IPF 2004-2005 fellow Dovilė Juodkaitė
ID number: 1270-PBH-JUO-LT
Present and future Challenges in Lithuanian
Mental Health Policy: shifting from deinstitutionalization
towards independent living
Final activity report
(2004-2005 fellowship
period)
All the activities that have been
undertaken during the 2004-2005 fellowship program were in accordance
with an approved
Project timetable and Fellowship contract with the extension of the
fellowship
period until 31 June 2005.
Results achieved
during this fellowship period are:
·
Designing
and development of the website. Since April 2004 all relevant data has
been
published and continuously being updated on the website.
·
Meeting
with important stakeholders related to mental health and social care
systems in
Lithuania: Representatives from the Ministry of Social Security and
Labor;
Committee for Social affairs and labor at the Parliament of Lithuanian
Republic;
Ombudsmen of the Council for equal opportunities, representatives from
the
Council for the affairs of disabled to the Government of the Republic
of
Lithuania, mental health system’s specialists (psychiatrists, nursing
staff).
·
Analysis
of national Lithuanian legislation and government policy on mental
health and
social welfare, to overview the current situation with regard to
deinstitutionalization and providing housing for people with both
intellectual
and mental disabilities in the community (supportive housing).
·
Collection
and analysis of relevant international norms and standards (United
Nations’
declarations and resolutions, European documents), various scientific
literature and other publications on the issue.
·
Participation
in two legal seminars on disability issues: seminar „On Latvian Mental
Health
draft law “, organized by Latvian Human rights and ethnical studies
center and
Ministry of Health of Latvian Republic March 19, 2004; and seminar
„Fight
against discrimination in the daily practice “, review of European
Directives
2000/43 and 2000/78, Trier, Germany, June 4-5, 2004, organized by the
Academy
of European Law „ERA“.
·
Participation
in number of seminars, conferences, round tables organized by various
stakeholders on the issues of mental health care, social care for
people with
disabilities, legal aspects of disability status, etc.
·
Visiting
of number of big residential institutions (social care homes and
psychiatric
hospitals) in
·
Two
articles published: Overview and description of best practice of US
community
based supported living programs within mental health system, providing
housing
services and other support services in the community for people with
mental
disabilities in the article „USA social
security system providing financial support for persons with
disabilities”//Jurisprudencija,
Lithuanian Law University, Scientific works No. 57(49), Vilnius 2004;
overview
of the Lithuanian and international legal regulations on the employment
for
people with disabilities in the article “Lithuanian
Laws, Regulating Right to Work for People with Disabilities, Their
Conformity
to International Norms and Standards”//Jurisprudencija,
Lithuanian Law University,
Scientific works No. 57(48), Vilnius 2004.
·
Organizing
of the roundtable with various stakeholders, mainly focusing on equal
rights of
persons with intellectual disability to access education and
employment, social
services within the community.
·
Preparing
of the draft research paper based on the data collected. Consulting
with the
group mentors and individual mentor on the draft research paper.
·
Organizing
of the international seminar with various stakeholders in the area of
mental
health and social care systems “Securing of human rights in the closed
social
care institutions and psychiatric hospitals”. Presentation delivered
“Human
rights of patients and inhabitants with disabilities specified in the
Lithuanian legislation”, November 9, 2004.
·
Giving
an interview for the article “Society has to treat its sore by
herself”,
November 22, 2004, on the rights of persons with mental disabilities.
·
Visiting
independent living homes for people with intellectual disabilities
throughout
the country.
·
Finalizing
the research paper in accordance with the comments received from the
group and
individual mentors.
·
Preparing
Policy Paper based on research project and targeting various interest
groups
(policy makers, government authorities, non-governmental sector,
self-advocates, other stakeholders) focused on positive changes in
Lithuanian
mental health policy.
·
Translating
the research paper into Lithuanian language. Preparing the publication
– the brochure,
which presents the results of research project made during the
fellowship program
(the whole text of research paper in Lithuanian and in English
languages).
·
Organizing
the publication of the brochure, editing and proofreading the layout of
the
publication.
·
Preparing
for the dissemination of the publication to various stakeholders, first
of all politicians
(especially newly elected parliamentarians), governmental and local
authorities, professionals and specialist in the areas.
·
Preparing
of both written and vocal communications to be presented at various
seminars,
conferences, events on availability on the results of the research
project,
conclusions and recommendations.