Saffron Forge: Client Co-production

What we do

At Saffron, our client's voices are at the heart of everything we do. We formed our client co-production group, Saffron Forge, in 2024 to provide women who have completed their therapy with us a way to become involved in shaping Saffron’s future that offers an enriching experience for them. 

Saffron Forge offers peer support, creative expression, skills development, and opportunities to give back such as through fundraising and events, driving positive change. Members take part in what feels comfortable to them, at a time when they are ready. Below are the different ways clients who have completed therapy can become involved. 

Peer Support

Saffron Forge members can meet people with similar life experiences and offer mutual understanding, emotional support, and shared coping strategies post-therapy. Peer support focuses on lived experience rather than clinical expertise, and members can gain this connection through in-person meetings or online. These are informal and low-demand ways to connect and are chosen by our members to meet the needs of everyone. These include:

• Coffee mornings

• Picnics

• “Meet and make” art and craft

• Online meetings

Creative Storytelling

Saffron Forge offers ‘creative storytelling for wellbeing’ sessions. Members can create fictional stories that explore themes, share personal stories for connection, or can choose to keep their stories private and use them for personal reflection. The only goal is self-expression using narrative - and starting simple. There’s no need to worry about grammar. The process of writing helps people to:

• Reframe emotions 

• Experience catharsis

• Reduce stress

• Share stories for understanding and empathy

• Self-reflect and discover new strengths

Creative Expression

Creative expression can offer a way to explore thoughts and feelings without needing to put everything into words. It’s an open-ended technique that members can shape themselves. Examples of creative expression are: 

• Art-based sessions (drawing, collage, colour work)

• Writing prompts (private journaling, optional sharing)

• Music or sound exploration

• Movement or sensory-based activities

• Themed sessions like “safety,” “identity,” or “hope”

Saffron Forge members are invited to shape the types of activities, the pace, and how people are invited to take part, so it feels comfortable and relevant. Everything is optional and adaptable in a supportive space, with no expectation to share personal work. 

Skills Development

Saffron Forge members can develop new skills, helping to work towards the future. It fosters mutual growth, knowledge-sharing and building confidence. More specific skills training can also be offered to support members’ journeys.  

Event Planning

We want to design events that are trauma-aware, collaborative, and shaped by the people they’re for. Rather than bringing a fixed event plan, we work alongside the Saffron Forge group to co-create something that feels meaningful, genuinely useful and also safe. We take care of the logistics and structure, while making sure the group has real input and ownership throughout the process, creating opportunities for members to contribute in ways that work for them.

Fundraising

Being involved in fundraising for Saffron through our client co-production group is an empowering experience that offers members a way to give back and shape the future of the charity. Storytelling is a huge part of fundraising, however, no one should feel that their experiences are being used as a fundraising tool. Co-production in fundraising means members have a say in how messages are created, what’s shared publicly, and what stays private. We co-design fundraising campaigns, plan creative fundraising  through art, writing, and workshops led by participants, and host community events where involvement is optional and flexible, as well as digital campaigns. 

Research and Policy

We’re interested in how your lived experience can influence change beyond Saffron Forge.

That might include contributing to research, shaping policy, or influencing how services are designed and delivered more widely.

Your experiences give you a level of expertise that isn’t always present in decision-making spaces, this work is about creating opportunities for that expertise to be heard and to have impact.”

Research
Engaging in conversations, projects, or partnerships that explore what works, what doesn’t, and what needs to change, grounded in real experience rather than assumptions.

Policy
Influencing the decisions, strategies, and priorities that shape how services operate—locally or nationally.

Your Voice

Service development co-production is invaluable to making sure we are providing the best possible service at Saffron. We want to know how we can improve people’s experience every step of the way, from their first call with us, through to their therapy and aftercare. Saffron Forge is a group that gives clients the opportunity to feed back their own personal experiences and say what they think would help others in the future. 

It also does not mean just speaking in a group. It’s about having a say in a way that feels right for each person—whether that’s sharing ideas out loud, writing them down, contributing anonymously, simply being present, or choosing not to take part at all. We look at gathering ideas on how services could feel more supportive, such as what works well and what could be improved.

Focus Groups

At Saffron Forge focus groups, lived experience sharing is optional, not expected, and listening is valid participation. The group helps shape the questions, influence how sessions run, and have a say in what’s done with the insights. For example, we might explore what makes services feel safe or difficult, using a mix of discussion and anonymous input, then work together to identify key themes. 

Join Saffron Forge

If you have completed therapy with Saffron and you are interested in joining Saffron Forge, please get in touch if you would like to find out more. You can choose what is comfortable for you to be involved in at whatever level works best: in-person, online or anonymously.