For this episode of the Sui-Ling Show, Sui-Ling sits down to chat with Nicola Payne, to discuss her new role as Best Practice Manager, self-advocacy and all things Co-Production.
You can watch the show here:
As well as being interviewed by Sui-Ling for this month’s Show, Nicola Payne also took a moment to share her thoughts about the importance of Working Together…
Nicola says:
Since stepping into my new role earlier this year, I’ve been reflecting on what it really means to oversee Co-Production at MacIntyre.
The word itself can feel a little bumpy, often well-intentioned but a sense of wearing a pair of glasses that you can't really see well out of. Is it just a meeting, a checklist; a nice to have, easier to avoid; gets you thinking doesn't it? Let's simplify it - it's all about working together.
At MacIntyre I believe we are ready to make it something real – to get to a position where everyone understands what's expected and, importantly, everyone has a voice and is listened to.
We understand that Co-Production – sorry, working together - is about doing with and not doing to. But to truly live that, it needs to be more than a word on a policy, it needs to be how we show up, how we work, and how we think every day.
So, what does it look like?
We need to hear voices - voices that are loud and voices that are less easy to hear. We need to be creative and supportive in how we do this. We need to allow for time, revisiting conversations, being confident to say in meetings that we need to slow down, use words that make sense and to step in to advocate when and where needed.
We welcome all voices, people who draw on support, families and staff … in fact everyone! We need meaningful involvement, not as a token gesture, but as equals from the start. Everyone has something to bring to the table, teach each other and learn from each other.
Working together needs to be seen like a hustling, bustling street, sometimes it's the best place to be and sometimes it’s super uncomfortable and often at times both, and we need to allow time to get used to being on this street and learn to lean into the good moments and not avoid the uncomfortable ones, but to learn and move forward to improve and grow.
So, we need to:
- Create together (from the start)
- Think up ideas
- Find ways to fix problems
- True involvement
- Get creative
- Learn as we go
Working together isn't something we ever stop doing, it's somewhere we want to be, and we move about, meeting new people along the way. We will try, we will listen, we will tweak what we do, and I am sure we will try and try again. It's all about growing, being OK with the bumps in the road and to expect them too!
We stay real. What I mean by this is we are honest when things are hard; we are curious when things don't make sense, and we are open to trying new ways and doing things differently if necessary.
We need to see a good shake up in culture where this isn't another “thing” we must do, it's an expectation and not a weight on our shoulders, it needs to be seen as “it's just the way we do things round here”.
In the months ahead my team will be working alongside local areas across MacIntyre to embed this approach, being kind and considerate and importantly providing good support. I believe we are better together. We will shape a shared understanding of working together that fits our DNA and feels natural.
When Co-Production - working together - is done well it doesn't slow you down it lifts you up! Let's get going!!
