Codesign with vulnerable adults: lessons for research and practice from the UK Healthy Ageing Programme

Overview

There is an emerging body of research on the co-design of public services, including co-design with vulnerable adults. Whatever their needs, vulnerable adults are underrepresented in codesign process. However, the impact of involving service users, including vulnerable adults, in the co-design of public services is being increasingly recognised, as is its potential to empower service users by placing them at the forefront of the design of their services.

This workshop is for policy-makers, public service practitioners and managers in Scotland, and for academics within the public management discipline. It will bring together the lessons from theory, research and practice in Scotland to encourage participants to develop an understanding of what virtual and face-to-face codesign with vulnerable persons looks like in practice, what these codesign approaches can offer in filling gaps in unmet need for public services for vulnerable adults, and what its challenges are in practice.

The presenters are all leading researchers and practitioners from across Scotland and Europe in both public service management and delivery. It draws especially on the experiences of the Peoplehood project on Scotland, funded by INNOVATE UK. The workshop itself is funded through the knowledge exchange programme of the College of Humanities, Arts and the Social Sciences of the University of Edinburgh.

Presenters: Colin Foskett Head of Innovation, Blackwood Homes and Care (confirmed), Stephen Osborne University of Edinburgh (confirmed), Joanne Macfarlane University of Edinburgh (confirmed), Luke Jeavons Head of User-Centred Design – Major Programmes, Scottish Government, Jakob Trischler Karlstad University (confirmed), Chris Speed University of Edinburgh (confirmed).

Chair: Katharine Aulton (University of Edinburgh)

Places for the workshop are strictly limited. The cost of the workshop is £15 to cover refreshments. Please note that the facilities inside the Business School are all accessible. However, the Business School is in the heart of Edinburgh city centre, and consequently only limited on-street public parking is available. We strongly recommend the use of public transport to attend the workshop.