Reflections on CHWA Creative Health Conference
Our Creative Health Lead Gemma recently attended the Creative Health and Wellbeing Alliance conference. She has brought together all the key points from the conference to share with us.
We’re hosting a free Creative Health event ‘Health+Culture’ on 29 January 2024. Find out more and book your tickets here.
In October I spent three days at the national Creative Health and Wellbeing Alliance (CHWA) conference in Barnsley. With colleagues and practitioners from around the UK, I heard from inspirational speakers, took part in creative activities and shared meals and conversations with the sector, all with a focus on Making Change.
Change Happens at the Speed of Trust
This was a sentence coined early in the conference, and became something of a mantra. Building and developing strong relationships between the sectors to enable creative health to thrive takes time, and trust is needed on both sides. It is achievable, and many places are really starting to see the benefits of co-developing Creative Health alongside the communities they benefit.
Some of the most inspirational presentations came from places working closely with health services to offer cultural activities that improve lives. Three very different ways of doing, that are scalable and sustainable, include;
Greater Manchester’s Creative Health Strategy
Creative Recovery
They are successfully delivering life changing work through cross sector-partnerships and showing that by bringing together already existing and often isolated pockets of high-quality practice, they can enhance, support and sustain it through strategy, research and infrastructure.
Creative Health Associates
It was also a delight to meet all of the Creative Health Associates, a new role that is based in the health sector and hosted by Integrated Care Boards.
I believe they will help shape and push forward new relationship development and partnership working for all of us. I’m in touch with Dorset’s regional lead Penny Calvert to enable increased networking and peer support.
Creative Health Quality Framework
Read the Creative Health Quality Framework here
This is a new and broad tool that really encompasses our work. It was well received and has started to be adopted across the country. CHWA, along with the National Centre for Creative Health (NCCH) are really strengthening the representation of our work and I increasingly feel we are being seen and represented as a sector.
How to Starve an Artist
Time to Play
It wasn’t all talk though. I took part in a body mapping dance workshop and it was insightful for my own practice and encouraged me to think through doing. It was a delight to be outside with other artists, pointing at trees and side-stepping the paving stones with Bath Spa Visiting Research Fellow Vicky Hunter.
Also of note was the delightful Rose Condo’s ‘How to Starve an Artist’ performance, which rounded off our last evening thoughtfully (and with humus and bubbles!)
Back to Basics
My final morning began with a reflective art group hosted by Creative Recovery who work with local people recovering from addiction. It reminded me of the value of seemingly simple things like access to art materials and just time to experiment with them freely. It opens up new possibilities and gives you time to process and think differently.
Two key frustrations are being heard, and acted on, the ever present demand to ‘prove’ is being increasingly held by the bodies of evidence and research that we can call on without the need to turn every creative project into a research project.
And crucially for me the feedback we so frequently give about the need for long term, sustainable funding for projects that that reduce the short-termism we’re stuck in, is also acknowledged as a key concern, that if addressed will produce better outcomes and better work. Change also takes time.
Final Thoughts
At national level we are forming a strong backbone of intelligent and considered thinking and resources for Creative Health. It leaves me asking how at county level, in Dorset, do we develop an ecosystem that feeds into the national picture, whilst responding to local needs to build a strong and healthy future for us all.
For Creative Health to thrive in Dorset we need the infrastructure of support systems in place, to streamline funding, to create space for developing the workforce, and to advocate for Creative Health locally and nationally.
Leaving the conference I felt energised, and a real sense of solidarity and action across the country. It feels like there is a strong national infrastructure with great capacity to respond and advocate for Creative Health, which provides the solid base from which we build.
I see our next steps to take these collective resources, and roll this support and development back into the places and communities we work in. To continue to build, grow and share the practices that support people to live happier and healthier lives at local levels.
Get Involved
We’re hosting a free Creative Health event ‘Health+Culture’ on 29 January 2024. Find out more and book your tickets here.
Join Dorset’s Creative Health and Wellbeing Forum on Facebook or by contacting Gemma: gemma.alldred@theartsdevelopmentcompany.org.uk
Share your work at our event in January. If you’d like to share your Creative Health practice, projects and events at our upcoming event please email Gemma: gemma.alldred@theartsdevelopmentcompany.org.uk