BASEL DECLARATION ON COMMUNITY CARE by EUFAMI (European Federation of Associations of Families of People with a Mental Illness)
Community care is the approach to mental illness that supports and treats people with
psychiatric disabilities in a domestic setting, rather than in a psychiatric hospital segregated
from society.

Community care means treating and enabling people to live in the community in a way that
maintains their connection with their families, friends, work and community, acknowledging
and supporting each person’s goals and strengths to further their recovery in their own
community.

Community care is a human right.
The empowerment and self-determination of people with psychiatric disabilities, as persons
as well as citizens, must be guaranteed to achieve all this.

In order to turn community care from a curse into a blessing for the family and for society as
a whole, the following results must be achieved throughout Europe:

• Formal and informal SUPPORT for service users and carers
• Equitable access to SERVICES IN THE COMMUNITY of the person’s own locality in the least restrictive environment
• Reduction of STIGMA affecting mental illness, which represents a heavy burden for
• families, reduces access to services and hinders integration into society, work, housing and opportunities to form relationships
• Right to CHOOSE for families whether or not to accept a caring role and a tangible recognition of it
• Promotion of SOCIAL INCLUSION
• Foster RECOVERY from the experience of mental illness for both service users and carers

Representatives from the 44 EUFAMI family associations and delegates from across all parts
of Europe confirm their support for this declaration following their participation at the
EUFAMI Congress held in Basel, Switzerland on 24th and 25th September 2011 and, in line
with the World Health Organization’s position on community care, call for action on the
following conditions to be established:

• Provision of community care services for all who need them
• Provision of treatments and rehabilitation services not only to reduce symptoms but also to increase functioning and independence of users
• Coordinated policies, plans and programmes
• Financial and budgetary provision to support services in the community
• Greater awareness in society as the basis for fighting prejudice and reducing stigma

Community care is everyone’s responsibility. Let us all commit ourselves to meeting the
challenge
Basel, Switzerland. 25th September 2011