The Power of Co-Production: Listening to Lived Experience to Create Real Change
In a world where decisions about services, policies, and programs often happen behind closed doors, it’s time for a shift—a shift towards co-production. Real, meaningful co-production isn’t just a buzzword; it’s a commitment to working together, valuing the voices of those with lived experience, and ensuring that real change happens for children, young people, and their families.
Why Lived Experience Matters
Lived experience is not just another perspective—it is the perspective. Those who experience services firsthand have unparalleled insights into what works, what doesn’t, and where improvements are needed. When we listen to the voices of children, young people, and their families, we move beyond assumptions and into the realm of real understanding.
Professionals and policymakers may have expertise in strategy and delivery, but lived experience provides the human context that makes change meaningful. By centring those voices, we ensure that services are not just efficient but also effective, relevant, and compassionate.
What Co-Production Really Looks and Feels Like for Families
For families, co-production is about more than just being asked for their views—it is about feeling valued, respected, and truly included. It looks and feels like:
Being listened to and taken seriously: Families’ experiences and insights shape decisions in real ways.
Having a genuine role in shaping services: Not just feedback sessions, but active involvement in creating and improving policies and programs.
Feeling empowered and respected: Recognizing that their contributions are as valuable as those of professionals.
Clear and open communication: Families understand what is happening and why, with opportunities to ask questions and provide feedback at every stage.
Building relationships of trust: True partnerships where families and professionals collaborate with mutual respect.
When families are part of the process from the beginning, they feel a sense of ownership over the services and solutions designed for them. This leads to better outcomes and stronger, more supportive communities.
The Difference Between Tokenism and Real Co-Production
Too often, organisations claim to involve people with lived experience but stop at consultation. A single shared story is not co-production—it’s tokenism. Real co-production means working side by side, from ideation to implementation. It means:
Shared decision-making: People with lived experience have a seat at the table where key decisions are made.
Genuine collaboration: Ideas and solutions are developed together, not just reviewed.
Continuous engagement: Listening is not just a one-off event but an ongoing dialogue.
When we shift from tokenistic engagement to real co-production, we build trust, improve services, and create sustainable change that truly meets the needs of children, young people, and their families.
The Impact of Listening and Acting on Lived Experience
The benefits of co-production go far beyond better services; they build stronger communities and create empowered individuals. When young people and families’ voices are truly heard, they gain confidence in their voices and their ability to influence change. This, in turn, fosters a culture of respect, inclusion, and innovation.
For organisations and policymakers, co-production leads to solutions that are practical, cost-effective, and more likely to succeed in the long term. It ensures that interventions are fit for purpose, reducing inefficiency. When people feel ownership over services designed with them, engagement and outcomes improve.
Making Co-Production the Norm, Not the Exception
The challenge now is to make meaningful co-production the standard, not a special project or an afterthought. This means:
Embedding co-production into policies, frameworks, and everyday practices.
Providing training and support so that professionals know how to co-produce effectively.
Recognising and valuing the contributions of those with lived experience through fair acknowledgment, and respect.
Creating safe and truly inclusive spaces where children, young people, and families feel comfortable sharing their experiences and ideas.
A Call to Action
If we want real change for children and young people, we must start by listening. Not just hearing but truly listening and acting on what we learn and working together to build solutions that matter. Co-production is not just an approach; it is a mindset, a movement, and a moral responsibility.
By valuing lived experience and making it central to decision-making, we can ensure that services, policies, and initiatives are not just well-intended but truly effective. The voices of children, young people, and families must not just be included—they must lead the way. The time for change is now. Let’s make it happen, together.
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