Arts and Health Steering Group

ARTS and HEALTH: Telford and Shropshire

What is it and what does it aim to achieve?

The formation of the Arts and Health steering group for Telford and Shropshire came out of the 2006 Time to Connect seminar evaluation (more information available on request.) This event was developed from work being done by the Shropshire and Telford Arts Partnership workforce development plan which identified the need to strengthen this sector of work. This initiative is supported by the strategic input of the Health Officer at Arts Council England / West Midlands

The steering group’s definition of Arts and Health has been agreed as:

'Arts and Health, working in partnership to promote wellbeing by the use of arts-based approaches.’

The Shropshire and Telford Arts and Health Steering Group remit is to plan, organise and coordinate the development of the Arts and Health Sector in Shropshire and Telford by:

  • Sharing strategic national and regional developments within the Arts and Health Sector
  • Providing a vision for arts and health project development in Shropshire and Telford
  • Raising the profile of arts and health practice with Shropshire and Telford and advocating for its development and diversity.
  • Supporting people working as artists and within the health and social care sector to develop creative projects that improve the health and wellbeing of communities.
  • Offering project funding advice for Arts and Health projects

How could you be involved?

  • The steering group meets quarterly. We need the group to remain functional yet to represent sectors and geographical areas equally, as it develops, in order to sustain a strategic development role for Arts and Health in Shropshire and Telford. If you work in the health sector and are interested in being on the steering group please contact any of the Arts Development Officers overleaf
  • If you cannot commit to this but have information to bring to our attention please forward as above.
  • If you cannot commit to this but wish to receive minutes and general information we will forward this.

Arts and Health Pilots

To enable action as well as words the STAP have put up seed funding of £2000 for each Arts Development Officer (ADO) to develop a project with the health sector that is issue led. These schemes would highlight the potential for each sector to work in a mutually beneficial way and make the strategic case for developing Arts and Health work locally and regionally.

Project criteria are as follows:

  1. The Arts Officer builds a partnership with a health and social care professional/organisation or is approached by these to develop potential projects.
  2. A project proposal is written identifying the health need, the arts activity designed to address it and the evaluation process to measure the impact.
  3. An artist brief is written and is advertised

It was agreed that when the ADOs have developed project proposals they will be emailed to Sue Goodwin to forward to the steering group for assessment and approval. Pilot projects already agreed are:

  • South Shropshire and Bridgnorth – Dance 4 Health
  • Telford and Wrekin – Visual Arts and Mental Health wellbeing

(Please note that funding is local authority and ACE money combined so it cannot be used as match funding for an ACE funding application).

An agreed joint approach to evaluation will be developed that is appropriate to both the health sector and local government needs

This steering group seeks to be inclusive and welcomes comments and input from people with an interest in developing this area of work.

For more information please contact either of the Arts Development officers below who are the links to the wider group.

Arts and Health: Time to Connect report