UK Counsel for Service User and Carer Involvement in Higher Education

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Standards & Guidance

UKC-SUCI provides nationally recognised standards that reduce regulatory ambiguity, strengthen PSRB alignment, and support HEIs to embed SUCI sustainably and ethically.

Educators and service users co-producing curriculum ideas
Our framework

The UKC-SUCI Standards Framework

To foster a national network that advocates for SUCI best practices and facilitates co-production in education.

Our strategic direction is focused on embedding SUCI within HEIs, ensuring that professional, statutory and regulatory body (PSRB) standards are met and exceeded.

Why it matters

Professional bodies such as the NMC, HCPC, GMC and Social Work England all mandate involvement in higher education. UKC-SUCI offers clear operational guidance on what meaningful involvement looks like, how it should be governed, what minimum standards must apply, and how lived-experience contributors should be supported, resourced and protected.

Regulatory bodies

PSRBs that mandate SUCI

UKC-SUCI provides nationally recognised standards, reducing ambiguity and strengthening regulatory alignment across all health and social care programmes.

The challenge

The current landscape

Current practice across HEIs shows wide inconsistency and systemic vulnerability. Without national standards, institutions face regulatory risk, tokenistic practice and unequal treatment.

Fragmented SUCI activity with no central oversight across UK HEIs

Lack of training for academic staff on facilitating meaningful SUCI

Unequal treatment of lived-experience partners in terms of support and remuneration

Poor safeguarding and variable remuneration across institutions

Over-reliance on a small number of individuals, creating institutional risk

Risks to quality reviews, inspections and accreditation processes

UKC-SUCI Standards Framework

The full Standards Framework is currently in development. Register your interest to receive it on launch and be notified of implementation support opportunities.