Good Practices for Combating Social Exclusion for People with Mental Health Problems
Project dates: 2005 - 2007
Implementing organisation(s):
Mental Health Europe
Partners:
Vlaamse Vereniging voor Geestelijke Gezondheidszorg, Belgium
Advocacy Group for the Mentally Ill, Cyprus
Czech Association for Mental Health
Advocacy France
Mental Health Ireland
Associazione Italiana per la Salute Mentale (AISMe), Italy
Coalition for Mental Health, Poland
Slovak League for Mental Health
SENT, Slovenian Association for Mental Health
Penumbra, Scotland, UK
Aim of the project:
The aim of the project is to demonstrate the link between mental health problems and social exclusion.
Description:
The project will focus in particular on existing best practices that can contribute to tackling the inequalities that people with mental health problems encounter, in access to health, employment and education and training services, as well in the protection of their civil and human rights.
Through trans-national exchange and comparison of effective practices, policy proposals to achieve social inclusion of people with mental health problems will be prepared.
The proposed objectives are:
1. To identify, collect and analyse the best practices against social exclusion of people with mental health problems in the participating countries.
2. To assess which practices are transferable to other European countries, taking into account the major existing socio-economic and cultural differences.
3. To organise exchange visits with the partner countries in order to meet with the policy makers, regional stakeholders and civil society.
4. To establish an on-line database as a section of an on-line Directory of best practices in tackling social inclusion of people with mental health problems.
5. To organise consultation at the European level with the European NGOs active in the field of social inclusion in order to benefit from their experience and mainstream awareness on mental health issues.
6. To organise a European conference in order to raise the awareness of the policy makers and ensure that our findings are taken up in the National Action Plans on Social Inclusion.
7. To disseminate the results and to raise awareness at all levels: local, regional, national and European.
Project results:
Initial outcomes of the project resulting from the analysis of the situation of social exclusion of people with mental health problems confirm that social exclusion of people with mental health problems represents a major problem in all the ten partner countries.
Further points following from the analysis include:
- the great lack of transparent communication, exchange of information and well-coordinated cooperation between the different stakeholders in all the partner countries - especially between the users (and their families and carers) and NGOs working with them on the one hand and governmental players on the other hand;
- the urgent need for concerted efforts and actions to promote the social inclusion of people with mental health problems by means of good practices;
- the importance of taking the complexity of social exclusion of people with mental health problems into account and to respond to it adequately;
- the need for involvement, participation and evaluation of people with mental health problems in the process of decision making in the area of social inclusion;
- the importance to formulate policies with adequate grass-root involvement.
To download the full report on the situation of social exclusion of people with mental health problems, please click here.
Further information:
Please contact Mental Health Europe, by writing to [email protected] or using the following numbers: tel. +32 2 280 04 68, fax +32 2 280 16 04.
Supported by the European Commission, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities