What we doCo-production and consultation

Co-production at Brandon

Brandon’s mission to enable people to live the lives they choose, includes prioritising collaborating with autistic people and people with learning disabilities in all our decision making.

We ensure people supported by Brandon have opportunities to influence and make decisions about Brandon’s activities and to work closely with stakeholders externally, to effect positive change for all people with learning disabilities and autism.

At Brandon, this includes a team of people we support working in paid roles as Brandon’s Adventurers. The Adventurers represent the people we support and are consulted on all our key decisions about the way we work now and how we will work in the future.

The Adventurers

The Brandon Trust Adventurers mosaic of photos

The Adventurers team live across the Brandon areas and travel to meet regularly in person as well as online. Their work at Brandon so far, has included:

Contributing to the development of our five-year Plan B strategy
Consulting on and co-producing Brandon’s policy as well as accompanying easy read documentation
Working as Quality Checkers
Taking part in the judging of our annual staff awards
Supporting the development of our Partnerships and Fundraising strategy
Providing consulting services for all our central support teams, to make sure Brandon’s ongoing work, such as management training programmes, induction for staff, and new IT systems, are inclusive and accessible to all
Providing advice on current projects through Adventurers Consultancy. They were consulted on the Brandon Survey and fundraising campaigns.

Based on The Adventurers amazing ethos of co-production – not just within Brandon but with external organisations – they were regional winners at The Great British Care Awards, in the co-production category.

Consultation services

Smiling female colleagues working together in office

The Adventurers and our involvement experts lead on all our co-production and consultation work with stakeholders and partners beyond Brandon. Their work has included:

Training University of the West of England (UWE) students on inclusion in prescribing, as well as creating accessible information for patients with a learning disability around medication and health
Creating an accessible Health Action Plan
Supporting Southmead Hospital’s accessibility and inclusion procedures through site visits and panel events
Working with Bristol University Research Team, creating accessible information for people with a learning disability and/or autism to take part in medical trials/research
Bristol Hate Crime and Discrimination Services
Working with the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board (BNSSG ICB), to produce a video promoting the importance of annual health checks
Working with Bristol & Weston Hospitals charity and Bristol Dental Hospital Special Care Department, to produce a video explaining what is involved when you have a tooth taken out

You can read more about our co-production work in the Brandon news section.

Co-production news Contact us

What's coming up?

During 2024 and into 2025, Brandon’s involvement team will be working with people we support on a number of projects. This will include co-production of guidance for people with learning disabilities and autism on death, dying, do not resuscitate orders (DNR), grief and bereavement, with the BNSSG ICB.

They have outsourced training with a hospice, Prospect House, for end-of-life and palliative care support for staff. They are co-producing the content and delivery of our staff induction. They will be looking into funding to train staff on advanced care planning through art therapy, and will be arranging grief cafes, where people we support, and staff can gather to talk about feelings of grief and loss.

Brandon’s Quality Checkers will also be going out with our compliance coordinators, to audit the standard of the houses where people we support live, and to talk to individuals about the support they receive from Brandon.

How can we help you?

If you or your organisation needs support to co-produce any work or activity that needs to be accessible and inclusive to all, please contact our involvement team via email to involve.me@brandontrust.org

Employment opportunities

As well as our co-production opportunities, Brandon also offers people with learning disabilities and autism opportunities to gain work skills, vocational training, and paid employment through our social enterprise businesses.

Visit Enterprises

Get in touch

Contact

Contact Brandon’s operational teams, find out more about the support we offer or explore our job vacancies.

Meet The Adventurers

Our Adventurers are part of Brandon’s leadership team – find out who they are and what matters to them.

Meet The Adventurers