Can arts and cultural organisations help commissioners to get better outcomes for poeple?

[Lucie Stephens]

The Cultural Commissioning Programme (CCP) is a new three year programme funded by the Arts Council to work with the arts and cultural sector and public service commissioners. It will be delivered in partnership by NCVO, nef and NPC. Practice in commissioning arts and cultural organisations to deliver public service outcomes is relatively new but evidence suggests that commissioning in this way can improve the effectiveness of services and generate great outcomes for the people involved. For example:

- Evaluation of a 12 week singing programme for older people in East Kent found that compared to a control group, participants showed significant increases in physical health and well-being and reductions in anxiety and depression. These were sustained for at least 3 months after the intervention ended. People involved felt it had boosted their confidence, increased their social networks and lifted their spirits.

- Lewisham Council’s Social Care team has developed an alternative model for day care services with Entelechy Arts and the Albany Theatre. ‘Meet me at the Albany’ is a weekly session providing arts activities, food and friendship. It’s aimed at creating a place where people can come together and be active, reducing local peoples isolation and improving their mental health and well-being in a cost effective way. 

Over the course of the Cultural Commissioning Programme, we will be providing bespoke support to commissioners to increase commissioning from arts and cultural organisations, research, conferences and events to highlight current developments and showcase work, online resources including case studies and an evidence of impact library.

Please visit the CCP website to read about more examples in my recent blog and sign up for regular e-bulletins to keep up to date with the programme.

Please get in touch with any great examples you know of and to share your experiences. 

Happy 2014.

Lucie