September 25, 2024
We’re pleased to let you know that our Co-Production Collective Payment Policy has been updated! Since launching the policy in October 2022, we have been engaging with our community and gathering your feedback. As a result, we’ve made important updates that we would like to pilot. This new version, released today reflects changes to payment rates (that we are piloting for period of six months) made as a result of feedback we have received as well as an attempt to take into account in the increased cost of living. It also includes changes to the options for how to get paid, and a few tweaks in the policy to ensure everything is clear and accessible for everyone. The updated Payment policy is available as a PDF and a Word Document.
While updating this policy is an important part of ensuring people feel valued in co-produced work we are involved in, this is only one part of our plans for the future. We have started and will be doing more work to support equitable practices in co-production that are aligned with our values. We anticipate the changes described to be a starting point for wider discussions around offering better packages of support, training and reimbursement to remove barriers, increasing diversity of those who get involved in our work and enabling people to feel valued when we work together.
Please note we will be piloting the new payment rates from 25 September – 31 March 2025 and will review them again in April 2025 based on the feedback we receive. So, if you have any feedback about this policy, please email coproduction@ucl.ac.uk.
We’re introducing a set rate of £30 per hour for activity facilitated by Co-Production Collective staff that focuses on co-producing ourselves as Co-Production Collective (for example, the co-creation of things like Our Safeguarding Statement, our core values or giving feedback on our communication materials). This rate is lower than for externally funded projects to ensure we can utilise the limited budget we have for as much co-production work as possible with our community.
We also offer the following rates for other co-production activities:
For all other activities, we will be actively exploring with external partners and co-producers the introduction of a new £40 per hour rate. This rate would be for those involved with activities with external partners and research projects—such as those with, academic institutions, charities, local authorities, housing associations, and grassroots groups. Please note: this is exploratory as payments for some projects may vary based on funder payment policy parameters.
We’ve updated our payment methods to align with UCL finance requirements and make the process easier. You can still choose from various options, including the UCL Digital Visitor Expenses system, Unitemps, and vouchers. We also offer reasonable adjustments and we are as always open to discussing other methods to meet different needs.
We are piloting these new rates and payment methods for a six-month period starting today to give us time to hear what you think and to work out if these new rates are what everyone wants. Your feedback will play a key role in shaping the final rates, so don’t hesitate to share your thoughts by 31 March 2025. – You can find out how to do so lower down in this blog. Please note any work that was agreed before this date will have to be paid at the rate that was previously agreed.
The first version of our Payment Policy was introduced in October 2022, but discussions on fair and equitable payment began much earlier, dating back to when we were known as the Centre for Co-Production in Health Research in 2017. By the time we launched the Co-Production Collective in October 2020, we knew it was essential to co-create a policy reflecting our core values, being flexible, equitable, and person-centred in our approach to payment.
In December 2020, we shared an initial draft of the policy, which sparked important discussions as a community. This led to two co-creation sessions in May 2021, where complex issues were addressed, and our approach was refined based on the insights gathered. Subsequent drafts incorporated more feedback, leading to the first payment policy.
Since then, we’ve continued to engage with our co-producers, working together to refine and improve the policy. The updated version, released today, reflects this ongoing dialogue with our community. We are piloting revised payment rates to better align with the value and time commitment of our co-producers, recognising everyone’s essential contributions and striving for more equitable and fair pay.
Our payment policy will remain a living document evolving with your feedback. We hope this updated version brings us one step closer to creating an even more supportive and inclusive community as we grow as a Co-Production Collective but we are aware there is still plenty of work to do in this area. Each time someone is paid in the next six months we will ask them to complete a short survey letting us know what they think of the policy and the revised rates. Then, in six months’ time, we will review the policy again with you our community, so please share your thoughts and insights with us by 31 March 2025 and or join in planned conversations once we advertise them.
A big thank you!
We couldn’t have done this without you! Thank you to everyone who contributed—whether by commenting on a draft, attending a session, or sharing your insights. Your input has shaped this policy from the beginning and will continue to shape our work, as always!
Please have a read of our Co-Production Collective Payment Policy, available as a PDF and a Word document.
We also have various versions of the policy available for download from this Google Drive folder – coming soon.
If you need a different format or a specific version of Braille not listed, please contact us at coproduction@ucl.ac.uk, and we’ll be happy to provide.
September 26, 2024
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