
Our Co-Production Charter
Following feedback, we have reviewed our Co-Production Charter which has been re-launched on 17/11/20. The updated charter gives more detail about how we should work well together to ensure co-production is strong across our local area. Our Charter image 'The Hats' can be used as a simple guide to help discussions between families and professionals. Sign up to our Charter Pledge here or in the section below.
We will continue to review the charter so please let us have your comments by email or complete our survey to let us know what you think about co-production in Stockport.
If you would like to be involved in co-production work in Stockport, please email us!
Our Charter has been co-produced with families, children, young people and health, care and education colleagues. The Charter has been designed to help anyone co-produce, whether you are new to it entirely, or have years of experience. The Charter is about the way we will all work well together to create a culture where we will:
- Be Open and Honest
- Actively Listen
- Value the Lived Experiences
- Do What Matters
- Be Accountable and Responsive
- Work Together
- Be Respectful
Co-Production in Stockport
In Stockport, our vision is for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to have the best start in life. We want all children and young people to be happy, prepared for adulthood and able to achieve their goals. We want families to feel supported, confident, resilient and connected to their community.
Our SEND strategic priorities outline that we will work pro-actively and co-productively with parents, carers, young people and other partners to improve service planning, design, delivery and review and to ensure services are child, young people and family focused.
To strengthen our co-production locally, and in response to an area of weakness identified during our joint local area inspection in September 2018, a local, working definition of co-production was developed by parents, carers, education, health and social care colleagues and young people. Our definition in Stockport is:
Co-production happens when all voices are actively listened to from the start of the planning process. This involves a mutual respect for each other’s views, with an open and honest relationship that is transparent and continually evolving to achieve meaningful and positive outcomes.
Read more about our co-production work in the sections below.
Our Co-production Activity

Here is an outline of our co-production activity within the local area.
Date |
Activity |
Purpose and Who was Involved |
Monthly |
Co-production Workstream |
Parent/carer membership to ensure strategic involvement and challenge in relation to co-production work across local area |
Monthly |
Co-production Charter Effectiveness T&F Group |
Task and finish group meeting regularly to establish ways of measure effectiveness of co-production charter with separate ‘deep-dive’ group of parent/carers. Parent/carer survey launched during SEND Week of Action in May 2021. |
Monthly |
Early Help Board |
Parent/carer involvement to co-design early help strategy for parents/carers |
Monthly |
Education Health & Care Plan Workstream |
Parent/carer membership to ensure strategic involvement and challenge in relation to EHCP work across local area |
Monthly |
Involving Parents/Carers and young people in recruitment |
Co-design of recruitment guidance with parents/carers, young people |
Monthly |
Joint Commissioning Workstream |
Parent/carer membership to ensure strategic involvement and challenge in relation to joint commissioning work across local area |
Monthly |
SEND Board |
Parent/carer membership of SEND Board to ensure strategic involvement and challenge in relation to SEND Improvement Journey |
Monthly |
SEND Local Offer Sub-group meeting |
Co-design of new SEND Local Offer website with parents/carers, SMBC, NHSCCG, NHSFT, PACTS, SENDIASS |
Monthly |
SEND Local Offer parent/carer focus group |
Co-design of SEND Local Offer website from parent/carer user perspective |
Monthly |
Parent Carer Forum Monthly meeting |
Local area agreement monthly monitoring to ensure ongoing parent carer strategic engagement in SEND Improvement Journey and support for parents/carers in the local area |
Feb-Aug 21 |
Holiday Activities and Food Programme Development |
Ongoing parent/carer and Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) involvement in co-development of Holiday Activities and Food Programme for Easter, Summer and Christmas Holidays |
Feb – Jul 21 |
Co-production Charter Training T&F Group |
Task and finish group established with parent/carers and professionals to shape key elements of training needed across the local area workforce to ensure co-production practice improves. |
Jun 20 |
SEND Local Offer Young People focus group |
Co-design of SEND Local Offer website from young people’s user perspective |
Oct 20 – Jun 21 |
Key Worker Pilot Development |
Parent/carer and professionals working together to scope and implement a pilot for the role of a key worker to support families as a co-ordinator and single point of contact for liaising with services and family |
Oct 20 – May 21 |
Personal Budgets Review |
