“ Today’s issues (around place) are less about toxic or infectious threats but rather the capacity of ugly, scarred, threatening environments to foster hopelessness and stress, discourage active healthy behaviours.”
Sir Harry Burns,
Chief Medical Officer
for Scotland
CONTENTS
Background to Good Places Better Health
Role of the facilitator
Pre workshop
- who do I invite?
- template invite to join a group
- photographs
1st Workshop
- template welcome e-mail
- suggested session timing
- facilitator briefing
Between workshops
- actionsfor the facilitator
2nd Workshop
- welcome e-mail
- format for the day
BACKGROUND
Good Places, Better Health supports five of the National Outcomes identified by Scottish Government
- Our children have the best start in life and are ready to succeed
- We live longer, healthier lives
- We have tackled the significant inequalities in Scottish society
- We live in well-designed, sustainable places where we are able to access the amenities and services we need
- We value and enjoy our built and natural environment and protect and enhance it for future generations
Good Places, Better Health: A New approach to the Environment and Health in Scotland: Implementation Plan
Further information on Good Places Better Health can be found here
Place and Health
The World Health Organisation describes social determinates as the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and ageand these can impact on people’s health and wellbeing and differs across communities and areas.
Inequalities
The contribution of the physical surroundings or place to the health of those living in our most deprived areas of society is significant. Implicitly this contributes to a cocktail of disadvantage inconsistent with health and wellbeing for adults and children
Who is this Manual for?
This manual is to support local ‘champions’ who have an interest in their environment and want to run workshops within their communities.
What is the aim of this manual?
To be a reference document which enables local facilitators to be confident to deliver the Good Places Better Health message and that participants leave the workshops with a clear picture of how they can contribute.
The facilitator’s role
It is recommended that there should a minimum of two facilitators per workshop and, if possible, at least one facilitator per group.
Role of the facilitator
The facilitator is essential to the success of the Good Places Better Health workshop and should
Produce grids with photographs on them with a short description (what it is, location and negative and positive influences on health) of what the photograph shows
Welcome the participants
Make sure everyone is clear what the workshops are about and the boundaries of what can be achieved
Encourage people to discuss why they have come to the workshops and record these on a flip chart
Setting ground rules for the workshops (see page 19)
Clarifying the format of the day including participant input
Laying out templates (appendix 1)
Lead on the discussion on the actions to address some of the issues
Making sure discussions are recorded on template
Conclude workshop and describe next steps
Thanking people for their participation
Facilitator Skills further resources
- NHS Health Scotland Trainer Development programme
This page has information to support trainers and facilitators in developing their knowledge and skills.
- NHS Institute for innovation and Improvement.
The Facilitator’s toolkit
Tools, techniques and tips for effective facilitation.
This is an external website to NHS Health Scotland and as such NHS Health Scotland has no control or ownership of the content
PRE-WORKSHOP
The workshop participants should be local people who:
can provide valuable experience and knowledge of the local area and environmental issues
have an interest in the topic area
are happy to share their views
can commit to attending both workshops
Template to invite participation in workshops
Sections in red can be adapted to specific circumstances
Background
Good Places Better Health (GPBH) is the Scottish Government’s Strategy on health and the environment and the focus is very much about the influence of place on people’s health. For further information on Good Places Better Health go to
You have been invited to these workshops to provide your valuable experience and knowledge of the local area and environmental issues.
The workshops
There will be two half day workshops and your commitment to both workshops is essential to help get the best possible solution for your local projects.
Why are we looking at this issue now? These workshops are to consider (insert topic here e.g. review of obesity strategy)
You will be asked to take photograph(s) of various areas within your locality and which have an influence on (topic) and send them to me. (Facilitator contact details) When sending in the photograph(s) please consider what the photograph is showing and whether it is having a positive or negative influence on health as this will help the discussions at the workshop. Please note this in the e-mail when sending in the photographs.
Workshop 1 – DATE, TIME, VENUE,
Aim: To review local sites and agree issues to take forward.
This workshop will focus on the photographs and discussion on (topic)
Workshop 2 – DATE, TIME, VENUE
Aim:To consider and discuss how the issues raised and discussed at the last workshop could be resolved in a local context.
This workshop will discuss actions/interventions to address the environmental issues discussed at the first workshop
Please note that we would need the photographs by (date – suggest one week before event)
We welcome your involvement in this project and would be grateful if you could let us know by (date) if you are available to attend the workshops.
1ST WORKSHOP
-photographs
-access to camera
-welcome e-mail
-workshop set-up
-suggested session plan
-group agreement
Photographs
You will be asking participants to take some photographs of the local area, which they feel promotes health (positive influence on health) and/or is detrimental to health (negative influence on health).
Please note only the key photographs, i.e. what the participants feel are the main influences on health, should be discussed at the workshop, with a maximum of three photographs per individual.
