Co-Production Policy

Working Together to Improve SEND Services

At RIASS (Redbridge Information, Advice and Support Service), we believe that children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), parent carers, and professionals all bring valuable experiences and expertise. Co-production is about working together as equal partners to shape services, improve outcomes, and influence decisions that affect the lives of children, young people and families.

We are committed to ensuring that the voices of those with lived experience are heard, respected and used to inform local SEND developments across education, health and social care.

What Is Co-Production?

Co-production means working together from the beginning of a process through to its completion. Rather than services making decisions and then seeking views afterwards, co-production involves children, young people, parent carers and professionals sharing ideas, identifying solutions and developing services together.

Co-production is built upon the principles of:

• Equal partnership
• Shared decision-making
• Mutual respect
• Openness and transparency
• Valuing lived experience
• Working towards meaningful change

How RIASS Supports Co-Production

As an impartial service, RIASS is uniquely placed to gather, understand and share the experiences of families across the SEND system.

We support co-production by:

• Listening to Families
• We collect feedback and experiences through:
• Enquiries and casework
• Surveys and questionnaires
• Consultation events
• Workshops and focus groups
• Community engagement activities
• Feedback forms and evaluations
• Identifying Themes and Trends

Through our direct work with families, we can identify common concerns, barriers and positive experiences. This helps local partners understand what is working well and what may need improvement.

Examples may include:

• Experiences of the Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment process
• Communication with schools and services
• Access to health and therapy provision
• Transition to adulthood support
• Inclusion and participation in education
• Supporting Meaningful Participation

We help parent carers and young people understand proposals, consultations and changes that may affect them so they can make informed contributions.

This may include:

• Explaining SEND processes and terminology
• Providing accessible information
• Supporting attendance at engagement events
• Helping families understand how their views can influence decisions
• Contributing to Strategic Development

RIASS regularly shares anonymised trends and feedback with local SEND partners to help inform:

• Service design and development
• Strategic planning
• Policy reviews
• Consultation exercises
• Local SEND improvement work

Working With Children and Young People

Children and young people are experts in their own experiences. Their views, wishes and feelings should be at the centre of decisions that affect them.

RIASS supports opportunities for children and young people to:

• Share their experiences
• Influence local services
• Participate in consultations
• Help shape information and resources
• Contribute to service improvements

We work to ensure participation opportunities are accessible, inclusive and meaningful.

Why Co-Production Matters

Good co-production helps ensure that services:

• Reflect the real experiences of families
• Meet the needs of local communities
• Identify problems earlier
• Develop practical solutions
• Improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND
• Build trust and stronger relationships between families and professionals

When people can see that their views have influenced decisions, participation becomes meaningful and leads to positive change.

What Co-Production Is Not

Co-production is often confused with consultation. While consultation is important, it is only one part of the process.

Co-production is not:

• Being informed about a decision after it has been made
• A "tick-box" exercise
• Asking for feedback without acting on it
• Involving only one representative voice
• Listening without providing feedback on outcomes

Effective co-production means that people can see how their contributions have been considered and understand the reasons behind decisions.

RIASS's Commitment

RIASS is committed to promoting and supporting co-production across Redbridge. We will continue to work alongside children, young people, parent carers, schools, the Local Authority, health services and community organisations to ensure that lived experience informs the development of local SEND services.

Together, we can help create a SEND system that is more responsive, inclusive and effective for everyone.

Your voice matters, and together we can make a difference.