What is a Municipal Public Health & Wellbeing Plan?
The purpose of the Municipal Public Health & Wellbeing Plan is to protect, improve and promote the health and wellbeing of people living in Ballarat. The Plan is required under an Act of Parliament (the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008); it is reviewed every four years, in line with council election cycles.
Acting at a local level, Council directly influences factors such as urban design, land use, management of natural resources, employment, social connectedness, transport, community participation and access to services. Research has shown that all of these factors can contribute to the good health of the population (World Health Organisation - The Solid Facts, and VicHealth - Leading the Way).
Council’s responsibilities for health can be classified into the following areas:
- health protection (regulation of tobacco, alcohol and gaming, immunisation, food/road/bushfire safety, minimising pollution/waste);
- public health emergency management (emergency response and recovery, influenza pandemic planning); and
- health improvement/development (providing key community services; providing opportunities for active living through recreational/open space/walking/cycling facilities; providing opportunities for community connection and cultural expression through arts and cultural facilities/events).
What does the plan do?
The Health & Wellbeing Plan provides strategic direction to Council; it identifies priority issues and needs of the Ballarat community and outlines a plan of action for the next four years to improve health and wellbeing.
Volume One of the Plan outlines 48 actions across five domains of health and wellbeing namely:
1. Healthy, safe and inclusive communities
2. Sustainable built and natural environments
3. Dynamic, resilient, local economies
4. Culturally rich and vibrant communities
5. Democratic and engaged communities
Volume Two of the Plan contains the evidence that underpins these actions and provides a snapshot of community wellbeing indicators for Ballarat.
To view the Health and Wellbeing Plan 2009-2013 - Volume 1 click here.
To view the Health and Wellbeing Plan 2009-2013 - Volume 2 click here.
The Plan provides the Ballarat community with an important 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 emphasises the very real difference community participation and partnerships make by working collaboratively to develop solutions and opportunities for healthy communities.
The Plan promotes the use of community wellbeing indicators for informed, engaged and integrated community planning and decision 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. A total of 72 indicators for Ballarat will eventually be freely available at this website.
How was the Plan developed?
The methodology used to develop this Plan included the identification of community aspirations and needs through recent community engagement processes. These included: the Community Summit 2009, Positive Ageing Strategy, Youth Strategy, the Child & Family Friendly City Consultation, the Community Safety Action Plan and Cultural Diversity Strategy. Analysis was also 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 priority setting, sourcing best practice examples and action planning.
The following fact sheets were developed:
Healthy, Safe & Inclusive Communities provides a snapshot of the health status of the Ballarat population. It also identifies key factors in the social domain that contribute to health such as community connectedness, safety, lifelong learning, access to services and early childhood development. The personal health and wellbeing issues of obesity, alcohol, smoking and chronic disease are also discussed.
Sustainable Built & Natural Environments provides an overview of how our health and wellbeing is inextricably linked to the built and natural environment. It looks at how we use our built and natural spaces, what encourages ‘active living’ in our community and the importance of transport to health and the environment. It also examines the possible health effects of climate change on the Ballarat population.
Dynamic, Resilient, Local Economies examines the evidence linking peoples' health to their access to resources and opportunities. It considers 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.
Culturally Rich & Vibrant Communities provides an overview of how we define culture and the way it links to health and wellbeing. It explores how cultural diversity, Indigenous reconciliation and participation in arts and recreation can enrich community life and promote health and wellbeing. It also considers indicators for measuring progress towards culturally rich and vibrant communities in Ballarat.
Democratic & Engaged Communities provides insight into what defines democratic and engaged communities and how this is critical to our health and wellbeing. It outlines best practice citizen engagement and indicators for measuring progress. It also highlights a number of City of Ballarat and community processes currently working towards this goal - specifically the many opportunities for public participation.
What Makes Us Healthy? provides an explanation of the social determinants of health such as, income, housing, education, social support, a safe environment and access to services, transport, and food. This fact sheet was reproduced with permission from the Australian Health Promotion Foundation.
Where to from here?
The Plan was adopted by Council in November 2009 and is now in the implementation phase. Council welcomes community and stakeholder input into the continued implementation, evolution and evaluation of the Plan.
For further information please contact Council's Community Planning and Research Officer Sally Bodenham on 5320 5704 or email sallybodenham@ballarat.vic.gov.au
Links:
Public Health & Wellbeing Act
WHO the Solid Facts:
VicHealth - Leading the Way
Community Indicators Victoria