At A Better Start Southend, we want Southend to be known as the best place in this country to bring up a child and be a parent. Our aim is to create a community that welcomes every baby and ensures they have the best start in life. By using new ways of thinking and working – Co-production included – we are solving some of the problems that have affected local children and families for years.  Throughout the programme, families are involved from the very beginning at Service Design phase, all the way through to the implementation of our services, and even the marketing of each project. Many of our services begin life as ideas at Parent Forums, where parents share their thoughts on the services available in their communities, and how A Better Start Southend could bridge the gap between parents and projects. By engaging families in the work we do within every stage of the programme, it creates a culture of ownership; the idea that families own the services they use. They are created by them, for them.

Southend Association of Voluntary Services (SAVS) train and manage the network of fantastic A Better Start Southend Parent Champions. Working directly with these inspiring volunteers has been a brilliant process and watching the journeys that each individual goes through during their training and role is wonderful. Each Parent Champion has their own unique background, story and personal achievements. Currently, we have 30 Parent Champions taking part in the programme (47 have been trained since the beginning), whether it be spreading the word, attending meetings, submitting proposals for the Engagement Fund or an amalgamation of all of these. The Parent Champions are passionate about the programme, and dedicated to its outcomes. Throughout my time working with the Parent Champions, I have noticed that parents and carers are more engaged when there is a hands-on creative element to the work involved, or where there is true co-production so that they have real joint-ownership over a project.

The programme has become an asset to the Southend-on-Sea community, especially within the six wards it operates within. The programme has seen a real positive increase in the amount of parents engaging with and talking about it. One parent from Shoebury ward – Lauren Woolf – wrote in to her local newsletter (created by the Shoebury Residents Association) about her experiences moving from London to Shoebury with her children. Lauren describes A Better Start Southend as ‘the absolute best discovery’ she had made since moving to Shoebury.

We believe in celebrating success across the organisation, however that success may look, and in doing so, the hard work and hours put in from the Parent Champions must also be celebrated. During winter last year, we created a video showcasing the fantastic work the parents had done throughout 2019, and asked various members of A Better Start Southend core staff to talk about some of their experiences with Co-production. We then showed the Parent Champions this video at a Christmas Parent’s Group meeting, to show our gratitude for their amazing work. The video can be seen below. SAVS continually celebrates and supports the Parent Champions with 1:1 support meetings and thank you events held throughout the year. There is also a priority to ensure personal development, both through experiences and training.

Being part of a Co-produced programme has truly been inspiring and creative from the outset, as well as a fantastic opportunity to learn from service users about their needs as parents. Their unique and valuable perspective provides a first-hand look at the communities we want to change, and parent’s help in providing solutions to some of the challenges faced in these areas gives a truly community-led feel to the programme.