Presentation by Sandra Kirkwood at the National Allied Health Conference, 18-20 July, 2007, Tasmania, Australia. "Creative Communities: What Does it Mean?"

1. Creative Communities What Does it Mean? Sandra Kirkwood Allied Health Consultant

2. Innovative method of service provision The Creative Communities Team (Ipswich, Queensland) took up the challenge of investigating what it means to provide services within a ‘Creative Community’ context. This has seen a shift in paradigms from providing hands-on health and rehabilitation services in people’s homes to facilitating community development at Leichhardt and Purga Community Centres.

3. Creative Communities: Federal Government The Creative Communities philosophy arose from the recommendations of an Australia-wide scoping study of community arts programs (Australia Council for the Arts, 2006). This report validated the use of community arts as a means of improving health and well-being and community harmony, as well as achieving goals in education and artistic production.

4. Creative Communities: State Government State government included a plan for Creative Communities in the Queensland Arts Industry Sector Development Plan (Queensland Government, 2007).

8. Recommendations for research & development New models of care service governance are being developed that will incorporate Allied Health involvement in Creative Community development initiatives.