Community Wellbeing Plans (CWP’s) are place-based 2 to 3 year strategic plans, that are developed by local stakeholders/service providers and are informed with invaluable input from community. CWP’s have the overarching aim to holistically, strategically and collectively improve individual, family and community wellbeing, health, safety and connection. CWP’s effectively address the social determinants of health by decreasing alcohol and other drug misuse, risky, harmful & self-harming behaviours, whilst creatively embedding placed based solutions and initiatives that increase mental health and wellbeing and builds social capital and connections for vulnerable sub-populations. Long and short-term outcomes are determined utilising local service provider data (Hospital, Police, Education and other relevant anecdotal stakeholder evidence) and also de-identified data from the Community Health & Wellbeing Survey to gain an understanding of individual opinions, views and experiences within their community. The combination of agency data and expertise in combination with community feedback enables CWP’s to be a direct reflection of community vulnerabilities that incorporates placed based, grass roots solutions that ensure all initiatives and activities embedded within this strategic plan are targeted, cohesive, relevant, achievable and effective.

Holyoake’s Prevention Team provides governance and guidance to CWP’s to ensure that all activity embedded is evidence informed/based and facilitates the development, evaluation and review process. This process enables communities to be empowered to support and respond to vulnerabilities and emerging harmful behaviours, and strategically increase safety and wellbeing. CWP’s have demonstrated outcomes in increasing knowledge of place based and online services, referral pathways, and information and guidance on effective evidence informed/based solutions and actively advocating and supporting wellbeing initiatives for all.

This presentation will provide an overview of the process involved in the creation of CWP’s, showcase our learnings and quality improvement processes and also highlight some of the successful outcomes that have been achieved.

Three Key Learnings:

1. Gain an understanding of the framework utiliised to effectively bring a cross sector of agencies and organisations together to find place-based solutions to address mental ill health and distress.
2. Highlight and showcases the importance of co-design between community and stakeholders to find innovative solutions to complex and wicked issues.
3. Develop an understanding of how the Collective Impact Framework can be embedded to create an outcome focused strategic plan to improve the health and wellbeing of all individuals residing within a community.