In Stockport, our vision is for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to have the best start in life. We want all children and young people to be happy, prepared for adulthood and able to achieve their goals. We want families to feel supported, confident, resilient and connected to their community. We can only do this well if we understand the lived experience of people with additional needs and/or disabilities and their families.
What co-production is
We're passionate about hearing the voices of people who access our services and working together with them to create and deliver services for families that make a difference. Some of the people we work with are:
- parent carers
- young people
- voluntary and community organisations
- professionals from health, social care and education
Families in Stockport created this definition of co-production:
'Co-production happens when all voices are actively listened to from the start of the planning process. This involves a mutual respect for each other’s views, with an open and honest relationship that's transparent and continually evolving to achieve meaningful and positive outcomes.'
Co-production can include:
- being a member of Stockport boards and meetings
- being involved in community sessions and events
- completing surveys or being part of a focus group
- designing and delivering training
- sharing your lived experience to change practice
- quality assurance of services being delivered
Watch our video to find out about what co-production is and some of the things we're doing together with communities and families.
Our co-production charter
Our co-production charter was produced by young people with additional needs and disabilities, parent carers, health and voluntary and community organisations. The charter underpins our way of working and our expectations across Stockport. It has been designed to help anyone co-produce, whether you are new to it, or have years of experience.
The charter states that, together we'll create a culture where we'll:
- be open and honest
- actively listen
- value the lived experiences
- do what matters
- be accountable and responsive
- work together
- be respectful
How we're co-producing
Local offer co-ordinator role
We recognise how important the experiences of parent carers are and that they know the ‘SEND system’ and their children better than anyone else. We've worked with parent carers to create a flexible role for a parent carer to be employed by Stockport Council. They will bring their lived experience of accessing support and the needs of children to creating our offer for families.
L!sten: Stockport’s Youth Alliance
Young people, community organisations and health and social care services have worked together to design a model to uplift the voice and influence of young people in Stockport. Young people with additional needs helped to create the model of engagement and recruited a community organisation to run the project. Young people are setting priorities for Stockport that matter to them and providing active voices in the new One Stockport Plan.
Parent carer forums
Parents and Carers Together Stockport (PACTS) is our official parent carer forum where the voices of parent carers across Stockport are represented.
Get in touch
Email send-IP@stockport.gov.uk to:
- learn more about co-production
- find out about co-production training opportunities
- find out how we can support you to have your voice heard
- have your say about how how services are designed and delivered