Arts in Care

Arts in Care is an ambitious project developed by Luminate in collaboration with the Care Inspectorate, Creative Scotland and the Baring Foundation. By supporting artist development, creative practice and knowledge exchange within and between sectors, Arts in Care aims to embed high quality creative practice within Scotland’s care sector.  

Artist Training & Professional Development

Arts in Care began in Autumn 2019 with 18 artists from across Scotland participating in four days of training. This training was delivered by Equal Arts, a leading creative ageing charity supporting older people and those living with dementia.The sessions were both practical and theory based, grounded in creative exercises and opportunities for reflection and group discussion. During the four days many themes and topics were explored, including dementia, the imagination and the potential for multi-sensory and multidisciplinary approaches; case studies of previous arts in care projects and the learning taken from them; safeguarding; and evaluation. Additional and valuable input was given by members of the Care Inspectorate’s inspection team, a care home manager, and an NHS psychiatrist.
 

This programme of training also facilitated the meeting and connecting of artists working in this field across Scotland, who were able to share their experiences and knowledge.
 

Artists in Care Homes 

The second phase of Arts in Care begins in January 2020 and will see 10 artists working in 30 care homes for older people across Scotland. A central aim of Arts in Care is to develop the confidence and capacity of care homes to host creative activities. Care homes have been selected from across Scotland, reflecting a diversity of care provision, and are committed to working closely with the artists.  
 

Artists will again be supported by a programme of training and peer mentoring delivered by Equal Arts. By connecting artists from across Scotland, this programme hopes to build a strong community of practice that will support ongoing work in the sector.