We are thrilled to have been awarded the 2021 CHWA ‘Practicing Well Award’, which recognises our continued efforts to support the work of our exceptionally talented Artists and Staff team. As a small charity working in the context of a global pandemic, it is deeply touching and encouraging for our work to be highlighted as an example of best practice, and for the voices of our community to be amplified on a national level.

We would like to thank the Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance with Nicola Naismith and judges Jain Boon & Sue Flowers, as well as our inspiring fellow nominees GEM Heritage, Fresh Arts at North Bristol NHS Trust, Opus Music CIC, Soundcastle and Thriving Facilitators.

We would also like to acknowledge our Trustees, Funders and Artists for their shared vision and commitment to this transformational process, specifically our Associate Artist Lisa Hayes whose nomination made this recognition possible!

This last year has highlighted the incredible work that caring professionals undertake to improve the health and wellbeing of others, yet it has also thrown into stark relief the fragility and vulnerability of the systems and sectors which contain this work: inconsistencies of freelance employment, challenges of delivering online and few opportunities to develop necessary skills to support Children and Young People, are just some of the dangers which currently face the participatory Arts and Health sectors.

Image from our animation - ‘Supporting professionals impacted by Trauma’

On top of these risks are the very real threats that come when stewarding trauma, including consistent feelings of overwhelm, despair and lack of worth in our professional roles. Many professionals can develop secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue and burnout, which increase the likelihood of leaving the profession and can be a contributing factor to mental and physical ill-health. (If this is of interest, you may want to check out our latest animation and blog post here)

The Arts and Health sector has long recognised the need to develop conversation, examples of best practice and standards offered to Artists, not as an additional activity, but as a foundational expectation to ensure the ongoing impact and efficacy of Arts and Health practices. For a number of years Kazzum Arts have been contributing to this conversation through our participation in studies, panel discussions, presentations to funders and our own scheme of practical and affective support for our community.

The 2nd Annual ‘Practising Well’ Award, in collaboration with Artist and Researcher Nicola Naismith is a milestone in the Arts and Health space. It recognises organisations who are going beyond expectations and offering varied approaches to artistic support in a sector which can sometimes abdicate responsibility, or neglect to see the deep, emotional impact that Arts and Health work can make on practitioners. Our nomination for the award came from one of our Associate Artists, Lisa Hayes, who independently offered her thoughts on the support she receives:

“The ongoing training that Kazzum provides for freelancers is outstanding. For freelancers like myself, it is not only a space for us to upskill and develop but the team at Kazzum create a very supportive, nourishing space that allows us all to feel like we are valued and part of the team. This sense of community is what I think really sets Kazzum apart from other organisations, they not only say that they are there to support us but they really follow through by the way they communicate and the therapeutic offerings they provide us. ”

Lisa’s recognition of our work highlights our commitment over the last 4 years to attend to the urgent risks that our workforce faces and develop interpersonal, organisational processes which support our team to steward the trauma of others. For us, it takes the following forms:

We offer continued support opportunities for our Core Staff team and freelance artists to engage with registered psychotherapists within group and individual reflective practice sessions throughout the year, and during specific project delivery. This builds upon our internal Coaching practices and the ongoing provision of an Employee Assistance Programme for our workforce and their households. In addition to this, our Trustees also participate in bi-monthly Reflective Practice sessions, to ensure that psychological health is modelled at all levels of the organisation and is explicit throughout the structure of our charity.

We also provide paid training, professional development and social opportunities for our Artists to encourage emotional regulation, creativity and wellbeing to thrive - this has been a key feature of the last year and supported artists to stay in contact with the organisation and each other. We provide training to individuals and organisations and have developed a number of free CPD resources to support those working within trauma impacted environments whilst highlighting best practice and raising awareness.

As we build our new Business Plan we are centring our commitment to our community of Artists Staff, Partners and Trustees, by offering the highest standards of support and doing what we can to influence the development of these approaches across the sector.

Culture,Health and Wellbeing Alliance - Practicing Well Award!