Co-production is an approach to different groups working together in “equal partnership for equal benefits”1. It leads to fairer outcomes, particularly because it usually includes groups that often aren’t involved in decision making2. You know co-production is happening when, for example, different types of knowledge are respected, valued and brought together, when traditional power balances are disrupted and when ideas and outcomes are most relevant to those that are most affected1,2,3.
We wanted to learn more about how co-production is happening in IMAS, so we joined in with the IMAS Inclusion in Sport group, which comprises 20 experts with lived experience of disability (IMAS Trainers Group) and interviewed seven of the Trainers and the IMAS Directors. We also looked at what other people had written about their experiences of IMAS through blog posts and journals.
Through this research, we found that co-production has been part of the IMAS ethos since the start and is embedded in everything it does! Core to this is the IMAS Trainers Group, who meet weekly to plan and develop resources, bringing their lived experience of disability to the conversation. We found this group informs and is informed by four core values that make IMAS’ co-production stand out as meaningful and as creating profound impacts within and beyond the organisation:
Value 1 – An engine for growth, progress and change
Co-production should be implemented as a continually evolving process2.
IMAS constantly aims to evolve to better promote social justice through sport. Within the organisation, there is continual reflection on, for example, the internal structure, language used and who is missing from Mixed Ability sport. This is reflected in the new Sport England funded project aimed at increasing representation from the British South Asian community, women and those transitioning from SEND schools and colleges.
IMAS has a clear vision of using sport and the experience of the IMAS Trainers to change the wider society. The Trainers expressed sentiments about “changing the world” being an important factor of their outreach work.
Value 2 – Building social connections and relationship building
A core feature of successful co-production involves the building and maintenance of social networks and relationships3.
IMAS has been established for 10 years! In this time, the team has developed robust, far reaching and supportive networks across the sport, disability, education and healthcare sectors through producing and delivering presentations, training, taster days, tournaments and hosting placements. Through these, they are able to spread awareness of the Mixed Ability model, leading to system-level impacts – linking sport, health care, disability and education together for more effective outcomes.
Relationship building happens within the organisation as well. A ‘wellbeing check-in’ is embedded into the weekly IMAS Trainers meetings to provide a safe and inclusive space to discuss and share experiences and provide helpful support to others facing similar obstacles. This aspect of the Group in particular, makes the environment feel safe and welcoming, and engenders trust and respect amongst the Trainers. The check-ins are both an output of co-production – having been developed collaboratively as a response to consultation during the COVID pandemic – and also a valuable tool for promoting further co-production by fostering trust, respect, and support amongst the group. This forms a positive feedback loop to Trainers feeling they can contribute and assert their needs, thereby building autonomy which we explore next …
Value 3 – Empowering and building autonomy
Successful co-production should strive for social justice by empowering individuals and groups traditionally excluded from shaping agendas1,2.
The social connections and relationships that are built within the Trainers Group lead to empowerment and autonomy. In the Group, all contributions are respected, valued and heard equally so that outcomes are relevant to those involved and decision making is shared. The Trainers explained that this makes them feel valued, included, and represented. It has enabled them to build confidence in asserting their voice and opinions, and also supports development of self-confidence and opportunities for personal and professional development as exemplified by Ahsan in his story. Many Trainers also expressed feelings of joy, pride, happiness and enjoyment from being able to get involved in sports they had previously been excluded from or hadn’t thought to try. This forms another feedback loop as it positively impacts their motivation and ability to contribute their experiences to the Group.
Value 4 – Challenging power hierarchies
Meaningful co-production takes a radical egalitarian approach which aims to disrupt power hierarchies4.
The IMAS presentations and placements are a significant tool for ‘flipping’ power dynamics, particularly within healthcare contexts. When delivering a presentation, Trainers are understood as experts in their own experiences, with healthcare practitioners being there to learn. IMAS Trainer Jack said this means they can demonstrate the type of support they need by sharing their experiences with healthcare practitioners, social workers and sports clubs. In this way, the Trainers challenge traditional knowledge hierarchies and bring together different forms of lived experience, knowledge and understanding.
Importantly, IMAS also considers the way in which power hierarchies function within the organisation, and how this might cause inequities or work against co-production. Having identified a gap in Trainers’ representation in governance within the organisation, IMAS has just appointed IMAS Trainers Ella and Sam to the Board of non-executive Directors. This is a really exciting development, broadening the diversity and expertise of leaders in the sector, and an opportunity to develop learning and best practice around inclusive and accessible governance which can be shared with the broader VCSE sector.
As with all of IMAS work, this combination of activities and values has profound impacts beyond the organisation for those they are working with and for the sports sector more broadly. The organisation is shifting perceptions around disability and social difference more broadly, making the sports sector more inclusive, and challenging norms to empower and encourage more people to take part in sport and decision making around sport.
Blog post by Nifty Sustainability. For more details about IMAS and co-production, please read our research summary below. Many thanks to Sophie Marley for her excellent research on this topic.
References
1 Co-Production Collective. 2021. The value of co-production. [online]. Available from: www.coproductioncollective.co.uk/what-is-co-production/value-of-co-production#section06
2 Smith, B., Williams, O., Bone, L. and the Moving Social Work Co-production Collective. 2022. Co-production: A resource to guide co-producing research in the sport, exercise, and health sciences. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health. 15(2), pp.159-187.
3 Leeds Social Sciences Institute. 2022. Co-production Research Toolkit. [online]. Available from: lssi.leeds.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/65/2022/12/UoL-LSSI-Co-production-Toolkit-Accessible-1.pdf
4 O’Reilly, M., Wiltshire, G., Kiyimba, N. and Harrington, D. 2023. “Is Everybody Comfortable?” Thinking Through Co-design Approaches to Better Support Girls’ Physical Activity in Schools. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health. 15(2), pp. 248-263
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