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For healthy communities in the Western Parkland City

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Social Connectedness Framework

Western Parklands

Social Connectedness – a Framework

Social connection between people is important for physical and mental health and contributes to an improved quality of life. Strong ties with family, friends and the community provide people with security, support, happiness, and a sense of purpose.

Social connectedness is defined as whether an individual believes they have enough relationships and diversity within those relationships. These relationships provide emotional and material support and contribute to a sense of belonging and purpose.

This Western Parklands Social Connectedness Framework aims to increase understanding of social connectedness and recommends points of entry for action that will help reduce social isolation.

The Western Parklands Social Connectedness Framework outlines key considerations to support the assessment and determination of the best interventions required

Purpose

The Western Sydney Health Alliance recognises the critical importance of social connectedness and its impact on the health and wellbeing of communities within the Western Parkland City.

The Western Sydney Health Alliance’s collective and coordinated efforts will encourage and support a better-connected community that is able to navigate and access health services in the Western Parkland City, by supporting planning strategies and tools that address social isolation and the social determinants of health.

 

The Western Parklands Social Connectedness Framework applies to all partners in the Western Sydney Health Alliance who are planning services, structures, activities, and approaches that can improve social connectedness.

The Western Sydney Health Alliance recognise that there are significant community benefits to be gained through a collaborative approach to the coordination of effective planning of initiatives and services in the region to:

  • Support the development of healthy social connections throughout life to prevent disease, disability, injury and premature death and assure a high quality of life.
  • Achieve equitable opportunities to form and maintain healthy individual, family, and community-level social connections.
  • Provide opportunities for safe, healthy and productive social interactions in neighbourhoods and communities
  • Promote strong, healthy social connections across all life stages to support healthy development and healthy behaviours.

The Western Sydney Health Alliance supports the application of this framework as an underpinning guidance tool with planning and prioritising services, structures, activities and approaches, influenced by social connectedness that impact health outcomes for people of the Western Sydney Parkland City.