Coproduction and Stewardship

We provide independent support to establish a partnership or review existing practices with the right people involved and identify any support needs around governance and accountability, roles and responsibilities, collaborative practice, collective decision-making and more. This might involve:

• Identifying a realistic and achievable coproduction partnership in a particular context.
• Identifying who should be involved and appointing a representative and inclusive group.
• Agreeing a common vision for working together, building trust and sharing power.
• Establishing decision-making structures, roles and responsibilities, and policies and processes.
• Training partners in how to maintain a successful coproduction relationship.

often the hardest part of a coproduction process is keeping the relationship going in a way that preserves a culture of collaboration and power sharing. We provide ongoing support to enable effective coproduction throughout the course of a project or process. The type of support varies depending on what’s required and can range from independent chairing and facilitating of steering groups to ongoing mentoring or tailored training and capacity building, including:

• Governance support both within and outside of the coproduction process.
• Training and support to enable equal participation.
• Enabling collaborative working cultures that support collective problem solving.
• Working through conflicts and approaching disagreement as a natural part of working together.
• Developing approaches for open and transparent sharing of data and information.
• Supporting partners to move from a process-led to a relationship-led approach.

As well as transforming projects and service delivery, we want to see coproduction used to initiate new models of community management, stewardship and ownership of homes, businesses and neighbourhoods. This might include the establishment of Resident Management Organisations and Community Land Trusts capable of taking responsibility for things like asset ownership, building management, stewardship of public spaces, or running community facilities, to the extent they wish to. This might include:

• Identifying collective priorities, values and objectives for long-term control.
• Legally incorporating and registering with statutory bodies.
• Establishing decision-making structures, roles and responsibilities, policies, and processes.
• Strategy and business planning, objective setting and prioritisation, network analysis, action planning, narrative development, technical and financial planning, risk management.
• Training and capacity building to enable the running of the organisation