D1-Digital Infrastructure for Social Prescribing: A Co-Design Partnership Approach
Podium 4
1:30 PM - 1:50 PMWed
Podium 4
Digital Accessibility
Speakers
Michael Hillier
Director
Social Planet
Background Neighbourhood Centres are vital community hubs supporting health and wellbeing through trusted spaces offering diverse programs like art classes, yoga, and community lunches. These activities enhance skills, provide fun, foster friendships, and address health determinants, making centres essential social prescribing partners. While centres demonstrate remarkable community value, they have significant opportunities to expand impact by streamlining program promotion, reducing administrative complexity, enhancing care coordination, and strengthening outcome measurement systems. Social Planet, a community development SaaS platform and social enterprise supporting 160 Victorian Neighbourhood Centres, directly addresses these operational opportunities through targeted technology solutions that unlock centres' full potential to maximize community impact. Presentation Overview This presentation showcases real examples demonstrating how co-designed digital infrastructure amplifies community-centered approaches while strengthening relationship-based foundations. We'll explore platform features enhancing social prescribing delivery: streamlined activity promotion for online and in-person bookings, intuitive member management prioritizing people's aspirations and needs, and person-centered care features enabling meaningful conversations that foster belonging and wellbeing. Drawing from Victorian partnerships, we'll share case studies showing how centres redirect administrative time toward relationship-building, increasing community participation and improving outcomes for vulnerable populations. Co-Design Opportunities We invite discussion about partnership models, encouraging delegates to share operational challenges, cultural considerations, and community needs. Rather than imposing solutions, we seek to understand how our platform could adapt to diverse social prescribing approaches across different organisational contexts.