The Social Care Institute for Excellence’s (SCIE’s) 11th annual Co-production Week is fast approaching. The theme this year, 29 June to 3 July 2026, is ‘Care equity: who gets care?’
Social care in England is marked by stark variation. People with similar needs can have very different experiences depending on factors such as where they live, their socioeconomic circumstances, ethnicity, disability, or gender.
SCIE will host a webinar or workshop each day to share learning and insights to help overcome inequities in access to care, its quality, and its outcomes, and to showcase innovative projects seeking to achieve fairer care.
The SCIE will launch the new research report, Understanding People’s Experiences of Inequities in Social Care, and explore SCIE’s Care Equity Evidence Hub – an online resource that brings together research, data, and practice evidence to help address inequities in social care.
Drawing on real-world examples from local authorities and insights from people with lived experience, the sessions will examine practical approaches to tackling inequity, consider who may be missing from co-production processes, and explore how co-production is driving innovation in social care. Discussions will also centre on the importance of recognition, payment, and fairness in co-production, highlighting opportunities to create more inclusive and equitable practices.
Gerard Crofton-Martin, Interim Chief Executive at SCIE, said: “This Co-production Week is about championing the power of co-production in shaping care equity. Through the sessions, we will be exploring what it means to ensure that everyone, regardless of their background, identity or circumstances, has equal access to high-quality social care.
“It is an opportunity for all those involved in the social care sector to share their experiences so that they can influence the way that services are designed, commissioned, and delivered, and to reflect on their work and embed co-production more meaningfully in it. Ultimately, our aim is to create a better, more inclusive future for social care. We hope you will join us.”
The programme is designed to support organisations, practitioners, people with lived experience, and communities to come together, exchange ideas, and explore how co-production can shape more inclusive and responsive care:
Co-production: The key to achieving care equity (Monday 29 June, 11:00 – 12:30)
Discover SCIE’s Care Equity Evidence Hub, hear the latest insights from research, and take part in interactive discussions about tackling inequality.
Who’s Missing? Inclusive co-production in practice (Tuesday 30 June, 13:30 – 15:00)
This engaging session will explore how to reach and involve communities whose voices are too often unheard.
West Midlands ADASS AI Playbook (Wednesday 1 July, 10:30 – 11:30)
Learn more about how co-production is shaping innovation in social care.
Towards Fair Care (Thursday 2 July, 14:00 – 16:00)
Join for an open, honest conversation about care equity – the barriers, challenges and solutions.
Valuing and recognising lived experience: from good intentions to fair practice (Friday 3 July, 14:00 – 15:30)
This powerful panel will tackle the realities of recognition, payment, and fairness in co-production.
Visit the SCIE website to find out more about each session and register your place.
www.scie.org.uk/co-production/week
