Co-Production & a Human Rights-Based Approach

The first speaker was Mental Health Social Worker Daisy. She explained that RITES stands for Real-Life Insights, Tips, Experiences and Stories and that the Committee was first formed in response to the previous UK Government’s Rights Removal Bill. She talked about how the Committee works and some of the projects they’ve worked on so far, shining a spotlight on how they translate human rights law into “the practical day-to-day mechanics and the difference that this can make”.

Next up, Policy & Programmes Lead Katrin gave a brief overview of the Human Rights Act and the fundamentals of a Human Rights-Based Approach. She talked about the need for “empowerment and partnership – thinking about how people know about and claim their rights and how we address barriers to people doing that” and encouraged attendees to think about how to work in partnership with different people and “integrate the lived experience, the knowledge, the expertise of people who have directly experienced our services and know what it’s like to not have their rights be met or who can actually share good practice of when rights have been looked after.”

RITES Committee members then shared their experiences of working on different co-produced projects with BIHR. First up was a video from Lived Experience Expert Hanna, who talked about creating a human rights guide for young people accessing inpatient mental health services, their loved ones, and supporters. She shared her experiences of working alongside other experts and how lived experience really helped in identifying possible scenarios, writing up case studies and understanding what’s important to a young person when going through inpatient care on a day-to-day basis. 

Parent and Carer Ian then talked about making a social media pack together with other RITES Committee members. He talked about the process and the goals of the project, which included sharing information about human rights with people accessing and working in services. Ian said, “this was an enlightening and positive experience, working with others with lived experience, sharing knowledge and ideas was very empowering.”

Migrants’ Rights Network Advisor and Ambassador Ernest then talked about co-producing a resource as part of the Know Your Rights Campaign to support people seeking asylum and refuge. He talked about the different ways of splitting up the work, with BIHR providing legal expertise and Migrants’ Rights Network bringing insights into and experiences of what is really happening on the ground. He said “it was really collaborative work and the resource itself is easy to read. We have already had translated it to multiple languages and it has already been distributed across our networks.”

Lived Experience Expert Charli then chaired a panel on co-production. Speakers included Fairuz, a Service Development Manager in the women’s sector; Kirsten, the mum of an autistic son who spent two years in inpatient settings subjected to severe human rights abuses; and Annie, a Senior Human Rights Officer and Social Worker who used to work in mental health and capacity.

The first question Charli put to the panel was, “What does authentic co-production look like?” Kirsten started off by explaining that co-production is really about sharing power and having an equal say in the room and a place at the table. Others agreed, with Annie and Fairuz talking about how easily the word “co-production” can be misunderstood and Charli highlighting the need to remember the “co” part and not to put all the onus on lived experience experts without staff involvement.

The final question was, “how do you get a range of voices involved in different settings and what might the challenges be with this?” Fairuz reflected on her experiences working with women from ethnically diverse backgrounds who face multiple disadvantages and abuse. She shared challenges she has faced including a lack of understanding; a lack of trust; and talking about experiences being traumatic or triggering. She then shared solutions she has seen working, including education and accessible information; building connection; and trauma-informed, human rights-focused practices. She also talked about the importance of having somebody follow up with lived experience experts after sessions and to provide wellbeing support.

The speakers also then discussed the need to compensate experts for their time and effort and to ensure appropriate funding is in place with Charli sharing experiences of being the only unpaid person in the room. They also highlighted the need to be aware of who isn’t in the room, such as people with higher support needs. Kirsten agreed and discussed trauma as a potential barrier and the need to be willing to talk about trauma and to support experts to feel prepared and to have an opt-out where needed.

Charli then took questions from the audience, with the first being “how can we plan to engage the new government to work with people with lived experience?” Fairuz talked about the need to start by speaking to people with lived experience first to understand what barriers are in place. Daisy and Lucy followed up by emphasising the need to keep pressure on, especially with so many changes in law on the horizon.

The next audience question was “do you have any advice for getting organisations to see the need for thorough co-production work, especially when resources are stretched?” Annie started by emphasising that human rights and co-production are not add-ons but are a core part of the work and the Human Rights Act is the law. Ian and Charli agreed, pointing out that not doing co-production work can mean creating a system that doesn’t work and has to be redone, wasting resources.

Helen, BIHR’s Communications & Public Affairs Officer, then shared the Easy Read version of Human Rights Action Plan co-produced by BIHR and the RITES Committee. We’re asking everybody to sign up to the Action Plan as a way of demonstrating their commitment to taking small steps every day to support a culture of respect for human rights across the UK. The Action Plan contains ideas for tangible actions everyone can take whether as an individual, a community member, a public body worker or a policymaker.

Lucy, Citizen Champion for Pembrokeshire People First then shared the Easy Read version of the Action Plan which she co-produced with BIHR. Lucy also talked about some of the other work she has done with BIHR to create Easy Read explainers on human rights, making essential information more accessible for people across the UK. Lucy explained that co-production is a great way to use people's skills, knowledge and experience to make change and said that she finds co-production work “empowering and productive.”

BIHR’s CEO Sanchita wrapped up the event by talking about BIHR’s own journey with co-production as an ongoing process, trying out different approaches and making sure we are committed to embedding it in the work we do. She also spoke to the conversations about the need to properly fund co-production work, sharing her perspective as the CEO of a small charity and saying, “it’s something that we will continue to prioritise in our funding applications – lived experience is expertise just like any other expertise and we have to value it.”