I’ve recently read David Brooks’ book, How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen. Brooks argues that the one skill that lies at the heart of any healthy person, family, school, community organisation or society is the ability to accurately know another person, to let them feel valued, heard and understood.
In some ways, this seems so obvious, and yet, as a society, we don’t always do this well. All around us are people who feel invisible, unseen, misunderstood. Loneliness and social isolation are significant challenges for our communities. And it isn’t just individuals or their families who are affected; there are also flow-on effects for workplaces, the health system and the economy. Recognising this has led governments, health professionals and community groups to advocate for, and invest in, the practice of ‘social prescribing’.
What is social prescribing?
Social prescribing is where medical professionals and community ‘link workers’ collaborate to connect people to social supports and other non-clinical programs to improve their health and wellbeing. This ‘social’ prescription can complement medical forms of care. The aim could be to address practical issues such as access to quality housing, education and job opportunities, but also to help meet health-related social needs such as belonging, confidence and purpose.
Social prescribing is a person-centred, holistic approach that asks not ‘what’s the matter with you?’, but ‘what matters to you?’. Supports are tailored to the individual and can include activities like walking groups, choirs, arts and nature programs, cooking classes and carer’s groups. These services can be provided by either community or government-funded organisations such as Neighbourhood
Houses, local libraries, Men’s Shed groups and PCYCs.
Can churches be involved?
As Christians, there’s much about social prescribing that resonates with our worldview: the inherent dignity of people, a holistic view of wellbeing, hope for the restoration of broken bodies and minds. We care deeply about helping people connect with one another and with Jesus. It’s Jesus’ compassion and love that compels churches to offer services that fit the aims of social prescribing, even without the label: initiatives such as music groups, playgroups, community meals and op shops. Impact audits by the NAYBA initiative show churches and faith groups provide more than 1000 community services to more than 1 million people each year with an annual social impact value of almost $200 million.
For churches who are keen, there are a wide range of opportunities for Christians to be involved in the wider social prescribing conversation. For example, did you know….
Spirituality (understood broadly to include a sense of ultimate meaning, purpose, transcendence and connectedness) has been recognised as a domain of health by the World Health Organisation.
In 2016, the Australian federal government funded the development of National Guidelines on Spiritual Care in Aged Care, for those living in residential aged care or receiving support through home care packages.
Denominational organisations such as Anglicare, Baptist Care and Uniting Communities contributed to the design of a government-funded social prescribing service model in South Australia.
Some churches have themselves taken on more formal social prescribing practices, such as:
o building referral pathways to their services from GPs, and local community
organisations;
o applying for government funding for link workers such as social workers and chaplains to
join their ministry teams;
o setting up their own charity organisation; and
o facilitating a community space in a local shopping centre.
If hearing about these opportunities excites you, why not take a look at this website to learn more about social prescribing and to find existing programs near you?
Food for thought
While opportunities for formalised social prescribing exist, not every church is able to take them up, or even wants to. Wherever your church is at, perhaps the broader community challenges of loneliness and isolation are still a chance to reflect on questions such as:
Who is lonely or unseen around you – carers, new mums, the culturally and linguistically diverse?
What realistic and sustainable opportunities does your church have to love your particular neighbours?
What do your church need to do to be, and be known as, a place of trust?
Are there local community organisations with whom your church would like to build good relationships?
Does your church have a ‘no wrong door’ policy or is there only one ‘right’ way to connect with you?
Does your church’s physical environment encourage or hinder human connection?
Does your church know when to refer people out to other medical and professional supports?
So are we in?
In Australia, social prescribing is on the radar of both federal and state governments, with the recent release of a National Feasibility Study and formation of various state-supported pilot projects around the country. As the conversation gains momentum, it’s worth asking: is this a space where churches could or even should be involved?
However we choose to answer that question, global church mental health expert, Laura Howe, helpfully reminds us: “We should never forget the power of just being human beings with other human beings. If we can simply do that, we will transform our communities.”