Historic opportunity for people in institutional care

Hundreds of thousands of children, young people, people with disabilities, people with mental health problems, older people and homeless people are segregated in institutions and suffer the life-long impact of institutionalisation.

Alternatives can and must be developed, in line with international human rights treaties, consisting of quality community-based services which respond to the needs of each individual.

The European Expert Group on the Transition from Institutional to Community-Based Care (EEG) has developed Guidelines on the Transition from Institutional to Community-Based Care, which set out the key elements of moving away from institutional care to family-based and community-based alternatives.

Together with the Toolkit on the use of EU Funds, they can be used by the Member States and the European Commission to implement and monitor system reforms.

For more on this story visit the ESN website: http://www.esn-eu.org/news/312/index.html