Event | Shaping the future of community mental health services based on human rights | 11 May 2021

Mental Health Europe (MHE) is delighted to invite you to an online event about the future of community mental health services based on human rights, which will take place during the European Mental Health Week, on 11 May 2021.

Moving into its second year of the Covid-19 pandemic, people across Europe and the World realized the importance of enjoying both physical and mental health. However, while European countries primarily focused on the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines, mental health problems have been further exacerbated, with more people being likely to experience mental health distress for a plethora of reasons. Examples include, increased financial and employment insecurities, uncertainties around the pandemic evolution and the slow vaccination campaigns, as well as the deterioration of social networks and community support systems. Furthermore, the longstanding lockdowns and inconsistent lockdown measures that have often been abruptly enforced, have had a toll on people. 

The COVID-19 pandemic taught the importance to intervene early to provide the necessary frameworks to support the most marginalised, including people with psychosocial disabilities. Everyone has mental health and has the potential to develop mental ill health. As a result, taking preventative measures is critical for ensuring individuals receive sufficient support services and means of recovery. Proactive responses will prevent healthcare systems from being further overburdened and collapsing. 

At the same time, the understanding of mental health and mental health systems undergo slow but steady transformation. Next to the continued shift from institutional to community-based care, human rights considerations receive further attention. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities established a normative framework guiding the transformation of mental health systems, with support systems footed on human rights principles of legal capacity, ending coercive measures and community-based living. The Convention further builds on the principle of full and effective participation of the persons concerned, ensuring “nothing about us without us”. 

Against this background and during the European Mental Health Week, this online discussion aims to engage persons with lived experiences, practitioners and policy makers in Europe alike. It will essentially 

• Outline the growing knowledge of practices of community-based support based on human rights 
• Identify possible entry points of promising practices into policy-making as well as threats to policy change 
• Explore potentials to scale-up promising practices through dedicated policies, notably in the EU context.

Confirmed speakers include:

We look forward to welcoming you on 11 May at our event.