The mark of co-production
Published:
The mark of co-production is an open access digital tool to help anyone interested in planning, running, or evaluating a co-production project. It clearly defines co-production, celebrates it as an approach, and explores how projects can aim for the highest level of co-production.
This tool draws from research and theory around co-production and the lived experience of people’s own involvement in co-production. The tool is most effective when used to support reflection by all involved in a co-production project - whether members of the public, practitioners, researchers, or managers.
Through sharing plenty of tips and points for reflection, it aims to help everyone explore how to co-produce together. It encourages people to pool their knowledge, share their hopes, and be honest about their concerns. Although the tool was developed from the experience of adult co-production, its principles could be adapted to support co-production with young people.
Explore how this tool was co-produced and how to use it
Throughout this resource we use the idea of snakes-and-ladders, like in the familiar board game, to guide you through your journey of co-production. All the examples we share, whether snake, ladder, or observation, come from real-life experiences.
Snakes represent common misunderstandings or actions that can undermine co-production and set progress back.
Ladders represent approaches and behaviours that help you move forward and strengthen co-production.
Learning resources
The tool is grouped into four key stages of co-production.
This tool has preserved the voice of all of the co-authors. This means you might notice slight changes in tone or style. We hope you’ll find that this adds to the pleasure of using it, because it all comes from our real-world experiences!
All the quotes are from our lived experience co-authors and peer reviewers.
This digital tool has been co-produced. The co-authors are Amanda Threlfall, Jenny Hurst and Jeanette Sutton.
- Amanda is a public contributor with a keen interest in co-production and promoting good practice within research. Amanda also created the concepts of ‘snakes-and-ladders’ and the ‘Lake of ideas’ that are used in this publication.
- Jenny is an Independent Living Co-ordinator at Action Disability Kensington and Chelsea, an organisation run by and for disabled people. She has experienced co-production from two different angles - as a person drawing on care and support services, and as part of her professional role where she promotes the importance of co-production.
- Jeanette has experience of co-production through the development of the A Brighter Social Care Future: Evidence Review (2023), which was co-produced by over a dozen people with lived-experience and living experience.
Together, Amanda, Jenny, and Jeanette also developed and delivered a series of co-production workshops over 2024 and 2025. This digital tool also draws from the knowledge shared at those workshops.
Claire Williams, Research and Development Officer at Research in Practice, supported the co-producers as they developed the workshops and wrote this practice tool. Claire organised meetings between the co-producers, facilitated conversations, and kept the project on track. We would like to thank Clare Fielder from our Events Team for her wonderful illustrations, Clare supported the co-production workshops and has been on this journey with the co-production team from the beginning.
This digital tool also represents the important work of Iggy Patel. Iggy created the original concepts of ‘the mark of coproduction’ and ‘preproduction’, both of which were first published on his blog website in 2022. Iggy was also part of the team who developed the co-production workshops. Sadly, Iggy passed away at the end of 2024. He was a tireless champion for co-production and disabled people’s rights, and we dedicate this practice tool to his memory.
Our peer reviewers were Dean Thomas, of the Our Voice co-production group at Nottinghamshire County Council; Ed Brooks, of ConnectED; Susan Ridpath at Research in Practice; and Isaac Samuels of the Co-Production Collective. Isaac also very generously included several additional examples of co-production’s ‘snakes-and-ladders’ which we’ve included in this tool.
We’d like to thank all of our peer reviewers for their invaluable comments on this tool.
Arnstein, S. R. (1969). A ladder of citizen participation. Journal of the American Institute of Planners, 35(4), 216–224. DOI: 10.1080/01944366908977225.
Bangiri, A., Horobin, A., Baker, J., Pszczolkowski, S., Thust, S., & Morgan, P. S. (2025). Co-production as the ultimate goal; an incentive or discouragement? Research Involvement and Engagement, 11(1), 147. DOI: 10.1186/s40900-025-00812-1.
Bovaird, T., & Loeffler, E. (2012). From engagement to co-production: The contribution of users and communities to outcomes and public value. Voluntas, 23(4), 1119–1138. DOI: 10.1007/s11266-012-9309-6.
Osborne, S. P., Radnor, Z., & Strokosch, K. (2016). Co-production and the co-creation of value in public services: A suitable case for treatment? Public Management Review, 18(5), 639–653. DOI: 10.1080/14719037.2015.1111927.
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Our Voice co-production group (Nottinghamshire).
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Young Researchers’ Advisory Panel (University of Bedfordshire).
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Care and Support Statutory Guidance - Section 1: Promoting wellbeing.
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British Science Association - 2025 Charter for Anti-Racist Co-production in research.
Further topic related resources from Research in Practice are available below within Related Content.
Professional Standards
PQS:KSS - Person-centred practice | Organisational context | Influencing and governing practice excellence within the organisation and community
CQC - Effective | Well-led
RCOT - Service users
A brighter social care future: co-producing the evidence to make five key changes
This Evidence Review was co-produced by Research in Practice and Social Care Future, and brought together groups of people, with different lived experiences of social care, to talk about five key changes needed in social care in order to unlock an equal life.
Co-production and strengths-based practice: Leaders' Briefing (2020)
Co-production means that people with lived experience take an equal role in the design of policy and services. Gain an overview of co-production and consider its importance for people who use services, practitioners, service providers and commissioners.
Talking about co-production and evidence with Social Care Future
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Working together, learning together: A lived experience guide to co-production
This podcast considers co-production, how the discussion around it is still quite theoretical, and what it really means for people with lived experience of services and practitioners.
ConnectED
ConnectED is a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funded project that aims to help decision-makers in Adult Social Care (ASC) make better decisions by growing their capacity to use research.
Equity: Change Project
Use intersectionality to explore the practices, attitudes and actions needed to overcome barriers, challenge oppression and increase equity in adult social care.