Determining the intersection of social prescribing in social work practice: Protocol for a scoping review

BACKGROUND: Social prescribing is a nonclinical intervention used in various health care settings to improve health outcomes of individuals by attending to the social determinants of health and broader social factors. Prevalence of social prescribing has increased globally over the past decade, leading to the creation of new organizations and networks dedicated to social prescription. Although social workers comprise one of the largest providers of social and mental health services sectors, there remains little guidance how social workers can integrate social prescribing in practice. 

OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this scoping review are 3-fold. The objectives of this scoping review are to (1) systematically scope the literature on social prescribing and social work and identify scholarly gaps in the literature, (2) identify the role of social work in social prescribing, and (3) describe how social workers are integrating and engaging in social prescribing in clinical practice. 

METHODS: The review follows the 5-stage scoping review framework from Arksey and O'Malley (2005), which was later enhanced by Levac et al in 2010. The review will examine both academic and grey literature. We will search for studies in the following databases: MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Social Services Abstracts, and Social Work Abstracts. Grey literature will be searched using Google with a focus on social prescription organizations, social prescription conferences, and Canadian social prescription reports. All studies must be in English and there are no date restrictions. Title and abstract screening, assessment of full-text review, and data extraction will be conducted by 2 independent reviewers. Data will be extracted into a chart format, which will be analyzed for data summarization and synthesis. 

RESULTS: The results of the study and submission of a manuscript for peer review are expected in October 2025. The results of the scoping review are expected to contribute to an understanding of how social workers employed in health care can integrate social prescribing in their practice. 

CONCLUSIONS: To the authors' knowledge, this is the first scoping review undertaken on the topic of social prescribing and social work. Findings from the scoping review will inform the future development of guidelines to support the integration of social prescription in social work practice.