Using communities of practice to strengthen care givers’ and care receivers’ participation in co-producing knowledge, defining territory and inventing new practice

Since their inception, Communities of Practice (COP) are recognised as a shared learning tool aimed at situating learning, deepening knowledge and interacting to exchange expertise in a specific area. Despite their organic origins, COPs have found several practical applications in business, government, education, professional associations and development projects, yet their civic purposes have almost been overlooked, particularly how these social learning spaces help caregivers and care receivers to educate, support and coach social care practitioners to shape practice or change process.

This paper reports on the findings of a study based in South-East England of two COPs codesigned with experts by experience supporting adult social care practice. The overarching topics (‘Complex needs’ and ‘Workforce’) were co-developed by a prioritisation exercise. Both COPs had monthly online sessions with invited speakers and a discussion forum. Attendees included experts by experience, social care practitioners, managers, and researchers. We interviewed 21 attendees to explore: how the COPs shaped learning (co-producing knowledge); how learning was transferred beyond the COP (defining territory); and how this learning influenced new ways of working (inventing new practice).

Thematic analysis identified that participants valued an inclusive and safe learning environment, enabling them to share learning and reflect on each other’s experiences. Relationships developed across roles/settings, providing opportunities to bridge silo thinking, validate research ideas and take learning beyond the COP. Time pressures and the prevailing organisational culture inhibited attendance by frontline staff, set against the need to learn and innovate. Networking was a frequently cited outcome, leading to knowledge-exchange

collaborations.