Creative Ireland and Healthy Ireland Supporting Wellbeing through Social Prescribing Creative Engagement

 

Back: Cork Co Co Creative Ireland Public Engagement Officer, Emma Dwyer, Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr. Frank O’Flynn, Healthy Ireland Arts & Culture Lead CKCH, Sheelagh Broderick
Front: Uillinn West Cork Arts Centre, Public Engagement Assistant (Arts for Health) Etain Collins, Dunmanway Social Prescribing Link Worker, Wendy Bond
Photographer: Michael O’Sullivan

This year Social Prescribing in Cork County and Kerry received a welcome boost with the allocation of funds from the Creative Ireland Socially Prescribed Creative Engagement initiative in partnership with the Local Authority Arts Offices and the National Family Resource Centre Mental Health Project. Recognising the positive role creativity has on physical and mental health and wellbeing, the funding was allocated to increase the cultural opportunities available at a local level.
The main objectives of the initiative are
1.    Create enduring links between local social prescribing networks supported by the HSE and local authority Culture and Creativity teams responsible for creative programming locally.
2.    Support the wellbeing of individual clients of the social prescribing link worker via participation in creative engagement.
3.    Lay a strong foundation for the development of a local ecosystem that supports creative programming that specifically addresses the creative wellbeing needs of people who use the services of social prescribing link workers.
4.    Generate learnings that can be applied in developing a programme nationally.

In Cork County an Arts & Chats programme has been developed to build connections between social prescribing networks, the libraries, and creative facilitators living and working throughout the county. Arts and Chats will offer a series of workshops from December 2023 through Cork County Council’s library branches. The participants will take part in a creative activity, from printmaking and drawing to ukelele playing or singing. The workshops are designed to be social, with a cup of tea and a chat being an important element of each meeting. A capacity building measure to develop the sector is being provided through Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre and Cork County Council’s Library and Arts Service who will establish a panel of facilitators that will receive training in social prescribing. The training will draw on experiences from other counties to give people a broad knowledge of what social prescribing is and how they can support their networks.
 
Dr. Sheelagh Broderick, Senior Health Promotion & Improvement officer commented,
“This is a great opportunity for people who have been isolated to get out and get creative in their own local communities. The service is being provided free and support is available for those who have difficulty with access. Get in touch with your Social Prescribing Link Worker at Family Resource Centres in Dunmanway, Adrigole, Mallow, Midleton and Ballincollig’
This work is part of a broader trajectory for Arts and Health noted for action in the Healthy Ireland in the Health Service implementation plan 2023-2027 under the Strategic Priority Strengthening Partnership and Community Working.
 
The Social Prescribing service recognises that health is heavily determined by social factors such as poverty, isolation and loneliness. Through the use of social prescribing, healthcare professionals and others can refer people to a range of local non-clinical services to help improve a person’s wellbeing and provides a credible referral pathway for other HSE programmes.
To see a complete list of the Social Prescribing services in Cork and Kerry Click Here.
The Creativity in Older Age programme continues with performers Down Memory Lane at Bandon, Kinsale and Youghal Community Hospitals & Cois Abhainn thanks to @CreativeIreland & @CorkCoCo support @HealthyIreland @HSEHealthW