Resources & Information
The "Resources" part of this page is intended to be a starting point to find information for different aspects of social prescribing program development. I've carefully curated a list of guides, websites, ways of thinking, and one research article (the official SP definition) to attempt to distill the abundant information out there. I have no ties to any of these resources, except for the Arts on Prescription Field Guide.
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The second half of this page is to help you brainstorm ideas. You'll find mind maps of potential stakeholders and a sample list of arts activities. Hopefully the mind maps will also broaden your ideas of what social prescribing is and can be.
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At the bottom of the page, you'll find miscellaneous considerations of what you can think about as you enter the work.
Resources
General
While this guide may say "Arts on Prescription", its advice can be used for any social prescribing program. Topics range from equity to program development and even evaluation!
This toolkit from the World Health Organization is very dense with pretty specific information that will guide you through the entire process.
The Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing has helpful resources and data (specific to Canada). The Training Roadmap offers a guide to educating and training healthcare providers, link workers, community organizations, and SP managers. While a number of their resources are not available to us, it provides a solid basis for what knowledge the stakeholders in a new SP program may need.
It's important for social prescribing programs to fully take advantage of community assets. Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) leans into the idea that we should look at what communities have, instead of what they lack (i.e. assets instead of deficits). The Institute provides trainings, webinars, reading materials, and other events to help individuals and communities grow.
This is the Muhl, et al., 2023 official definition of social prescribing. For a quick understanding of the definition, please view Figure 3 (conceptual framework). The Discussion section is also a great read!
Social Prescribing USA is a national organization that advocates for and provides resources for social prescribing. Social Prescribing USA's biggest asset is its Community of Practice -- a group meant to connect those doing social prescribing in their communities.
Link Worker Development
The Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing has helpful resources and data (specific to Canada). The Link Worker Framework and Competency Domains describe each requirement and expectation.
Trauma-Informed practices are important in any context, not just healthcare settings. However, when working with potentially vulnerable groups, we want to be particularly aware of potential traumas and avoid re-traumatization. Many organizations and universities offer "certification" in trauma-informed care (IU offers a free course here), but I'm not seeing an overarching accrediting body for these certificates and therefore cannot speak to the legitimacy of any one organization. That being said, this seems like a great place to start.
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Consider having your participating organizations receive education as well.
The NHS England website has so much information that it's actually difficult to get through it all and decide what is important and what's not. Despite that, I include this page because it talks about things like link worker case loads, supervisors, and even career pathways.
Pluralism is the political philosophy that ultimately can be distilled to people being able to get along, despite differing opinions. This page, from the Obama Foundation, is dedicated to downloadable workbooks, tools, and guides on practicing pluralism. I've included it here because i. I hope it can help you navigate difficult conversations that may arise when trying to convey the importance of social prescribing and ii. because social prescribing falls into the umbrella of equity and justice, and as difficult as it is, we need to listen and be united to press forward.
Link Workers in the UK are trained in Motivational Interviewing (MI), a method that helps patients build internal motivation to make behavioral changes. The link above takes you to the "books" page of an organization called MINT. I do not know anything about the organization or the books, however I am under the impression that 'Motivational Interviewing: Helping People Change and Grow (4th ed.) / William R. Miller and Stephen Rollnick (2023)' is a seminal text written by developers of the technique.
Evaluation
I know I've already shared this one (and as a co-author I may be biased), but I do think the evaluation section of this is great!
Kenji is not a guide to evaluation, but rather an AI chatbot (through WhatsApp) to use as an evaluation tool. I felt pretty skeptical about this myself, but it actually seems promising and ethically developed. View this presentation from the SP USA Community of Practice to learn more.
Community Tool Box is a remarkable resource that I find myself revisiting again and again. While I'm including it here in the "evaluation" section, they have so many thorough toolkits intended to help your organization build healthier communities.
For...[specific stakeholders and interests]
This toolkit was written for public libraries in the U.K., however I believe the lessons in it are universal.
I share this resource specifically because they offer a certificate to learn how to launch a college Nature Rx program. Check out their (long) list of member institutions!
The Administration for Community Living (ACL) has compiled this list of tools and toolkits to support workers providing services to those who may need assistance with housing. Two toolkits of interest include "Pathways to Partnerships for Housing Stability" and "Thinking about Starting a Supportive Housing Program?"
Distinct from Park Rx America, ParkRx offers resources for programming including a ParkRx Toolkit. They also have compiled a directory of programs, though some of these are outdated and/or aren't actually parks on *prescription.* (There is still value in knowing who is interested in nature/health!)
Hosted by UCL's Social Biobehavioral Research Group, this (UK-based) network is for those interested in SP for children and young people. Their SP Toolkit, while not the most descriptive (in some ways), may have some valuable information. They also have a handful of other resources.
The Foundation for Social Connection is a great resource because they share their published research and also have networking opportunities. Check out their SOCIAL Framework (particularly their diagram representing the aspects of a socially connected human) and their food and nutrition report (I appreciate the "Strategies for Addressing SILC Through Food and Nutrition" table).
For people interested in nature on prescription, this organization is for you. As advocates for nature and health, this organization has a network, research database, and case studies of projects and programs connecting people to nature. Try looking at the case studies or members of the nationwide network to find a partner near you!
This toolkit, provided by the US Department of Housing and Development (HUD) Exchange program, is intended for individuals working to secure permanent housing for clients.
If you are looking to prescribe movement, this may be a good starting point to guiding conversations with participants of various ages and abilities.
Brainstorming
Mind Maps
I'm working to troubleshoot a problem I had with embedding these, so please click on each image to see a larger, interactive mind map. The mind maps also include some national programs/organizations that might have a branch near you (to see these, click on the 4 lines with the plus sign).
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