Partnering with local councils to create Wellbeing Hubs
Local councils and the Government of South Australia have worked in partnership since 2020 to operate nine community Wellbeing Hubs to support and improve the physical, social and mental wellbeing of thousands of South Australians.
Wellbeing Hubs are an innovative collaboration that deliver a range of evidence-informed programs tailored to community needs to reduce chronic disease and enhance and support positive health outcomes.
Initiatives such as physical activity sessions, community art projects, wellbeing events, school holiday playground activities and healthy eating education, support community members to build positive habits into their day-to-day lives, with community members sharing their positive experiences:
The exercise program has reduced my anxiety and alcohol consumption which has led to improved mental and physical health.
When I used to go to the shops, I would never see people I knew, now I will see people from walking netball and I will say ‘hi’.
Preventive Health SA has successfully run the Wellbeing Hub pilot using a co-investment model, providing local councils with advice on governance, evaluation and community engagement, as well as seed-funding. The initial seed funding is then followed by implementation funding. During the funded period, we work closely with councils to build a sustainable model to embed the Wellbeing Hub within each local area, so councils are able to continue operating Hub sites beyond the life of the funded project.
The success of the sustainability model is evident through the ongoing partnership agreements with two councils that are no longer co-funded and continue to run their Wellbeing Hubs.
The flexible design and program of events are driven by health and wellbeing data and comprehensive community needs assessments. This allows the Hubs to adjust focus areas as community needs evolve, making it a versatile tool for preventive health action. This also makes the model adaptable for use by other organisations, such as non-government organisations or children’s centres.
In addition, we provide ongoing workforce development and capability building to 40 local council staff through membership of a broader Wellbeing Hubs Network and have also developed a Wellbeing Hub Implementation Guide to support further expansion amongst other organisations and councils.
The Wellbeing Hubs clearly benefit each community, having boosted the immediate wellbeing for more than 20,000 South Australians in 2023/24, through 144 wellbeing initiatives involving over 185 partners.