At IMPACT, co-production runs through everything that we do. This Co-production Week, we’ve been reflecting on how this works in practice, beyond our project work – specifically, through how we co-produce our operations.
One of the key ways our operations are co-produced is through recruitment. This means co-producing interview questions and involving people with lived experience on our interview panels as equal members included in decision-making. This is important to ensure that:
- Our recruitment process is designed to robustly evaluate candidates’ understanding of and commitment to co-production.
- People with lived experience directly contribute to decision making on recruitment decisions, with their views carrying equal weight to all panel members.
- Drawing from as many diverse perspectives as possible enables us to form interview questions that are open and inclusive.
Naomi Russell, Demonstrator Lead, said:
“Co-producing all stages of our recruitment process is a key factor in ensuring we appoint high-quality staff who share IMPACT’s values. Interview questions are co-produced to ensure that we focus on the right areas, and that language is accessible. CpAG members who sit on interview panels contribute fully to all areas of decision-making, but often have particular insight into how well someone communicates and how they will relate to the various stakeholders involved in each project.“
How does this work in practice?
Interview questions for all our recruitment are co-produced. Typically, this means identifying key areas for questioning, based on the job specification criteria and suggesting possible question formats. These suggestions are shared with people with lived experience, from our Co-production Advisory Group (CpAG), and the questions are then shaped and agreed through collaborative discussion.
People with lived experience join our selection panels for our delivery roles and externally facing operational roles. Our staff are located across the UK and therefore much of our recruitment is done through online interviews making it both feasible and accessible to include people with lived experience.
For in-person interviews, where it may not be feasible to include someone with lived experience due to logistical reasons (as CpAG members are spread across the UK), we have invited input in other ways. For example, we asked candidates for our Communications Officer role to send us a portfolio of their work. This was shared with a CpAG member who gave us their views which were considered as further evidence alongside their application and interview.
Terry Davies, CpAG member for Wales:
“I have greatly enjoyed my involvement in interviews. I have always felt that my opinions have been listened to carefully and respectfully.
“It has been lovely to be treated as a valued colleague and where I have felt I have had ample opportunities to bring a lived experience perspective into the recruitment process.”
The difference made
Co-producing recruitment sets an expectation from the outset – for our CpAG members they share the decision and hence the responsibility for recruiting staff; for panel Chairs they can directly see the importance of inclusive decision making, and the people appointed can see our commitment to co-production from the very beginning of their journey with us.
Experts by experience are often highly skilled at tuning in to what is being said, and more importantly what is not being said; they are uniquely placed to assess and evaluate candidates’ genuine commitment to co-production.
Panel chairs frequently comment on the value of the contribution from people with lived experience and note that panels have been swayed care-experienced experts. Having someone with lived experience helps to ensure that equal weight is given to this criterion alongside other skills and knowledge, and this enriches IMPACT’s connection with lived experience.
Isaac Samuels, CpAG Member for South England, added:
“What stood out to me most was how people created room for honest reflection, challenge and different perspectives. The process felt collaborative, thoughtful and grounded in the values IMPACT talks about around co-production, shared power and inclusion. Too often, lived experience involvement can feel performative, but this genuinely felt different.
“Being part of the process reminded me how important it is that people with lived experience are involved in shaping who comes into organisations and how leadership is understood. It showed what recruitment can look like when organisations are willing to share power in meaningful ways and create space for voices that are often missing within traditional processes. Being able to contribute openly and confidently can make such a difference for people who may otherwise feel excluded within formal interview settings.
“I also really appreciated how welcoming and supportive the process felt throughout. As someone who has not always felt fully welcomed within professional spaces, that stayed with me. It made it easier to contribute openly and confidently, and I think that can make such a difference for people who may otherwise feel uncomfortable or excluded within formal interview settings.
Challenges
Co-producing recruitment has been something we have developed through years of trial and error, learning, and adapting over time. Some of the key challenges have included:
- Aligning co-production principles with recruitment policies, for example giving equal weight to all views within the context of needing interview questions to match to the job selection criteria.
- Meeting HR requirements for recruitment, for example, requirements for panel members to be senior to the vacancy grade and requiring intensive training prior to sitting on panel.
- Some organisations do not allow external panel members to participate in recruitment.
- Sharing confidential data securely and in compliance with legal requirements.
- Finding video conferencing technology that works for everyone.
- Arranging interview schedules that are inclusive and flexible around caring responsibilities and personal needs.
Despite these challenges, the approach has been highly rewarding for everyone involved!
- The confidence and insight of people with lived experience, and their willingness to constructively challenge any perceived shortcomings in the way panels are being run.
- Including people with lived experience at interview creates a sense of commitment when people take up a role, who recognise the trust placed in them by panel members, and are motivated to honour it. This creates a bond of mutual expectation that transfers positively to the way an individual sets priorities and approaches their role.
- Over time, our practice has evolved to include co-production of recruitment for all roles at IMPACT.
Laura Griffith, Deputy Head of National Embedding:
“Co‑producing recruitment is important to us because it changes the dynamics from the outset. People with lived experience bring perspectives we would otherwise miss – they often notice what’s being said, what’s not being said, and how comfortable candidates are with sharing power.
“Their involvement doesn’t just improve recruitment decisions; it also sends a clear message that we want to co-produce important decisions within IMPACT. In my experience working alongside individuals with lived experience, they can test knowledge of the social care system very effectively – with a particular focus on outcomes rather than process.”