help) for people with persistent pain.

This catalogue provides a range of case studies which demonstrate co-production in action across the public sector in Wales, along with resources and signposting to other information on co-production, from the UK and internationally. If you don't have one already you will need to sign up for a login with Social Care Institute of Excellence (SCIE)

This book examines the concepts of co-production and co-creation and their application in practice.

This video playlist is a series of extracts of stories gathered that represent some of the key findings and learnings from people's experiences of co-production.

This guide is about how to do co-production. It was co-produced with people who draw on care and support, carers, support providers and staff from the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE).

Documents explaining asset-based places, looking and peoples' and communities' needs and assets.

This guide showcases six current examples of best practice in service user involvement from the voluntary sector working in criminal justice. It aims that you will be able to learn from these examples and put this good practice into action in your own organisation or context.

This guidance sets out to provide a first step in moving toward clarity about what we mean by co-producing a research project. It explains the key principles and features of co-producing a research project and suggests ways to realise the principles and key features.

The toolkit includes short videos from staff and patients involved in experience-based co-design (EBCD) projects to help bring to life the successes and intense rewards of running this type of improvement project.

This toolkit is intended to provide guidance on what a Participatory Action Research (PAR) project commonly looks like, how to work together and some questions to ask as you go. It does not provide advice on methods, as these will vary depending on what the research is about. There are many sources available for methods to use within a PAR research approach.

This framework and toolkit was developed by Turn2Us in order to have a strong foundation from which to do co-production. Having a purpose, principles and ways of measuring our work makes us more accountable to both our co-production partners and to those for which the services are designed.

A framework to support strategic leads, commissioners and managers responsible for mental health, to consider and bring about the cultural and behavioural changes that are required, in order for co-production to become the ‘norm’, in the design, commissioning and delivery of mental health services and supports.

A collection of training and resources for public involvement in research

A curated selection of videos - case studies and advice and guidance on how to go about co-production

This resource focuses on putting ideas into action. You don’t need to be an expert in co-production prior to planning a project. Work through the guide and see how you get on.

This collection brings together an outstanding range of the world's best scholars in the field of co-production. Focuses on the theoretical and empirical debates around the co-production of public services and outcomes. Highlights the evidence - and the evidence gaps - for the impact on public value of co-commissioning, co-design, co-delivery and co-assessment

This contribution presents firstly some key findings from social innovation research in the field of public services, showing, by which recurring innovative features ‘co-productive’ service designs make a difference.

A piece of research that systematically maps the differences in how 32 initiatives from 6 continents co-produce diverse outcomes for the sustainable development of ecosystems at local to global scales

This report draws together the learning from various events and discussions. It presents an outline of what is holding back co-production and identifies some possible solutions to break down these barriers and promote future progress.

This briefing paper teases out the challenges and opportunities around co-producing evidence appropriate to participatory social policy and practice, and increasing people’s control within communities and services.

The ladder describes a series of steps towards co-production in health and social care. It supports greater understanding of the various stages of access and inclusion before full co-production is achieved.

A model for co-production to set out how to bring about a culture of co-production and how to do it developed by the coalition for personalised care and its partners

A collection of tools, resources and blog articles about co-production

This book disrupts the higher education sector through ambitious actions and collective, participatory and evidence-informed responses to racism. It offers a roadmap for senior leaders, staff and students to build strategies, programmes and interventions that effectively tackle racism.

A space where members of the community, especially young people, can come and find positive representations of themselves in history and culture. The Black Cultural Archives grew from a community response to the New Cross Massacre (1981), the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (1984); underachievement of Black children in British schools, the failings of the Race Relations Act 1976, and the negative impacts of racism against, and a lack of popular recognition of, and representation by people of African and Caribbean descent in the UK.

A collection of useful resources about all aspects of co-production, and signpost to more. Co-production Network Wales is based in Wales so the policy section is specific to their devolved legislative context, but the rest of the information should be widely relevant regardless of your geographical location

Bank of different methods of involving people in research and a online questionnaire that immediately ranks which ones would be more suited to your project and desired outcomes etc

The authors argue that small changes as well as larger system-wide changes can strengthen citizens’ contribution to knowledge in health research. They state that co-production of research is key to achieving more equal relationships in global health research and to delivering positive benefits to a wide range of stakeholders

Ghana’s universal health insurance scheme provides a good example of co-production of research. This example shows the important role that co-production of health research can have in generating relevant evidence and innovative, context specific solutions for public health and clinical care challenges

33 ideas for problem solving/workshops/changing up the dynamics and coming up with different solutions

A training activity which enables the trainer or facilitator to draw on the knowledge of each person in the group

Report about 5 pilot projects conducted by N8 Research

Training modules and handouts developed for a three-week training workshop on Community-Based Participatory Research held in June 2006 for community based workers in Tando Jam, Sindh, Pakistan.

Videos introducing different aspects of co-production, benefits, barriers etc.

Reflective questions to help everyone think about how they can work with people more equally through a process of co-produced research.