Asset-based places
Engaging communities to support integrated health and social care: using asset-based places
What are asset-based approaches?
Cultivating partnerships with local voluntary services, housing associations and other community organisations creates capacity for self-care and social prescribing. This connects people to a wealth of community resources – or assets.
Asset-based approaches to community development foster, and tap into, local people’s resources and capabilities to enhance their health and wellbeing, and promote their resilience and independence.
The range of assets they seek to mobilise encompass community relationships and social networks; and community and neighbourhood services, activities and facilities. These include libraries, parks and leisure centres, as well as the programmes and activities that the voluntary sector offers.
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Video transcript Open
Actively cultivating partnerships with local voluntary services, housing associations and other community organisations is a key aspect of integrated care, connecting people to a wealth of community resources – or what are called assets.
Asset-based approaches are a means to enhance people’s health and wellbeing, and promote their resilience and independence.
The range of assets encompasses community relationships and social networks; and community and neighbourhood services, activities and facilities.
Asset-based approaches have been shown to support people’s resilience and independence, personalised care and support; prevention and self care.
There are many useful examples and a growing body of evidence of the impact and success of asset-based approaches.
Examples include Community circles, Peer support and Social prescribing - the means by which primary care professionals, such as GP’s, refer people to a range of local, non-clinical services.
The evidence suggests that effective deployment of asset-based approaches depends on some key building blocks.
- reframing the narrative about people and communities - shifting the emphasis from deficits and needs to strengths and assets
- creating an ethos of co-production, focusing on wellbeing
- effective joint commissioning, partnership working and community engagement
- local service directories to support personalised care planning and self care
- and mechanisms for connecting people to each other and to wider community assets.
There is promising evidence that through social prescribing and an asset-based approach to integrated care, people’s wellbeing and experiences can be improved, reducing loneliness and supporting self-care.
Explore asset-based places
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Guidance Open
- Strengths-based approach:Practice Framework and Practice Handbook (DHSC 2019)
- Social prescribing and community-based support (NHSE 2019)
- Health matters: community-centred approaches for health and wellbeing (Public Health England 2018)
- The four essential elements of an asset-based community development process (ABCD Institute 2018)
- Commissioning community development for health: a concise handbook (Commission for Collaborative Care 2018)
- Promoting Asset Based Approaches for Health and Wellbeing (Leeds Beckett Univeristy 2017)
- Asset-based places: a model for development (SCIE 2017)
- The asset-based area: briefing document (TLAP 2017)
- The community mapping toolkit: a guide to community asset mapping for community groups and local organisations (Preston City Council 2016)
- Asset-based commissioning (Bournemouth University 2017)
- Developing asset based approaches to primary care: best practice guide (Innovation Unit 2016)
- Six principles for engaging people and communities: putting them into practice (People and Communities Board 2016)
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Practice examples Open
- Leeds: social prescribing (NHSE Integrating Better 2019)
- Arts on prescription for community‐dwelling older people with a range of health and wellness need (Health and Social Care in the Community 2019)
- Health creating practices: shining a spotlight on housing initiatives (National Federation of ALMOs 2018)
- Strengths-based social work practice with adults: roundtable report (DHSC 2017)
- Social prescribing service examples (SCIE)
- Six innovations in social care (Community Catalysts 2017)
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Measuring success Open
- Commissioning community development for health: a concise handbook (Commission for Collaborative Care 2018)
- Promoting Asset Based Approaches for Health and Wellbeing (Leeds Beckett Univeristy 2017)
- Six principles for engaging people and communities: definitions, evaluation and measurement (People and Communities Board 2016)
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Research Open
- What works in social prescribing? (Cordis Bright 2019)
- Understanding the effectiveness and mechanisms of a social prescribing service: a mixed method analysis (BMC Health Services Research 2018)
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Latest evidence Open
These are the latest resources from Social Care Online, the UK’s largest database of care knowledge and research.
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Meeting as equals: creating asset-based charities which have real impact
- Royal Society of Arts, 2021 -
Social impact bonds 2.0? Findings from a study of four UK SIBs
- Manchester Metropolitan University, 2020 -
Community building guide
- Barnwood Trust, 2020 -
A glass half-full: 10 years on review
- Local Government Association, 2020 -
Evaluating social prescribing
- IRISS, 2020 -
Asset-based community development for local authorities: how to rebuild relationships with communities through asset-based approaches
- NESTA, 2020 -
The “flip”- sustaining complexity and multiplicity post‐quarantine
- Wiley, 2020 -
Video: Concept of a strengths-based approach under the Care Act 2014
- Social Care Institute for Excellence, 2015 -
Webinar recording: Innovation network (June 2020)
- Social Care Institute for Excellence, 2020 -
Commissioning for a better future: a starter for ten. Social Care Innovation Network, Phase II
- Social Care Institute for Excellence, 2020
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Meeting as equals: creating asset-based charities which have real impact
Why do asset-based approaches matter for integrated care?
Statutory, voluntary and community services are working together in well-integrated health and care systems.
Mobilising community assets builds local capacity to provide a wider range of support services for people receiving integrated care.
Asset-based approaches to community development have been shown to support people’s resilience and independence; personalised care and support; prevention and self-care.
There are many useful examples and a growing body of evidence of their impact, such as:
- local area coordination (LAC)
- Shared Lives schemes
- community circles
- community enterprise development
- asset-based community development (ABCD)
- time banks
- peer support
- community navigators and community links
- social prescribing.
What do asset-based approaches need to succeed?
The evidence suggests that effective deployment of asset-based approaches depends on some key building blocks:
- reframing the narrative about people and communities – shifting the emphasis from deficits and needs to strengths and assets
- creating an ethos of co-production and focusing on wellbeing
- effective joint commissioning, partnership working and community engagement
- local service directories to support personalised care planning
- mechanisms for connecting people to each other and to wider community assets, through social prescribing, peer mentors, link workers and care navigators.
What is the evidence for outcomes and impact?
Using community assets to support integrated care is relatively new. The evidence is still emerging and varies depending on the characteristics of each specific scheme.
There is promising evidence that social prescribing improves people’s wellbeing and experience, reduces loneliness and supports self-care. Some programme evaluations also suggest that community connectors and social prescribing may have a significant impact on health service utilisation, resulting for instance in reduced GP consultations and A&E attendance.
Similarly, the experience of Shared Lives schemes demonstrate that by facilitating intergenerational relationships and supporting companionships, these programmes can reduce loneliness, increase choice and independence, and improve the overall wellbeing of both service users and carers.