Reflecting on the Social Prescribing Movement

Reflecting on the Social Prescribing Movement in Australia by Dr Bibiana Chan

My recent presentation at the International Social Prescribing Conference in Brisbane was very well received. I was especially honoured by the words of Prof Sue Woolfenden, Director of Community Paediatrics at Sydney Local Health District:

“I am at the ASPIRE EACH 2025 conference and have met Dr Bibiana Chan, who is the founder and CEO of a social prescribing initiative with young people in NSLHD and an academic. She did an excellent presentation on youth co-design and participation to address mental health.”

This gathering of experts from the UK, USA, Singapore, and across Australia—NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, and Victoria—reaffirmed that the work we are doing at the Community Flower Studio (CFS) is very much on the right track.
Throughout the three days, common themes emerged again and again: community-based, peer-led, youth-led, empowerment, self-referral, blurred boundaries, co-design, prevention, and self-care. These are the principles that have guided CFS from the beginning, and hearing them echoed globally was truly encouraging.

I met so many like-minded mental health professionals, service providers, and researchers who are all eager to advocate for social prescribing at every level of government. Yet, despite the passion and innovation behind these grassroots community initiatives, almost every project shared the same challenge—finding sustainable funding.

My own experience securing small community grants here and there is that funders often prioritise numbers and quantitative data, while overlooking the powerful, life-changing stories shared by participants. At the start of the conference, someone asked me, “How do you measure impact?”

CFS is actively looking for a meaningful tool to capture mental health improvements, but I couldn’t help smiling as I replied,
“Check out our Instagram Reels and look at the big smiles on the young people’s faces! They don’t put on a happy face just for the camera.”

It was reassuring to hear similar reflections from researchers. Many used standardised tools—DASS, Kessler-10 etc. at pre- and post-interventions. Yet, they all agreed that the most striking insights came from informal observations. One presenter even asked, “How would you measure awe ?”

After six years of facilitating creative workshops by young people, for young people, I absolutely share that sentiment. Some of the most profound transformations cannot be quantified—but they can certainly be felt and witnessed. I would also like to express my heartfelt thanks to Rabia Khan, CFS’s Social Impact Consultant, for her invaluable work in helping us collect and honour the stories of our young people. These narratives—our “CFS Journey” stories, a term beautifully coined by one of our young members—capture the heart of what we do. Through sharing these authentic, personal experiences, CFS’s Youth Mentoring Program was selected as a finalist for the 2024 Mental Health Matters Community Initiative Award.

A special thank you also goes to Dr Emily Heilscher for her thoughtful suggestions after reviewing my presentation slides. And most importantly, I want to thank all the young people who have trusted me and trusted CFS to walk alongside them. You are the reason—and the inspiration—behind our “ Social Prescribing ” Movement.