Expert by Experience

We want to continue to build on this and to expand the range of people we are able to work with and embed coproduction and involvement across all parts of the DCP.

In recent years we have established a network of EbEs from across the lifespan, and including people with intellectual disabilities and people living with dementia.

Experts by Experience Framework

We have coproduced some fantastic events to help us develop our understanding of lived experience and how clinical psychology can grow, develop and become more attuned to what matters to the people who use our services. We have also worked on highlighting the importance and value of DCP members' own lived experience.

However, we have not been able to progress further as we have needed an agreed framework which would include specification re remuneration and governance for coproduction and involvement work.

DCP exec representatives and DCP experts by experience leads have been working together with BPS colleagues to develop a values, principles and governance framework to enable a lot more partnership work with EbEs to take place, both in the DCP and across the wider BPS.

The proposed framework was completed towards the end of 2020, and we have been piloting it in DCP since January 2021.

The framework is grounded in the NSUN's 4Pis:

• Principles – A commitment to shared principles and values, including equal value for contributions for EbEs and professionals
• Purpose - Why are we involving people? Why are we becoming involved?
• Presence - Who is involved? Are the right people involved in the right places?
• Process - How are people involved? How do people feel about the involvement process?
• Impact - What difference does involvement make? How can we tell that we have made a difference?

In line with the above, we developed a set of 10 high level principles for the framework:

1. Co-production
2. Mutually beneficial and partnership led
3. Clear and transparent working
4. Building confidence and capability
5. Driving and enhancing the successful transfer of knowledge to shape and influence high quality and valuable outcomes
6. Supporting a process of sharing and promoting psychology interwoven with personal experience- a peer network to aid the transfer of knowledge is also important
7. Equality, diversity and inclusion – all voices and contributions are of equal value
8. Working with the society should not cost EbEs – the society will book and cover the cost of travel/accommodation where pre-agreed in line with our expenses policy - payment will be offered against an agreed framework considering the personal and employment/taxable status of individuals
9. Shared values for all, and ensuring maximum support for EbEs involved in the society's work
10. Address barriers that exist – reduce barriers to ensure fair access and support for EbEs, including thinking about how we support the work they do, sharing knowledge, training in use of knowledge and work sharing systems and how they are used

The framework also distinguishes between different levels including coproduction, involvement and consultation, and specifies what remuneration would apply for these.

We have been piloting the framework formally in a number of defined project areas and are also using the framework to guide our coproduction and involvement work more broadly.

At our BPS EbE framework steering group we agreed on an evaluation process by means of focus groups, which have looked at the implementation of key elements of the framework.

As a result we are developing some tools to help people use the framework. We look forward to sharing further updates soon and to using the framework to support wider involvement and coproduction across the DCP and BPS.