Co-Production in Action: Elevating Client Voice in the BICS 5-Stage Model
Co-production is a collaborative approach that brings together professionals and people with lived experience to design and deliver services. This partnership ensures that support is genuinely tailored to the needs of those it serves, leading to more effective and sustainable outcomes. At Positive Support Group (PSG), we are committed to working collaboratively with the people we support to ensure their voices are heard and valued at all times.
Co-production goes beyond individualising support; crucially, we create meaningful partnerships where decisions about support reflect the preferences, goals, and lived experiences of the people at the centre of our services.
As an organisation, we recognise that co-production is not a fixed concept that is simply present or absent but a dynamic process that should be embedded throughout all stages of support. Importantly, our support model is holistic, encompassing all aspects of life that our clients value and find meaningful.
Integrating Co-Production Across our BICS 5-Stage Model
1. Matching
The matching stage ensures PSG is well-suited to meet the client’s needs. By conducting a goodness-of-fit assessment, we determine whether we can deliver high-quality, person-centred support. This is the foundation for a person-centred support plan – ensuring we can truly provide the bespoke support each client deserves.
2. Engaging
In the engaging stage, we connect with clients, their families, and their networks to understand their unique needs and preferences. Together with our clients, we assess the feasibility and acceptability of proposed procedures, ensuring that they align with the client’s values.
Client goals are always set collaboratively to reflect what truly matters to them, promoting quality of life and self-determination. The expertise and perspectives of clients and their networks are not only valued but recognised as essential in shaping the support plan, ensuring meaningful outcomes and fostering trust.
3. Understanding
To best support our clients, it is essential to explore the underlying reasons for behaviours of concern. PSG actively involves clients in Functional Assessments by listening to their perspectives on their own behaviours and supporting them to identify changes they believe would improve their quality of life. The resulting Behaviour Support Plan is developed collaboratively, ensuring it reflects clients’ insights and priorities.
By using accessible materials and clear, jargon-free language, we ensure that the functional assessment and planning process remains inclusive, enabling clients and their networks to fully engage and contribute their expertise.
4. Delivering
Co-production drives every aspect of service delivery at PSG. We ensure that environmental adjustments align with each client’s cognitive and sensory needs while also reflecting their personal preferences. Similarly, skills teaching focuses on activities that clients find meaningful, enjoyable, and beneficial in promoting self-determination and quality of life.
Strategies for responding to behaviours of concern are also planned collaboratively, respecting clients’ perspectives on how best to handle challenging situations.
5. Celebrating
Finally, we review the outcomes of our support with clients and their networks to determine whether their goals have been achieved in a meaningful way. Together, we celebrate successes in a manner chosen by the client, recognising their progress towards living their best life.
Co-Production in Action
At PSG, co-production isn’t just a concept – it’s a way of working that ensures our support is truly person-centred. By embedding collaboration throughout the BICS model, we place clients at the heart of every decision, empowering them to take the lead in shaping their support. This approach not only enhances quality of life but also strengthens relationships, trust, and long-term positive outcomes for everyone involved.