Parent/carer and professionals developing personal budget support plans and other support offer for young people and families, including review of information on local offer website. |
Feb – May 21 |
Outcomes Framework / EHCP Qualitative Data |
Task and finish group established with parent/carers and professionals. Young people consulted on options for gathering information and shaping questions for each stage of process |
Mar 21 |
Scrutiny Review of Children & Young People’s Participation |
Young people involved working with elected members on increased opportunities to represent their voices. |
Sep-20 |
Dedicated Schools Grant Review |
Co-design of consultation and engagement plans and content for DSG review |
Sep-20 |
Outcomes framework design / artwork |
Co-design by young people with SEND of graphic for outcomes framework |
Sep-20 |
SEND Board Development Day |
Parent/carer membership of SEND Board to ensure strategic involvement and challenge in relation to SEND Improvement Journey |
Sep-20 |
Preparing for Adulthood |
Strategic co-production with parent/carers to review the offer for young people |
Sep-20 |
Escalation guides and champions checklist for parents/carers working with services and schools |
Co-design of processes for parents/carers with SEND champions including schools, parents/carers, professionals |
Aug-20 |
Autism training |
parent/carer involvement to co-design autism training offer |
Aug-20 |
SEND Local Offer website |
Co-design of SEND Local Offer with young people |
Aug-20 |
Thematic Analysis (case studies) Review |
Co-design and review of progress against thematic analysis improvement plan for SEND Improvement Journey |
Aug-20 |
Levels of Need guidance for social workers |
Engagement with SEND Champions to improve content of Levels of Need documentation based on iThrive model for social care involvement with families |
Jul & Aug 20 |
Outcomes framework for children and young people |
Co-design of measures for children and young people's outcomes with schools, parents/carers, professionals |
Jul-20 |
Education Health & Care Plan action planning |
Co-design with parents/carers of action plan to improve performance against EHCP timeframes |
Jul-20 |
Preparing for Adulthood |
Case study work with young person to explore positive experiences to improve future practice |
Jul-20 |
SEND Champions - working well with schools |
Co-design of resources for support and signposting for parents/carers of children and young people with SEND with parents/carers and professionals and volunteers from across education, health and care |
Jul-20 |
Co-production Webinar |
Co-delivery between SMBC, CCG, PACTS, NHSFT of webinar for parents/carers professionals to develop the co-production charter and series of events and activities for co-production week |
Jul-20 |
Outcomes framework for children and young people webinar |
Co-delivery between SMBC, CCG and PACTS of webinar for parents/carers professionals to develop the outcomes framework and measures for children & young people |
Make your Co-Production Pledge
We are asking all settings, schools, colleges and services across Stockport to embed our co-production charter in their practice. This will give us all confidence that co-production is at the heart of everything we do. If you haven't already pledged to embed our Charter, please follow the link to sign up.
We will get in touch to talk about what support you might need.
See which schools/services have signed up to our Co-production Pledge
Below is a list of settings, schools and services that have signed up to our co-production pledge. If you can't see your school/setting on the list, or a service that supports you, why not encourage them to sign up!
Schools | Services |
Adswood Primary School | Art Attack Arts |
All Saints CE Primary, Marple | Barnardo's Services across Greater Manchester (10 boroughs) |
Arden Primary School | Beacon Counselling |
Banks Lane Infant and Nursery School | Brinnington Health Visiting Team |
Bolshaw Primary School | Brinnington start well hub |
Bradshaw Hall Primary School | Brookfield House |
Bridge Hall Primary School | Children with Disabilities |
Broadstone Hall Primary School | Children's Services Heaton and Tame Valley Locality Team 3 |
Brookside Primary School | Children's Therapy Services, Stockport NHS Foundation Trust |
Cale Green Primary School | Coram Voice Children's Rights and Independent Visitor Service |
Cheadle Catholic Infant School | Corporate and Support Services |
Cheadle Catholic Junior School | CSS - Parking |
Dial Park Primary School | Designated Clinical Officer- NHS Stockport CCG |
Etchells Primary School | Early Years Improvement Team |
Freshfield Nursery School | Education and Careers Service |
Great Moor Infant School | Education Health & Care Plan (EHCP) Team |
High Lane Primary School | Education Welfare Service |
Hollywood Park Nursery School | Empowering Parents, Empowering Communities |
Hurstead Infant School | Ethnic Diversity Service |
Hursthead Junior School | FASD Greater Manchester (Stockport support group) |
Ladybridge Primary School | Governor Support Services |
Ladybrook Primary School | Greatmoor Scouts (1st) |
Lane End Primary School | The Guywood Practice |
Lark Hill Nursery School | Heaton Norris Community Centre |
Little Green Day Nursery | Independent Reviewing Officer Team |
Marple Hall School | Infant Parent service |
