A qualitative investigation of stakeholders’ perceptions of social prescribing for families with infants through the lens of a creative play on prescription programme for 0-2-year-olds and their carers

Background Classically social prescription interventions focus on loneliness in adulthood, however another transitional stage of the lifespan associated with loneliness is new parenthood. A first-of-its-kind, socially prescribed, creative play programme is being trialed for families with 0-2-year-olds in a deprived ward in the North of England. Yet little is known about the perspectives of key stakeholders on this type of social prescription. This study examined the experience, attitudes and perspectives stakeholders hold around social prescription for families with infants. Study design Individual in depth interview study. Method This study recruited 12 different stakeholders with practice or policy roles relating to family health and wellbeing, from general practitioners to members of parliament, with different power dynamics and roles to take part in a seven-question semi-structured interview. The interview addressed relationships between stakeholders, how they feel families might value or stigmatize socially prescribed creative play interventions and their thoughts and experiences with social prescription. The interview transcripts were analysed using an inductive descriptive thematic analysis. Results Three main themes were identified 1) Normalizing a New Offer: Getting it Right the First Time, 2) Barriers to Socially Prescribed Family Intervention and 3) Social Prescription for Complicated Families with Varying Needs. Conclusions Findings suggest social prescription for families with infants would be welcome, and may relieve strain on our health systems. However, questions remain around how best to deliver such interventions, demonstrating the importance of evaluation to provide evidence to inform wider commissioning and promote sustainability and scaling.