De-institutionalisation

ENIL has responded to the public consultation on the draft Council of Europe Disability Strategy 2017 – 2023, asking that Independent Living be included as one of the priority areas.

On 14th and 15th March, in the Polish capital Warsaw, the “Seminar on the Transition from Institutional to Community-based Care” took place. It was organized by the Polish Ministry of Economic Development, the European Expert Group on Transition from Institutional to Community-based Care (EEG) and the European Commission.

Precisely 3 months ago (on 18th August) ENIL published an article informing the wide public about one of our activities this year. ENIL is updating the information about Personal Assistance (PA) services available across Europe which was initially collected and analysed in 2013.

Deinstitutionalisation (DI) is among the most painful topics in the fight for independent living. Still neglected. Still misused. We still face re-institutionalisation instead of the actual DI process and this affects the lives of thousands of people across Europe while governments claim that measures are taken and problems are resolved.

ENIL has on many occasions raised concerns about the process of deinstitutionalisation which consists of moving disabled people from institutions into group homes (also referred to as ‘family-type’ homes).

Almost 3000 Greek children stuck in institutions…

The European Network on Independent Living (ENIL) launches its 7th Freedom Drive under the theme “Independent Living: The Next Generation!”

Maria Nyman, the director of Mental Health Europe and one of ENIL’s colleagues in the ELOSH project, was one of the key speakers at the ELOSH final conference “Housing and Support: successful ways to help people with complex housing needs”. The conference took place in Brussels on 15th September

In most national languages tribunal is a special jurisdiction, usually in postwar situations and outside the regular court system. The 1945 Nurnberg Tribunal marked the start of special courts for crimes against humanity…

Disabled Children in Need of Constant Medical Care will be Raised in Family-type Residential Centres……

‘Enter!‘ is a long-term project in the Council of Europe (CoE) aiming to seek better youth policy and youth work response to exclusion, discrimination and violence specifically against young people from disadvantaged neighbourhoods.

Today, 15 June 2015, policy makers and experts come together in Riga (Latvia) to discuss de-institutionalisation (DI). Through this event the European Expert Group (EEG) would make an attempt to highlight the importance of promoting DI in all European policies and financial instruments.

Judith Klein from the Open Society Foundation called it a new day! The Romanian Minister Plumb has committed to the transition from institutional to community-based care for disabled people in Romania with the closure of institutions by 2020.

On 19th June 2015 the Slovenian Deinstitututionalization Network will hold an International Conference on Deinstitutionalization in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

With the majority of Operational Programmes for the European Structural and Investment Funds (‘Structural Funds’) adopted, the European Network on Independent Living – European Coalition for Community Living (ENIL-ECCL) consider it important to highlight the significant on-going issues which may impede the transition from institutional care to community living for people with disabilities.

This is what most of our Turkish friends agreed at the end of the study visit to Bulgaria hosted by the CIL – Sofia team as a part of a joined project with ENIL and RUSIHAK in Istanbul, Turkey.

As a member of the European Expert Group on the Transition from Institutional to Community-based Care (EEG), the European Network on Independent Living – the European Coalition for Community Living have been involved in a series of national seminars on the role of European Union (EU) funds in supporting the right to live in community….

Roundtable on the portability of personal assistance in the European Union 9:00 – 11:00, 18 November 2014, European Parliament, Brussels Hosted by Marian Harkin MEP Summary The European Network on Independent Living (ENIL) is organising a roundtable in the European Parliament on the issue of portability of, and access to, personal assistance within the European…

Geneva, 19 September 2014 – A side event organised today by the European Network on Independent Living (ENIL), GRIP and Onafhankelijk Leven during the 12th Session of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities sent a strong message that there must be no compromises in implementing Article 19 of the UN Convention on…

Debbie Jolly, one of the founders of Disabled People Against Cuts and ENIL Board member discusses the responsibility disabled people’s organisations have in standing up for those whose voice has been taken away. Jolly argues that claims to protect the client’s ‘confidentiality’, allegedly acting ‘in their best interests’, are just a way of silencing opponents of institutionalisation and other forms of involuntary treatment and confinement.