About Co-Production, why it is important and our approach. Co-Production is a way of working and making decisions. It means working in equal partnership with people, rather than making decisions for people.  Staffordshire County Council is committed to working co-productively with Staffordshire residents.
We know that by working in this way we will provide better services. We recognise the value of lived experience in understanding what needs to be done. We also know that working in this way will improve the experiences of those who draw upon services and improve experiences.
Why is Staffordshire County Council committed to Co-Production? It is important and the right thing to do! The more people we collaborate with, the more conversations we have, the more we will learn and in turn the more meaningful and appropriate care and services will be.
Staffordshire’s Co-production promise. Staffordshire County Council have joined forces with other providers and citizens across the county to agree what we mean by Co-Production and how we will use the approach. The definition we use to explain what we mean by the word Co-Production is: "People with responsibility for providing support, sharing their power by working with those receiving that support at every step, so that the help provided is as good as it can be and makes life better."
The Care Act 2014 and Co-Production The Care Act 2014 in an important piece of legislation that tells Local Authorities about how they should work. The Care Act 2014 has guidance for Local Authorities around Co-Production. The Act defines Co-Production in the following way: "Co-Production is when an individual influences the support and services received, or when groups of people get together to influence the way that services are designed, commissioned and delivered." The Care Act also states that involving people who draw upon care and support, their carers and the public through co-production is key in developing preventative, strength-based services, support assessments, shape the local care market, and plan information and advice services.
Who can get involved in co-production?  Every project, service and Co-Production task will need to involve different people in order to have the best chance of achieving success.
Staffordshire residents and people who draw upon services must be involved for a project to be called 'Co-Production'. Here is a list of people who may like to be involved in Co-Production alongside Staffordshire County Council: - People who currently access a service for support.
- People who don’t currently draw on services but may do in the future.
- Family members.
- Carers.
- Front-line staff who deliver a service.
- People who commission services.
- The voluntary sector and partners.
- Members of the community.
| 
If you’d like to hear from Staffordshire County Council about the things that matter to you, sign up to Stay Connected, our free email service. You can choose as many topics as you like and change or unsubscribe whenever it suits you: www.staffordshire.gov.uk/stayconnected