Health & Wellbeing Plan Overview

What is a Municipal Public Health Plan?

The purpose of the Municipal Public Health Plan is to provide strategic direction to Council by identifying the priority issues and needs for health and wellbeing of the Ballarat community. It also outlines Council's plan of action for the next three years in response to these needs and actions.

Each local government authority is required to prepare a Municipal Public Health Plan outlining a plan for action to enable people living in the municipal district to achieve maximum wellbeing. The plan is required according to the Health (General Amendment) Act 1988 and is required to be reviewed at three-yearly intervals.

Acting at a local level, Council directly influences factors such as urban planning, management of natural resources, employment, social connectedness, transport, community participation and access. Research has shown that all of these are key contributors to the good health of the population (see World Health Organisation - The Solid Facts, and VicHealth - Leading the Way).

How was the Plan developed?

The development of the City of Ballarat's draft Health & Wellbeing Plan has used an evidence based framework underpinned by a sound understanding of the social and environmental determinants of health. Five domains of wellbeing were explored and these included the social, environment, economic, cultural and democratic domains (Community Indicators Victoria).

The process for developing the Plan included the identification of community aspirations and needs through recent community consultations such as the Blueprint Ballarat  visioning process and the Child & Family Friendly Community Consultation - as well as analysis drawn from a broad range of interviews, meetings and workshops with key stakeholders and community groups. The data and evidence was reviewed under five domains of wellbeing and presented in a series of Fact Sheets. Community groups, key stakeholders, partner organisations and Council staff provided input into sourcing the evidence presented and setting priorities as part of the planning and consultation process.

The six Fact sheets developed include:

1. What Makes Us Healthy? (PDF - 351KB) provides an explanation of the social determinants of health which is underpinned by a substantial body of evidence, for example, income, housing, social support, a safe environment, transport, and access to infrastructure and services.
2. Healthy, Safe & Inclusive Communities (PDF - 337KB) provides an overview of how social participation, safety, life long learning, access to health services, and early childhood development influence our wellbeing as well as a snapshot across issues of obesity, alcohol, smoking, mortality and life expectancy in Victoria and Ballarat.
3. Sustainable Built & Natural Environments (PDF - 370KB) looks at how we use our built and natural spaces, what encourages 'active living' in our community, and how current transport use and access can potentially impact on our air and water quality, climate change and health.
4. Dynamic Resilient Local Economies (PDF - 486KB) looks at the links between health and economic circumstances - and how disadvantage, unemployment, low income and poor housing affects individual, family and community wellbeing. It also demonstrates how joint Council, government and community initiatives can work together to address these issues through projects such as Neighbourhood Renewal.
5. Culturally Rich & Vibrant Communities (PDF - 446KB) looks at how cultural diversity and participation in arts, sports and recreational activities all have evidence based benefits for our health. The provision of these community environments and opportunities also increases a city's liveability, its sense of self and economic growth.
6. Democratic & Engaged Communities (PDF - 395KB) highlights the benefits of being actively involved in governance processes particularly where the community feel empowered to say what influences their health and wellbeing and this informs decision making. It illustrates opportunities for civic engagement in Ballarat such as Blueprint Ballarat and Youth Council.

What does the plan do?

The Plan identifies 17 priority areas across the social, environmental, economic, cultural and democratic domains of wellbeing. The action plan summarises 61 actions for the 17 priority issues that will be progressed by Council's business units over the next three years to help create environments for communities to prosper and enjoy improved health & wellbeing. Download the Health and Wellbeing Plan 2007-2009 Volume 1 - The Plan (PDF - 3188KB) andVolume 2 - The Evidence (PDF - 4244KB). For a quick overview of the plan download Health Plan Brochure (PDF - 1320KB).

The  Plan provides the Ballarat community with an exciting opportunity to improve community health & wellbeing with enhanced integration of Council's leadership and service provision roles. It also recognises that the work Council undertakes across all of its business units is ultimately targeted at enhancing wellbeing and prosperity. The Plan also emphasises the very real difference community participation and partnerships make by working collaboratively to develop solutions and opportunities for healthy communities.

The Plan also promotes the use of community wellbeing indicators for informed, engaged and integrated community planning and policy making. The City of Ballarat has been working collaboratively with Community Indicators Victoria (CIV) to provide these indicators for Ballarat. A wellbeing report for Ballarat outlining 17 indicators can be viewed at the Community Indicators Victoria website which are based on the 2007 Community Indicators Victoria Survey across all local government areas including Ballarat.

Where to from here?

The Plan was adopted by Council in October 2007 and officially launched by Councillor David Vendy. The Plan is now in the implementation phase; Council welcomes community and stakeholder input into the continued implementation and evolution of the Plan.

Contact Details

If you wish to discuss the Health and Wellbeing Plan please contact Sally Bodenham by phone 03 5320 5704 or email sallybodenham@ballarat.vic.gov.au.