Commentary on “Keep safe: collaborative practice development and research with people with learning disabilities”

Abstract

Purpose

Inspired by the work of the Keep Safe Advisory Group, this paper aims to explain and make the case for co-production as a powerful model for working alongside people with learning disabilities.

Design/methodology/approach

The collaborative approach of the Keep Safe advisory group is the authors’ springboard for a deep dive into the power and potential of co-production as a model. As organisational leaders – one with and one without a learning disability – the authors draw on their personal experience to argue that co-production is essential to recognising the adulthood of people with learning disabilities.

Findings

Co-production means the equal sharing of power and responsibility from the start, best served by the leap of faith of a blank agenda. Co-production values different kinds of expertise as complementary – broadly considered as expertise from lived experience and professional expertise. When working co-productively, a deep investment of time to understand people pays dividends in outcomes and everyone’s personal and professional growth. Co-production enriches the lives of everyone taking part.

Originality/value

Co-production, though common currency in health and social care, remains too rarely understood and practiced. Readers will benefit from this reflective viewpoint, which aims to clarify and deepen what co-production really means. In particular, enabling people with learning disabilities to take responsibility for themselves and others is rarely considered but is presented here as foundational to human maturity and adulthood.

Citation

Clifton, M. and Chapman, S. (2020), "Commentary on “Keep safe: collaborative practice development and research with people with learning disabilities”", Tizard Learning Disability Review, Vol. 25 No. 4, pp. 181-184. https://doi.org/10.1108/TLDR-07-2020-0013