To develop and implement the methodology of caring neighbourhoods to stimulate innovation around developing solutions and services to address social isolation and promote social inclusion. Project approaches will be based on models of social resilience, making neighbourhoods together and promoting integrated social health care. There is a need for good practices to be shared to be able to experiment in the field of preventive health care, integrated communities and inclusive neighbourhoods.

Loneliness and isolation “social issue of our generation."  (Scottish Government consultation on Reducing loneliness and isolation national strategy Jan 18). Social isolation and loneliness can affect anyone, at all ages and stages of life.  “Sitting is the new smoking” exemplifies the challenge with a clear link between loneliness and poor physical and mental health and that this can impact on everyday life.   

The project will explore social resilience involving different cases tackling loneliness and social exclusion.  It will develop strategies for getting people out-into the neighbourhood, keep people active and healthy as long as possible, engage in society such as: 

• Work inclusion, centres to contribute to work inclusion.   

• Integrated communities and inclusive neighbourhoods, Inclusion of age ethnicity, religions, income, gender. 

•  Health Promotion -men’s health & preventative health care 

• Entreprenurial perspective that the health sector is growing at a fast rate, want to innovate. Entrepreneurs don’t know what is going on 

• Role of technology e inclusion/Virtual Reality/cyber access, Apps games to support this healthy and active communities. 

• Develop urban spaces, Creating attractive outdoor (and indoor) spaces /events, Social Places – social inclusion 

Knowledge partners 

Expertise on wellbeing and work, 

Service providers Local Authorities   

Public health/prevention campaigns 

Health of staff 

Pilot sites, early adopters 

1.  Co-created solutions to address social isolation and promote social inclusion.  

2.  Good practices of preventive health care (both physically and mentally), 

3.  Develop and implement the methodology of caring neighbourhoods  

4.  Stimulate innovation around developing solutions and services 

Across the NSR awareness of loneliness is growing, however loneliness as a social problem has entered the political and social debate only recently. (https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/sites/jrcsh/files/pb2018_fairness_loneliness.pdf).   

Loneliness has long-term social, health and financial impacts. Information and communication technology offers the potential to support strategies to alleviate loneliness and social isolation. Technology can be a means to build in social connectedness however, special attention must be drawn on the inclusion of less experienced technology users and non-users. (https://joinup.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/document/2018-11/Policy-Brief-loneliness%26social%20inclusion.pdf).   

Due to the complexity of issue around inclusion, measures of multidimensional well-being should be considered. Designing effective measures to combat loneliness will require better understanding of the underlying drivers. More effort could be given to assessing the impact of interventions targeting lonely people.  Loneliness and social isolation correlate with feelings of vulnerability, threat and anxiety levels. Loneliness is hence potentially associated with political and social values and therefore loneliness could negatively affect social cohesion. (https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/research/crosscutting-activities/fairness)  

Abertay University, UK Scotland; City of Turnhout, Belgium; University College South Denmark; Municipality of Assen, Netherlands; 

From Public sector, municipality and NGOs in Health and volunteering in Germany, Sweden and UK England