Understanding the successes and challenges of a social prescribing program for children and youth in Canada: a qualitative evaluation

Background Social prescribing offers a tool to move care upstream to address the non-medical factors that impact health and wellbeing. In 2023, we launched a social prescribing program in a comprehensive, pediatric integrated health and social service hub in an underserved inner city neighborhood in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The program targeted children and youth with poor social health, including social isolation and loneliness. Program participants were paired with a connector, who worked with them to explore their individual needs, strengths, interests, and dreams. Together, they created a social prescription for a child and youth-friendly community activity. The connector then provided a supported referral to aid the program participant in successfully completing their social prescription. The program was piloted at the hub over a period of 10 months, during which time a program evaluation took place. As part of our program evaluation, we sought to explore the successes and challenges from the perspective of key stakeholder groups. Thus, the aim of this evaluation was to understand the successes and challenges of our child and youth social prescribing program from the perspective of program participants, caregivers, and staff members. Methods A qualitative descriptive design was employed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 33 program participants, 30 caregivers, and five staff members. Interview questions centered around interviewees' experiences of the program. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and anonymized. Data were thematically analyzed. Results Successes included participant and caregiver satisfaction, enhancing the social connectedness of participants and families, addressing barriers to engagement, provider satisfaction, and community cohesion. Challenges included finding the right social prescription, addressing barriers to engagement, and managing operational constraints. Conclusion This evaluation investigated the successes and challenges of our child and youth social prescribing program from the perspective of program participants, caregivers, and staff members. The findings of this evaluation add to the growing evidence base on social prescribing in pediatric populations in Canada.