Coproducing a film resource for asylum seekers in the UK—A field reflection

Abstract

In this field reflection, we critically explore our experiences of coproduction, as a group comprising people with lived experience of seeking asylum in the UK, and clinical academics. We collaboratively developed a film resource for people facing the challenges of the asylum system and for professionals who support them. We aim to (1) reflect on how this collaboration came about and how it led to both planned outputs and unanticipated outcomes, (2) identify a range of personal, organizational, and system factors that enabled or constrained our collaborations as researchers and asylum seekers or refugees in the UK, and (3) explore our own assumptions about ways of working together to enable partnership and equality of engagement. We reflect on our experiences in relation to four conditions of coproduction: combining knowledge and experience, commitment to the project and each other, flexibility in our ways of working together, and our valued achievements.