27 healthcare providers in the North West have committed to developing a cultural prescription plan for new and expectant mothers to give children the “best start” in life.
A music-making project within HMP Inverness is helping offenders develop skills for life, learning and work. Stacey Toner describes the challenges and its aims for the future.
Young offenders in Wales gained the Arts Award during a Summer Arts College – for some it was their first ever qualification. Angela Rogers tells how their success was realised.
Leaders in local authorities and health services have started to recognise the value of arts organisations to their agendas following a series of multi-partner collaborations.
Male prisoners at risk of suicide or self-harm may be apprehensive about signing up for a theatre project, but some finish Geese Theatre Company’s five-day course giddy with pride. Louise Heywood shares the story.
Helping prisoners devise and perform a piece of children’s theatre for their families may help reduce re-offending rates, but Selina Busby questions whether the evaluation of such projects is as effective as it should be.
As the arts work their magic in so many mysterious ways, how can their impact be fully understood and measured? MatthewBrown wrestles with the concept of social value.
Halton CCG’s manifesto for wellbeing commits the organisation to commissioning cultural activity, which it says can support wellbeing in ways that other methods cannot.
Measures for improving governance, social investment and services commissioning by public bodies have been put forward in a report by the House of Lords Select Committee on Charities.
Looking to measure the impact of their work in hospitals, Air Arts found that pre-existing evaluation methods didn’t work. Laura Waters describes their bespoke approach.
From arts on prescription to recovery colleges, there are a range of ways for arts organisations to engage with public service commissioning. Jessica Harris explains exactly how each model works.
The benefits of commissioners working with the arts sector have been highlighted by pilot schemes in Kent and Gloucestershire. Jessica Harris shares the details.
Pilot projects in Kent and Gloucestershire have revealed procurement approaches are leaving arts and cultural organisations at a disadvantage, according to NEF.
The arts and health may have been officially coupled with the launch of a new evaluation framework, but will they ever be comfortable bedfellows? Frances Williams has her doubts.
How can arts organisations present their offer more effectively to public service commissioners? Five pilot consortia have been working to do just that and Jessica Harris reports on what they’ve learned.
