The Importance of Co-Production in Policy Making

Meagan Levin , Policy and Public Affairs Manager at Turn2us, shares the importance of co-production in policy work and ‘what is missing’.??

Co-production is the action of working alongside people with lived experience to design services that work for them and challenge the system that we want to change. At Turn2us we call the people who co-produce with us co-production partners. They are central to our work, to create a fair and compassionate social security system, and means that we work with people who have experience of the systems we are trying to change.?

In a diverse society like the UK, creating inclusive policies has never been more important. However, the way policy impacts people's day to day life is often overlooked. This can be due to policymakers having a lack of understanding about people’s real-world experience, particularly those on low income. For example, Universal Credit sanctions; people can be sanctioned (benefits being temporarily reduced) for not preparing for work, however evidence from the DWP shows that this does not encourage more people into work. Working with people to understand the barriers to finding work and co-designing employment support policy would better support those accessing Universal Credit.??

The UK’s social security system should work for everyone who needs it and be a true safety net that can be relied on in times of hardship. However, if it is not built with the diverse voices of the nation, it can never serve us all.??

The problem with not including lived experience in policymaking?

Turn2us surveyed MPs in the last Parliament about making government policy; 4 out of 5 MP’s said input from those with lived experience was important. However, this isn’t reflected in current social security policy, as shown in the way that policies like sanctions impact people’s lives.??

We know that the social security system is complex and can be incredibly difficult to navigate. Often, people will need to access the system when they are facing challenges in their life, such as losing a job or a loved one.?

Turn2us often hears from people who find themselves in debt, due to policies like the 5-week wait to receive their first payment of Universal Credit, and we collaborate with many other organisations who are amplifying the voices of families pushed into poverty because of the two-child limit policy.??

A recent poll conducted by YouGov for Turn2us found that over three –quarters of survey respondents thought that it would be challenging to claim benefits if their circumstances changed. If the system isn’t designed with and for the people it is intended to help it will continue to result in millions missing out on vital support available to them, impacting their well-being and exacerbating financial insecurity.?

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How does Turn2us do co-production??

Co-production is an important part of what Turn2us does. For example, recently the government announced reforms to the disability benefit, Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Though Turn2us is knowledgeable about PIP, staff members do not necessarily have firsthand experience of using PIP or applying for PIP. Therefore, when writing our response to the Government’s reforms we worked with a group of co-production partners with first-hand experience of accessing PIP to understand how they felt about the benefit and the proposed changes. We also wanted to understand what they believe the solutions to improving PIP could be and how it impacts their financial security and independence.??

Putting their views and voices to government is an important part of challenging assumptions from people who lack first-hand experience and enables us to gain unique insights from people who have lived experience.??

One of our co-production partners said of the proposed changes:??

"I feel like it's been designed for the good of headlines rather than the actual good of the people, so you know they can say yes, we are supporting disabled people. They're not actually asking disabled people what they need, not considered how it works.”?

Summary??

At Turn2us we believe that the social security system should be designed with and for the people who have lived experience of it. Co-production is a vital tool to ensure the system works for everyone, a system that we can be proud of.? When we include diverse perspectives, we can challenge assumptions and create a system capable of addressing complex issues relating to social security, work and health.??

By combining our resources and capabilities with lived experience and expertise, we increase our ability to meaningfully tackle the causes and symptoms of poverty. We also strengthen our collective ability to challenge the systems which trap people in poverty.?

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