Greenspace programmes are outdoor initiatives designed to support physical and mental wellbeing. Activities may include gardening, conservation activities, hiking, and forest walks, among others. With rising concerns about substance use and mental health in Scotland, greenspace programmes could offer person-centred approaches to support, since emerging evidence suggests positive outcomes for those with substance dependence while taking part. 

Previous work by our research team allowed development of a theoretical framework that looked to explain why greenspace programmes work. In this current project, we firstly updated this framework by interviewing a wide range of people from across Scotland involved/interested in greenspace programmes. We then undertook more interviews to move the framework into practical guidance for those wanting to set up a new greenspace programme for people with poor mental health and substance dependence. The guidance manual documents (which are explained below and can be viewed using the Guidance documents tab or link below) were reviewed extensively by our advisory groups, the project team, and by organisations we worked with across the project. This ensures they are acceptable from the point of view of a range of stakeholders. As well as the manuals, further information on this project’s methods and the previous work the project was based on can also be found on the Stirling Greenspace website.

The guidance documents are designed primarily for healthcare/social care practitioners/anyone who is supporting people with poor mental health and substance dependence who are interested in setting up a greenspace programme, but will likely be of interested to anyone who wants to know more about his approach. The guidance manual documents are made up of three components:

• the main service delivery guidance manual providing key considerations in how to set up/refine greenspace programmes for people with poor mental health and substance dependence;
• an evidence-based evaluation guidance document synthesising how to potentially measure outcomes, as well as consideration as to whether these are acceptable from the point-of-view of service users;
• a buy-in/engagement guidance document designed to support initial conversations between potential participants, referrers, link workers, and/or support workers. 

The documents are not designed to be prescriptive, but provide a flexible framework that will support initial/ongoing planning discussions depending on local context and resources.