The enabling community for child and family health

Abstract

An ecological view of health contends that health is created within the psychological, social, cultural, educational, physical and economic conditions that surround people’s lives. Communities provide the template for many of these conditions, and are therefore integral to the development of health and wellbeing. ‘Enabling’ communities are those that optimise, rather than constrain opportunities for good health, and in this respect, the enabling community captures the essence of the relationship between health and place. An enabling community for child and family health is where families are central to community life, and where information, services and resources converge on the common goal of helping children reach their developmental potential. Although family cultural factors and behaviours are major determinants of children’s health and development, an enabling community adds the backdrop for the health promoting networks and associations that shape social connectedness. Enabling communities can nurture connectedness through features of the physical landscape, places and opportunities for community interactions, attitudes of inclusiveness and tolerance, and policies and support services that are geared towards empowerment and capacity development.