The facilitator should also explain to the participants that because time only allows for some of the photographs to be discussed and because of a prioritisation exercise at the workshop not all the photographs may be used at the workshop. Duplicate photographs will be removed.
Access to a camera
If an individual does not have access to a digital camera or a phone with a camera on it then the facilitator has to consider alternative ways of that person taking the photographs and sending them in electronically.
Some possible options are for the facilitator to
- investigate if some existing photographs of the local area already exist, which can be accessed and used
- accompany the individual to take the photograph(s)
- “buddy” them up with someone who has access to a digital camera and is also attending the workshop - they can submit combined photographs
- makes use of community resources such as a camera and either accompany them or ask someone who has responsibility for the camera to accompany the individual
- provide disposable cameras, (if the budget allows), with pre-paid processing
Once the photographs have been submitted then the facilitator will print them out and place on a grid with details on where and what it is and whether it has negative or positive influence on health.
Template welcome e-mail
We are pleased to confirm your place and look forward to meeting you soon.
Please send us your photographs of locations you would like us to discuss by (date - about one week before workshop) giving brief information on where it is and why you chose it. We want to get as wide a range of photographs as possible but, in the unlikely event we get too many photographs, it may not be possible to discuss them all in the time available.
Practical Stuff
Please find attached
Pre-reading– If there is any
Participant list– To help those attending make travel arrangements
Programme outline
Venue details & directions
Date:
Time:
Venue:
Venue Link: Hyperlink to venue or Google map
What to bring…
Your brain, your energy and your experience. If you're a note-taker or a mind-mapper - bring your own notepad etc. to capture ideas with. Everything else will be provided.
What to wear….
Whatever you feel most comfortable wearing! We imagine most people will choose comfortable casual wear.
Special requirements…
Please call and let us know before the day if you have any special requirements. We'll do all we can to help meet your needs.
Workshop set up
The workshop should ideally be held at a local venue with easy access for participants of the workshop.
The room for the workshop should be set up in cabaret style.
There should be at least 10 (with a maximum of 25) participants working in small groups (with 1 facilitator per group if possible).
The duration of the workshop should be a half day.
Session plan
Outcome for the 3 hour session:
Those attending will have considered their local area and identified a project to consider in greater depth.
Resources required: Grid with photographs on them and description of location and the issues each photograph raises, flipchart, sticky dots, post it notes
Time / What / Resources0 / 180 / Room set up.
Lay out the grids on the tables with a mixture of negative and positive photographs on each table. / Grid with community pictures
Flipchart
10 mins
10 / 180 / Housekeeping - Fire alarm / toilets / breaks
Round table introductions
(if necessary)
Specific workshop information / Advise group on assembly point and location of toilets.
background to project
5 mins
15 / 180 / Group agreement
(optional) / Flipchart note made of suggestions made by group or pre-made for group to agree. (Example – below)
30 mins
45 /180 / Introduction to the photographs showing the grid with the photographs on it.
Brief discussion about photographs
Person who submitted photo gives brief background (2 minutes per person) and refers to grid with photographs on it.
- The background should contain the location and the issues each photograph raises.
Flipchart
post it notes
15 mins
60 / 180 / Break –
during which participants are given sticky dots to attach to photographs they consider the most relevant. / Sticky dots (consider limiting to 4 per person for large groups). Make sure that all photos are considered and once complete count ‘votes’.
90mins
150 / 180 / Each group / table agrees on a photograph to discuss, what will have the biggest impact?
(Group discussion session) / Discussion template -1 per photograph. (Appendix 1)
15 mins
175 / 180 / Discussion on the process with feedback from the floor including the biggest thing that they had learned/agreed during the process
What is going to happen now? / Remind participants that they will receive a copy of the completed templates for comment before the next workshop.
(Appendix 1)
15 mins
180 / 180 / Any final questions? / Reminder of date / venue for second workshop and what will be covered
Thank for contribution
Group agreement
Prepare a flipchart with a sample list of challenges and opportunities such as those shown below and ask if the participants are happy to sign up to these behaviours and are there any to add?
Not all will be appropriate but can be used as a starting point.
Between
Workshops
It is suggested that there is a 4 – 6 week gap between the first and second workshops during which the facilitator should:
- Complete the template(s) from first workshop
- Send out completed template(s) to participants for comment
- Ask for comments to be returned by a fixed date
- Ensure there is enough time to review comments prior to second workshop
- Send out collated comments with reminder e-mail (draft below)
2nd Workshop
-welcome e-mail
-workshop outline
Draft e-mail
We look forward to welcoming you to the second Good Places Better Health workshop for this project.
