Local government partnership

Creating healthy local communities is more important than ever, with children and young people being the hardest hit by coronavirus and a rapidly changing world.

Councils have a critical role in developing and activating local change to ensure all children and young people have the opportunity to grow up active, socially connected and healthy.

Through the VicHealth Local Government Partnership, we are supporting Victorian councils to create meaningful change within their communities to support the health and wellbeing of children and young people.

We’re excited to share the next phase of the VicHealth Local Government Partnership – Young people leading healthier communities, enabling all Victorian councils to access our range of new evidence-informed health promotion modules, designed to help councils create the best possible future for children and young people.

Councils are invited to register for the next intake of our partnership to become ‘fast-track’ council partners. Successful councils will gain access to the module implementation support, including:

Implementation funding – to start putting the modules into practice
Access to the communities of practice – a chance to collaborate and share knowledge across Victorian councils
Capability and capacity building training

Partnering councils will be committed to providing meaningful opportunities for children and young people and embedding young people-led solutions into their Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plans 2021-25.

To find out more about the VicHealth Local Government Partnership head to our Local Government Partnership page.

What are the health promotion modules?

The health promotion modules are toolkits – they provide practical guidance, how-to-guides for taking action and links to additional resources, templates, and case studies. This is all to inform the planning and implementation of health policy and practice change for your council.

The modules are designed to provide options for you to choose the recommended activities that best suit your council, community size and starting point – ensuring that you can make an impact within your community.

The modules consolidate the practice knowledge, experiences and research developed over VicHealth’s many years working in close collaboration with local governments and other expert partners.

These modules encourage councils to prioritise the health, wellbeing and safety of children and young people and to prioritise healthy changes through the spaces, services and strategies within councils’ remit.

Impact streams

These modules include impact streams that address priorities in Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plans 2021-25 and enable Victorian local governments to amplify the voices of children and young people through the creation of healthy communities.

Impact streams represent the areas where councils are ideally placed to make changes that will have a sustained impact on the health of their local community.

Councils are not required to complete all impact streams listed within the modules. These modules have been designed to include options that suit councils and communities of varying sizes and capacities – from councils activating a particular impact stream for the first time through to councils ready to take up ambitious systems-level change.

The different modules

There are 3 types of health promotion modules:

Foundation module	Core modules	Stretch modules

Leading the way – engaging young voices for change	Building active communities Creating connected and supportive communities Building better food systems for healthier communities	Strengthening tobacco control at a local level Increasing alcohol harm prevention at a local level Promoting everyday creativity at a local level
Foundation module provide the basic building blocks to develop staff capabilities and skills in systems-based thinking and in children and young people·led engagement and planning. Foundation modules focus on supporting engagement of children and young people's voices in council planning and enabling their continued involvement in the implementation of action.	Core modules provide the best practice policy and implementation guidance for councils in 3 priority areas to improve the health and wellbeing of children and young people.	Stretch modules are suited to councils ready to expand into broader health and wellbeing topics and create holistic and engaging community environments.

Foundation module View more

The Foundation module provides the basic building blocks to help develop staff capabilities and skills in children and young people led engagement and planning.

Leading the Way – Engaging Young Voices for Change

This module enables councils to build capacity and capability in engaging with and empowering children and young people to share their experiences to create a healthier future. The module provides practical ways to engage and co-design with children and young people in council activities.

Impact Stream:

Better solutions shaped by children and young people

Core modules View more

The Core modules provide implementation guidance for councils in 3 priority areas, to improve the health and wellbeing of children and young people.

These modules focus on creating better access to healthy food and drink options, increasing active opportunities and building more connected and supportive communities.

Building Active Communities

This module incorporates a range of activities, processes, and changes that councils can make to increase children and young people’s physical activity in the community. This includes activities on designing neighbourhoods that promote physical activity and running programs that increase participation by children and young people who face greater barriers.

Impact Streams:

Increasing active travel opportunities to and from school
Including walking and bike riding in council strategies
Creating opportunities for all Victorians to be active
Including gender equity in council sport and recreation policy
Empowering and enabling women to get active through local promotion of This Girl Can – Victoria

Creating Connected and Supportive Communities

This module enables councils to deliver benefits to and reduce barriers for several groups and communities who usually face barriers to participation as well as designing programs and policies that promote mental wellbeing.

Impact Streams:

Co-designing with young people for better community wellbeing
Building proud and inclusive communities
Addressing social determinants of mental wellbeing

Building Better Food Systems for Healthier Communities

This module will strengthen the capacity of councils to create local and healthy food systems and give children and young people opportunities to actively engage in the issues and solutions.

Impact Streams:

Creating thriving local food systems
Embedding healthy food and drink options in council owned and operated places
Using healthy rewards and sponsorships in community activities
Enabling healthy partnerships

Stretch modules View more

The Stretch modules are best suited for councils ready to expand into broader health and wellbeing topics and create holistic and engaging community environments.

These modules focus on creating stronger preventative measures and reducing harm in relation to alcohol and tobacco products, while also focusing on promoting creativity and the arts at a local level.

Strengthening Tobacco Control at a Local Level

This module will strengthen the capacity of local councils to increase smokefree environments in their communities and see improvements across a broad range of health outcomes.

Impact Stream:

Adopting tobacco control actions to protect children and young people

Increasing Alcohol Harm Prevention at a Local Level

This module will strengthen the capacity of local councils to prevent and minimise alcohol-related harm, creating safer and healthier communities in their municipalities. This module is to be used in conjunction with ‘The Art of Community Alcohol Management: What local government can do to prevent and minimise alcohol-related harm’.

Impact Stream:

Adopting alcohol harm prevention actions to protect children and young people

Promoting Everyday Creativity at a Local Level

This module will support councils to increase opportunities to engage children and young people in creative activities that also promote their health and wellbeing.

Impact Streams:

Increasing equity in creative strategies
Embracing opportunities for children to inform creative programs
Improving opportunities for young people to lead creative programs

How do I get involved?

All Victorian councils can sign up to access our new health promotion modules. Please register your details using our form below.

REGISTER HERE

Join our fast-track council stream

In late October 2021, councils will be invited to register for the next intake of our partnership to become ‘fast-track’ council partners. Successful councils will gain access to the module implementation support, including:

Implementation funding – to start putting the modules into practice
Access to the communities of practice – a chance to collaborate and share knowledge across Victorian councils
Capability and capacity building training

To be part of our next fast-track council stream register using our web form above and you'll be notified when and how to apply.

Councils registering to access the modules will be invited to attend an information session to find out more about the module implementation support and expectations of the partnership for the next intake of fast-track councils - held online from 2pm to 3:30pm on Thursday 28 October 2021.