Mellor Primary School | Jump Space |
Mersey Vale Primary School | Kids Go Wild Forest School |
Moat House Pupil Referral Unit | KIDS SEND Mediation Service |
Moss Hey Primary School | Learning Support Service |
Nevill Road Junior School | Leaving Care Team |
Norris Bank Primary | Lowry House |
Oak Tree Primary School | Make a difference |
Pownall Green Primary School | Nevill Road Infant School |
Queensgate Primary School | Opportunities Together |
Romiley Primary School | Parenting Team |
Rose Hill Primary School | Parents and Carers Together Stockport (PACTS) |
Royal College Manchester (Cheadle Hulme) | People |
Royal School Manchester Cheadle Hulme | PIE: Pursuing Individual Exellence |
St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School | Public Health |
St Christopher's Catholic Primary school | Stockport Council - Revenue and Benefits Team |
St George's CE Primary School | Safeguarding and Learning |
St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School | School Improvement Team |
St Joseph's RC Primary School | Seashell Trust Children's Residential Care Homes |
St Mary's RC Primary Stockport | Seashell Trust Family Services Department |
St Matthew's CE Primary School | SEND and Inclusion |
St Paul's CE Primary School | SMBC - Services to Place |
St Philip's Catholic Primary School | SMBC - Workforce development manager |
St Simon’s Catholic Primary School | SpeechWise Therapy Ltd |
St Thomas CE Primary School, Heaton Chapel | Start Well Health Visiting and Early Years Teams |
St Winifred’s RC Primary School | Stockport Autism Team |
Stockport College (Trafford College Group) | Stockport Clinical Commissioning Group |
Stockport School | Stockport Council - Children and Families |
Tithe Barn Primary School | Stockport Council Comms Team |
Torkington Primary School | Stockport Educational Psychology Service |
Vernon Park Primary School | Stockport Family |
Warren Wood Primary School | Stockport Family and Education Workforce Development Team |
Whitehill Primary School | Stockport Family HTV SA+ |
Windlehurst School | Stockport Health Visiting Service |
Woodley Primary School | Stockport Library Service |
Stockport School Nursing Service | |
Stockport Sensory Support Service | |
Stockport SHAPES Alliance | |
The Proud Trust | |
Virtual School | |
Youth Justice & Targeted Youth Support Services |
What do you think about co-production in Stockport?

You can tell us what you think about co-production in Stockport by completing our Co-production survey which was co-produced by parents/carers and professionals and was launched during our SEND Week of Action in May 2021.
Co-Production Week 2020
Co-production Week England 2020 (6th - 10th July)
Co-production Week, started by SCIE (Social Care Institute for Excellence) in 2016, is about highlighting the benefits of working together positively. It is about sharing good practice, learning from one another, making connections, and emphasising the importance of fully involving people who use services and carers in developing better public services. With all the work going on within our SEND programme, we thought this year would be a start of many years to come where we celebrate, share and learn ways of good practice.
We have worked with a range of key partners such as our Parent Carer representatives and NHS colleagues to work up a schedule of webinars, information and activities for you to get involved in.
If you have an example of where co-production has worked well, please get in touch. Let’s think about how we could share this during National Co-production week.
Webinars from Co-Production Week 2020
Background to Co-Production in Stockport
Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) undertook a joint local area special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) inspection between 24th and 28th September 2018. The inspectors identified five specific areas of significant weakness requiring the local area to produce a Written Statement of Action (WsoA) to explain how it was going to address this.
Click here to read the full written statement of action (WSOA)
Immediately, following inspection, Stockport put a plan in place to swiftly address identified deficits relating to co-production with our parent/carer community and this resulted in a series of engagement and participation activities. This was further enhanced as we recruited to the Strategic Participation Leader to further develop opportunities.
One of the main areas of development around progressing our approach to the WSOA, was the need to ensure that ‘co-production is the ‘golden thread’ running through all activity and tasks. As co-production was identified as a significant area of weakness, our strategies and actions must involve a broader span of parent, carers and young people in meaningful co-production and this key component of work is assigned to a unique workstream with the SEND programme. Our WSOA also stated that a core set of co-production principles (or values) would be agreed across the SEND community and a Co-Production Charter would be developed based upon the agreed values.
The co-production definition and charter were co-developed in 2019 and we continue to work with families, young people and professionals to develop this area of work.