Unity: nothing about us, without us
By uniting with people we support, we achieve together
At Achieve together, we believe Co-production isn’t an initiative - it’s our culture. Through Unity, people we support use their lived experience to shape the support we provide, influence decisions, and lead the way in creating real change within our organisation.
Who are Unity?
Unity is Achieve together’s pioneering co-production group where people with lived experience take the lead in guiding the organisation’s direction, shaping the quality of the support we provide, representing the voices of people we support, training team members and creating positive change throughout the organisation.
Unity members are highly experienced in facilitation, self and peer advocacy and training, working alongside professionals to ensure that the voices and experiences of people with learning disabilities are heard, valued and acted upon. Every member of Unity is in a paid role, recognising people’s expertise and insight.
Shaping how our organisation is run
Unity is more than a name - it’s a community of people with lived experience working alongside our teams to make real change happen.
Together, we shape our approach to support, our teams and how everyone at Achieve together can thrive.
Unity Specialist Roles
Unity Representatives will now assume specialist roles, where individuals will be trained and upskilled in specific areas of interest to collaborate with relevant teams on projects and initiatives related to their roles:
Unity Co-chairs
Technology Leads
Specialism Advocates
Sex and Relationships Leads
Recruitment Leads
Quality and Safeguarding Champions
Positive Behaviour Support Lead
Physical Health & Sports Ambassadors
Mental Health & Wellbeing Ambassadors
Marketing and Media Leads
Learning and Development Leads
Housing and Tenancy Leads
The Big Plan: Real voices, real change
Together, we don’t just make decisions - we shape the future.
The Big Plan is our organisation-wide co-production strategy, developed in partnership with Unity and Campaign 4 Change. It puts people we support at the heart of every decision – from designing our approach to support to recruiting team members and delivering training. By working side by side, we’re creating a culture where everyone has a voice and where every voice has an impact.
Co-production in action
Read about just some of the ways Co-production helps create better outcomes for everyone:
Captain Co-production
Captain Co-production is a creative project led by Unity and Campaign 4 Change. The films explain what Co-production means and why it matters - through stories that are fun, powerful, and thought-provoking. They’ve been shared across conferences, webinars, and training sessions, helping more people understand how Co-production leads to better support and better lives.
Crystal's story
Crystal is now a trainer, teaching managers Brilliant Basics in Co-production, and an accredited Oliver McGowan trainer. Not only this, but Crystal also helped plan and deliver Co-production training to social work Students at the University of Bradford.
And then there’ s the Achieve together Wellbeing festivals, which Crystal helped to organise. She pitched up a tent, rolled up her sleeves and helped to make sure the festivals ran smoothly, overseeing stands & activities, signing attendees in, and making a cuppa (or twenty!).
Crystal is a regular attendee at Unity meetings, offering insightful feedback and ideas to whichever project is running, and actively seeks to practice her considerable public speaking skills in videos and presentations.
If that all wasn’t enough, hot on the heels of her win at the Leaders Awards in 2024, Crystal has been helping to organise Heroes Awards.
We asked Crystal how all these achievements make Crystal feel and how working with Unity has impacted on her, and she had this to say:
“Before I joined Unity, I would isolate myself and I thought I wouldn’t ever have any friends. As part of Unity, I’ve made a lot of new friends, and I’ve achieved a lot of things that I probably wouldn’t have if I hadn’t joined. Now I support and help a lot more people other than myself. It’s really helped my confidence.”
Join the Conversation
Unity works hand in hand with Campaign 4 Change, a national self-advocacy group led by people we support. Together, they campaign for inclusion, accessibility, equal rights and real change across the UK for people with learning disabilities and autistic people.
Finding the right support, together
With homes across England and Wales, our experienced teams are here to help you live life your way: with the right balance of independence, tailored support, and community connection.
Achieve together snapshot