Social Prescribing is a bit of a well-kept Secret that’s not meant to be a Secret: Stakeholders’ Perceptions of Social Prescribing for Families with Young Children

Abstract Social prescription (SP) is a community based non-medical intervention that is widely viewed as a viable public health initiative which will save healthcare workers time and money. Classically these interventions focus on loneliness in the elderly, however another transitional stage of the lifespan associated with loneliness is new parenthood. This study is based on an evaluation of the first SP creative play programme for families with 0-3-year-olds. It was identified that a gap in knowledge exists around stakeholders’ understanding and views for this type of SP. A range of 12 different stakeholders, from general practitioners to members of parliament, with different power dynamics and roles were recruited and took part in a seven-question semi-structured interview. The interview addressed relationships between stakeholders, how they feel families might value or stigmatize SP intervention and their thoughts and experiences with SP. The interview transcripts were analysed using an inductive interpretive thematic analysis. There were three main themes that came from the transcripts; 1) A New Offer: Getting it Right the First Time, 2) Barriers to Socially Prescribed Family Intervention and 3) Social Prescription for Complex Families. Results are discussed in terms of the roll out of SP for families and what this means for stakeholders, quality control for the interventions and helping stakeholders have a better understanding of this age group’s needs.