Summary

With the implementation of The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities by the United Nations, independent living and social inclusion have been important issues that governments need to address. Therefore, how to take social actions to provide sufficient support for people with mental health issues in the communities is an important task for many organizations and individuals. In order to establish a supportive residential community, it may need inter-system collaboration networks that integrate various sectors and professions such as social work and welfare, mental rehabilitation, psychological counselling, medical services, education and employment services, police support, legal services, the court and so on. The actions for supporting mental health is a complicated task that could involve many matters like the allocation of financial resources, the work division between various professional workers and their training and the administrative integration between government departments and between central and local authorities. The practices could trigger some debates such as different perspectives between workers from diverse professions and trainings, the reconciliation between the protection of the rights of the mental disabled and the concern for community safety and the diverse needs and interests between community residents, family members and people with mental disability. In order to promote the welfare of people with mental health issues, it is crucial to exchange the experiences of policy formulation and implementation. The North East Asia (NEA) Region of ICSW has a long tradition to exchange experiences from one another and thus the NEA regional office organizes this symposium for NEA members to present their backgrounds and experiences in actions, policies and practices to support mental health in the communities. Through this symposium, the organizer expects the communication can facilitate the learning of good practices and further collaboration between NEA members and all participants of the SWSD conference.

Keywords (separate with commas)

mental health, community, independent living, social inclusion, North East Asia

Write here the title of the Symposium and the name of who coordinates it:

Title of Symposium: ICSW North East Asia Symposium: Social Actions for Supporting Mental Health in the Communities.\\\\\ Name of Coordinator: Pei-Yuen Tsai\