Information about previous MHE activities in this field

In 2000 already, MHE carried out the EU project "Promoting Social Inclusion of People with Mental Health Problems - A Challenge for the European Union! ",which aimed to raise awareness of the exclusion faced by people with mental health problems, and provided guidelines for policy makers and service providers for promoting social inclusion.

In 2005-2007, MHE implemented the transnational exchange project "Good Practices for Combating Social Exclusion of People with Mental Health Problems ".

Here the aim was to identify existing best practices that can contribute to tackling the inequalities that people with mental health problems encounter, in access to health and social services, employment, education, training services, housing, transport, leisure as well as the protection of their civil and human rights.

In 2007, MHE carried out its work programme in the field of social inclusion under the title "From Exclusion to Inclusion: Making Social Inclusion a Reality for People with Mental Health Problems in the European Union". The programme was based on the initial results and lessons learned from the MHE transnational exchange project "Good practices for Combating Social Exclusion of People with Mental Health Problems ".

MHE's 2007 work programme aimed at increasing efforts to raise awareness at all levels and among all actors of the current challenges and needs faced by people with mental health problems who are experiencing social exclusion, and to develop concrete suggestions that can help professionals and policy makers to strengthen the framework for national strategy development and policy coordination within and between the Member States in Europe on issues relating to this particularly vulnerable group. To this end, MHE member organisations in all EU Member States gathered information on the situation of social exclusion of people with mental health problems, brought together the different stakeholders and discussed together with all of them the present situation of social exclusion of people with mental health problems. The gathered information together with developed policy proposals and proposals for strategies for social inclusion of people with mental health problems were sent back to MHE, and they were published as part of the MHE publication "From Exclusion to Inclusion - The Way Forward to Promoting Social Inclusion of People with Mental Health Problems in Europe ". The report presents information about the most pressing challenges and needs people with mental health problems are facing on a daily basis with regard to their access to health and social services, education and training, employment, housing, transport, leisure/social activities and safeguarding of civil and human rights.

Moreover, it sets out concrete suggestions that can help professionals and policy makers to strengthen the framework for national strategy development and policy coordination within and between the Member States in Europe on issues relating to this particularly vulnerable group.