Objectives of the workshop
- Improved understanding of how to address some of the environmental issues in the local area
- Awareness of local partners, which would hopefully lead to further partnership working
- Identify actions and people to take forward these actions
- Agreed priorities and partnerships
Insert
Brief information update on what has happened between workshops
Venue details & directions
Date:
Time:
Venue:
Venue Link: Hyperlink to venue or Google map
We look forward to meeting you again and if you have any questions please do
not hesitate to phone / email us.
Session plan
Learning objectives
It is envisaged that this workshop will encourage cross-sectoral discussion of the environmental issues and a broader approach to identifying suitable interventions. In other words a number of people will use the workshop to consider and discuss how the issues raised and discussed at the last workshop could be resolved in a local context. The first workshop and the issues that were discussed will have been recorded in the completed templates, an example of which is attached as Appendix 2.
Time / What / Facilitator Input0 / 180 / Room set up
10 mins
10 / 180 / Housekeeping - Fire alarm / toilets / breaks
Round table introductions
(if necessary)
Revisit group agreement
(optional)
30 mins
45 /180 / The completed and updated templates will have been placed on a table. / The facilitator summarises what happened at the previous workshop and some of the issues that were raised.
Reminds participants that the templates now have comments received after first workshop
15 mins
60 / 180 / Break
Over the break workshop participants are asked to decide which template they want to discuss by putting coloured dots at the template(s) i.e. prioritising the templates for discussion. The template(s) with the most coloured dots is/are chosen for discussion. / During break process of attaching dots and ‘votes’ counted.
70 mins
130 / 180 / Each group agrees on a photograph
In the groups they are asked to consider how the issues could be addressed at a local level, i.e. what actions could be taken, and what would be the priority for these actions. The groups are asked to work through each of the prioritised template(s). / Group discussion session
35 mins
165 / 180 / Concluding workshop
At the end of the workshop there will be time for summing up of the workshop including thanking people for coming along and the next steps.
Next Steps
Report
As soon as possible after the second workshop a full report on both workshops including a summary of the discussions will be produced. This will be sent to all participants for agreement or further amendments.
APPENDICES
Appendix 1
What made the place like it is (e.g. policies, plans, commercial decisions, supply demand etc) / The place / How do you think that this place is influencing healthPhotograph goes here
Where is this a picture of?
What are the issues about this place of importance to health? / What is it about residents or visitors which will influence whether they are exposed to this place and whether this results in the health effect described above
1 | Page
Appendix 2
Good Places, Better Health: Facilitator Group______Date:
What made the place like it is (eg policies, plans, commercial decisions, supply demand etc) / The place / How do you think that this place is influencing healthHistorical
Historical housing policy – purpose built for ICI – now employ’s 1/3 of those once did - changing demographics
Creates a different culture – Glasgow overflow & urban problems & issues
Culture clash manifests in physical place geography
Employment further away – dormitory town issues – no investment vs those who do live there & family connections – transmission through generations
Barriers to improvement, local authority
LA decision about maintenance – unwillingness to mend someone else’s problem – mentality
Local resident complaints about kids noise there/people using paths
Barriers to improvement: local community
Takes massive amount of energy to make a change – effort and individual passion – long term
Community knowledge of how to change system
Community lethargy/complacency/apathy/time ability/confidence
Class resource centre got bid for community centre – but community didn’t think anything could be done.
Belief that all resource goes to different area
School community – same ownership
Wider community – no interest or belief that can affect it.
‘Waste of time to do anything there’
Barriers to use of area
Residents drive to park
Same territorialism ‘top end’ and ‘bottle end’ even in schools
Drug/alcohol related social issues – mistrust in area
Area not popular – population sick areas / / Positive impact on physical activity
Greenspace & paths – used as a safe walking route to school
Woodland workouts for kids for local park
Negative impacts on physical activity
Unsafe at night
Perception that area not safe
Doesn’t encourage play using swings etc or use by young families & social interaction of parents/carers
Not attractive
Where is this a picture of?
What are the issues about this place of importance to health? / What is it about residents or visitors which will influence whether they are exposed to this place and whether this results in the health effect described above
Play Park
Positive attributes
Grass mown – not too much litter
Park next to the primary school
Negative attributes
Rubbish play park; old/not maintained equipment; poor swing park
Play equipment has been mis-used/vandalised
Used by adolescents to drink, threatening behaviour
No sense of purpose to the area, bland unfocused kind of area.
Dog mess, broken bottles, derelict land
Not lit at night – unsafe to walk in the evening
Taken goal post away / Young families less likely to use
Youths more likely to use after dark
No go area particularly in dark evenings and mornings for younger and older age groups
Actual park is accessible for wheelchairs and prams
School kids use – close to school – outdoor classes
Access to private transport/alternatives e.g. beach, skate park, country park
Behaviour – willingness to go out to play or allow kids out to play
Facilitator question 5
For further information about delivering these workshops with NHS Health Scotland support please contact -