Co-production Week 2025: Celebrating Innovation
Published 24 June 2025
Monday 30 June 2025 marks the start of Co-production Week, a national celebration hosted by the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE). The theme this year is “Innovation through co-production”, highlighting the power of people working together to design, deliver and improve social care in ways that are creative, inclusive and truly effective.
At Making Space, co-production is far more than a concept, it’s a commitment. It’s embedded in our culture, woven through our 2024–2029 strategic plan ‘Recipe for Success’, and reflected in the way we design and deliver care and support services in genuine partnership with the people who use them. Our belief is simple: everyone has something valuable to contribute, and the best services are built with people, not just for them.
What is co-production?
SCIE defines co-production as a way of working in equal partnership with people using services, carers, families, and communities. It's about sharing power and making decisions together. It breaks down barriers between professionals and those with lived experience, promoting genuine collaboration and trust.
According to SCIE, 122 projects have been funded through the Department of Health and Social Care’s Accelerating Reform Fund (ARF), all of which required co-production from the start. Impressively, around 70% support unpaid carers and 73 focus solely on carers’ needs. These projects are delivering powerful lessons about how co-production drives real-world innovation.
Co-production at Making Space - people first, always
At Making Space, co-production is not just a principle – it’s embedded in how we work across all our services. It’s rooted in the belief that everyone has something valuable to contribute – whether that’s lived experience, insight, creativity, or care. It goes beyond consultation or involvement. It’s about recognising strengths, sharing power, and working together as equals to design and shape services. It encourages shared ownership and moves us away from doing things to or for people, towards doing things with them.
Mark Thornton, Co-production & Volunteer Co-ordinator at Making Space, said:
Co-production is part of who we are. We believe people with lived experience should be at the heart of every conversation, decision and action that shapes the support they receive.
Co-production Week 2025 is a great opportunity to shine a light on the inspiring, innovative work happening across Making Space – from national award wins to personal journeys that show what’s possible when people are truly listened to and valued.
Whether it’s through our Making Change Group, creative tools like the Making It Real Game, or everyday service conversations, we’re showing that real innovation happens when we work together – openly, equally, and with shared purpose.
To mark the week, we’re proud to share some of the innovative, co-produced projects happening throughout Making Space:
The Making It Real game:
Developed by our Co-production Team and Making Change Group, this interactive tool transforms care planning into a shared, engaging experience. Based on TLAP’s Making It Real framework, it uses “I” statements and a fun game format to spark honest, reflective conversations.
This project recently won the Tenant Co-production Award at the Housing with Care Awards 2025, and now it’s looking to be being shared nationally and digitally to inspire others.
Move On project:
This project is a shining example of organisational co-production in action.
Transitioning between services can be daunting and uncertain. At one of our supported living services in Preston, a person we support with lived experience of moving between social care settings used his insight and passion to help improve the way we support people through these key life changes. Staff enabled him to contribute meaningfully, using a strengths-based approach that addressed details often overlooked. This work became an important foundation for redesigning our approach to transitions at Making Space and was recognised by both senior leaders and the Making Change Group.
Building on this and innovations across several of our services, a co-productive working group came together to develop a more consistent and person-centred support system for people moving into and within Making Space accommodation.
The result was the creation of the Move On guide, a practical, user-friendly tool designed to capture key information about individuals in an accessible and non-invasive way. Guided by people with lived experience and a co-productive mindset, the group ensured the guide truly reflects the needs of those we support, while giving teams confidence in using it as part of a thoughtful and empowering transition process.
Wyre Supported Housing – creating green spaces
At our supported housing service in Wyre, Lancashire, a dedicated group of people we support, and staff came together with enthusiasm and resilience to transform neglected outdoor spaces into thriving communal gardens.
Through a fully co-produced approach, the people we support and staff jointly planned and reimagined the use of the space, identifying areas for improvement and working together to bring the project to life. Despite challenging weather and unexpected setbacks - including the loss of one of their newly installed greenhouses in a storm - the team pressed on with determination.
In place of the damaged greenhouse, they designed raised beds, while continuing to cultivate new planting areas. The remaining greenhouse is now used to grow tomatoes, chillies, and herbs, while daffodils and crocuses have brightened the space since early spring.
The garden has become a shared, valued space for everyone in the service. The people we support have taken on responsibility for its upkeep, and the project has supported not just wellbeing but also a strong sense of community ownership.
To celebrate their achievements, the service hosted a barbecue where residents contributed to the food, helped with the cooking, and organised the entertainment, another great example of co-production in action and the power of working together to create spaces people truly care about.
Palmyra Residential Home – dreams and goals in action
A fantastic example of personalised co-production comes from Palmyra Residential Home, where Danny, a person we support, worked with staff to turn his love of adventure into reality.
Through ongoing “Dreams and Goals” conversations, Danny shared that he had always wanted to drive a car. After exploring options with his support worker, he decided to try go-karting. Following a successful and exhilarating session at Team Karting, Danny was ready for more.
Over the next few months, with encouragement and planning support from staff, Danny took on a series of adrenaline-fuelled challenges. He experienced the thrill of indoor skydiving at iFly, participated in paintballing games, and braved the world’s fastest zip line at Zip World. He even topped it all off with a trip to Waterworld to enjoy the slides and attractions.
These experiences weren’t just about ticking off a bucket list, they were about confidence, trust, and co-producing a life that reflects Danny’s passions and ambitions. Reflecting on his adventures, Danny said:
“I really enjoy being a bit more adventurous, and my favourite experience was the zip wire.”
This is co-production at its most personal, where the support we provide is shaped entirely around the individual, their dreams, and their voice.
Our commitment to co-production
We believe in creating services together. Through our Making Change Group, we bring together people who use our services, carers, volunteers, trustees and staff to shape everything from recruitment to service development. We also offer co-production guidance, training, and resources to help embed co-production across our teams.
As Co-production Week 2025 reminds us, co-production fuels innovation, not just in how we work, but in how we listen, value, and empower the people at the heart of social care. You can follow Co-production Week 2025 online using #CoProductionWeek.
Click here to learn more about co-production at Making Space or to get involved, contact us at co-production@makingspace.co.uk