Head, hands and heart: asset-based approaches in health …

1 Head, hands and heart : asset - based approaches in health careA review of the conceptual evidence and case studies of asset - based approaches in health , care and wellbeingSimon Rippon and Trevor HopkinsResearchApril 2015 AuthorsSimon Rippon, Aligned Consultancy Ltd Hopkins, Freelance Consultant, asset based Consulting research was commissioned and funded by the health Foundation to help identify where and how improvements in health care quality can be made. This research was managed by:Matthew Tait, Research Manager 020 7257 8000 Head, hands and heart : asset - based approaches in health care is published by the health Foundation, 90 Long Acre, London WC2E 9 RAISBN: 978-1-906461-60-7 2015 The health Foundation1 HEAD, hands and heart .

2 ASSETThBASED approaches IN health CAREA cknowledgements 2 Executive summary 3 Introduction 6 Introduction 7 Part 1: Theory and evidence base 9 Chapter 1: National context 10 Chapter 2: Key concepts and their interrelationship 12 Chapter 3: Research into the impact of health programmes and interventions on health assets 18 Chapter 4: Criticism of asset - based approaches and responses to criticism 19 Chapter 5: How does asset - based change occur?

3 A theory of change 21 Chapter 6: Towards a theory of change: Learning from the case studies 23 Chapter 7: Recommendations 28 Part 2: asset - based approaches in action 29 Chapter 8: Case studies: Introduction 30 Chapter 9: NHS Fife: Reshaping care for older people 32 Chapter 10: The East Dunbartonshire Community health Partnership with IRISS Kirkintilloch 34 Chapter 11: Forever Manchester 36 Chapter 12: The Kimberworth Park Community Partnership Rotherham 38 Chapter 13: Wirral health and Wellbeing Board 41 Chapter 14: Wrexham Prospects for young people 43 Chapter 15: Lessons and evidence from the case studies 45 Chapter 16: Conclusion 47 Appendix and references 48 Appendix.

4 Research methods 49 References 51 Contents2 THE health FOUNDATIONThe authors would like express particular thanks to Jane Foot for the insights and critique offered throughout the key stages of this project and on its overall approach and methodology. In shaping the literature review, Jane provided a sound balance and challenge on the position of asset - based working in both health and the wider community development system.

5 She also offered perspectives on current health and social policy that is shaping adoption of the models of asset - based approaches . Jane was integral to the development of the theory of change model presented in the thanks are offered to all the participants from the case study sites that provided invaluable material for us to consider. In particular, thanks to Gary Loftus and colleagues at Forever Manchester for enabling access to neighbourhood residents and co-workers who offered frank and personal accounts of the impact of asset - based approaches .

6 We also thank participants in the telephone interviews and the sense-making events all these people gave time and perspective freely and shaped the data phases of the work and our Jane South of Leeds Beckett University provided sound guidance in the methodology and offered useful reflections on our emerging ideas and findings. Jane also introduced the theory of change into our Beckett University staff: Visiting Professor Mark Gamsu for advising and facilitation of the sense-making events; Dr Gianfranco Giuntoli and Ms Anke Roexe for their work on the literature search which was acknowledgement is made to Dr Mike Grady of the health Equity Team, UCL for his commentary on health project advisory group provided steer and critical appraisal in the early phases of the work that proved useful in our direction Winney conducted the telephone interviews and summary analysis and Jayne Hopkins offered valuable contributions to key stages on our data , thanks to Matthew Tait at the health Foundation for his HEAD.

7 hands and heart : ASSETThBASED approaches IN health CAREI ntroductionThis report sets out some of the territory, opportunities and challenges in adopting asset - based approaches for improving health and wellbeing. The title, Head, hands and heart refers to a well-known asset -mapping technique, in which participants are asked to respond to three questions: What knowledge do you have? ( head ); What skills do you have? ( hands ); What are you passionate about? ( heart ). The report introduces the theory and practice of asset - based approaches , explores some of the key principles for developing health assets and the evidence and mechanisms of impact on health outcomes of asset - based projects in the UK.

8 It also identifies areas for further report is the result of research drawing on the mixed participatory and qualitative approaches that are widely used in social science research and theory testing. The research had four main data sources: a review of the literature, telephone interviews, case studies and sense-making events. The report is divided into two parts: part one summarises the theory and evidence behind asset - based approaches and part two gives details of six case studies, describing these approaches in conceptual and practical foundations of asset - based working are not necessarily easily understood by those new to this field.

9 Even among practitioners whose work reflects or is guided by many aspects of asset - based practice, it is often more an intuitive sense of what is right that drives their work than a detailed grounding in the theoretical foundations of this hope that this report will help tie many of these threads together. Our aim is to engage a readership that is looking to introduce asset - based working into mainstream health and care sectors. We hope to challenge current practitioners in community development to look at the dimensions and benefits of developing assets for improving community health and wellbeing.

10 What is asset - based practice? asset - based practitioners have a different perspective to most other health and care professionals. Fundamentally, they ask the question what makes us healthy? rather than what makes us ill? The aim of asset - based practice is to promote and strengthen the factors that support good health and wellbeing, protect against poor health and foster communities and networks that sustain health . Practitioners vision is to improve people s life chances by focusing on what improves their health and wellbeing and reduces preventable health is a wide range of practice that can be described as asset based .