Creative, Health and Wellbeing Partnership
The Creative Health and Wellbeing Partnership for Cornwall and Isles of Scilly is funded by Cornwall Council (the Culture & Creative Partnerships and Public Health Teams)
The aim of the Partnership is to grow the contribution of the creative and cultural sector to improving health and wellbeing for individuals and communities in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly.
In 2019 Cornwall Council’s Culture and Public Health teams jointly commissioned the development of a Creative, Health and Wellbeing Partnership for Cornwall and Isles of Scilly. This was in recognition of the valuable role played by the creative and cultural sector in improving health and wellbeing of individuals and communities. Arts Well, a Cornish social enterprise which champions the role of the arts, culture and creativity in improving health and wellbeing, was commissioned to establish the Partnership and the inaugural meeting was held in January 2020.
Aims of the Partnership
Maximise the Contribution
Contribute to the development of the Health and Wellbeing Strategy for Cornwall and Isles of Scilly to maximise the contribution of the creative and cultural sector.
Develop Capacity
Develop the capacity (skills, knowledge, resources) of the creative and cultural sector to participate in local health and wellbeing priorities.
Horizon-scan Opportunities
Horizon-scan for opportunities to improve local practice, lever in additional investment and grow the contribution of the creative and cultural sector in improving health and wellbeing.
Action Planning
Develop and oversee delivery of a Partnership Action Plan.
Connect and Inform
Connect individuals, organisations, systems and processes to inform and improve creative health and wellbeing policy and practice. Facilitate Commissioning Facilitate improved commissioning of creative health and wellbeing programmes and activities.
Membership Organisations
Board members represent key organisations from creative, cultural, health, social care and community sectors. The Board is co-chaired by the Director
Initial members were invited to represent the following organisations, with further members to be invited as the Partnership developed.
Public Health
Adult Social Care
Children, Young People and Families
NHS Kernow
Social Prescribing Network
Cornwall Foundation Trust
Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust
Cornwall Museums Partnership
Cornwall Council elected members
Creative Kernow
Falmouth University
Creative Industries
Hall for Cornwall
Newlyn Art Gallery & The Exchange
Music Service Trust
Wider Engagement
The creative sector in Cornwall is characterized by a large number of micro-businesses and freelance creative practitioners, a sub-sector of which is engaged primarily in community activity with health and wellbeing impacts.
The Partnership is considering how to engage this group effectively as they are central to the delivery of creative health and wellbeing work and proposals under consideration include:
Developing a network of place-based ‘ambassadors’; Holding local events to gather and disseminate ideas and information about the plans of the Partnership; Developing a digital presence for the Partnership with interactive elements – online forum, live streaming of meetings, webinars.
Covid-19
The impact of Covid-19 required a new pathway to develop the Partnership, and has also demonstrated the value of culture and creativity for health and wellbeing. The Partnership’s activities at this time include programmes that support staff health and wellbeing, that address grief and trauma in the longer term and that support creative practitioners to develop their socially engaged practice both during the crisis and in the recovery phase.
Health and Wellbeing Strategy
The Partnership will be active in the public engagement and delivery planning phase of the Health and Wellbeing Strategy development, originally due to take place between April and June 2020. This will include creative engagement processes and ensuring that the creative and cultural sector’s potential is harnessed in local delivery plans.
