The European Expert Group on the Transition from Institutional to Community-based Care
Eurochild is a member of the European Expert Group on the transition from institutional to community-based support (EEG), a coalition advocating to replace institutionalisation with family- and community-based support.
The Expert Group was convened in February 2009 by the then European Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs Vladimir Špidla in order to address the issues of institutional care reform in the European Union.
The European Expert Group on the transition from institutional to community-based support (EEG) represents:
- Children and their families;
- People with disabilities and their families;
- Homeless people;
- People experiencing mental health problems;
- Service providers;
- Public authorities;
- UN organisations.
The EEG provides expertise on the transition from institutionalisation to family- and community-based support. We focus on how EU funding, law and policy should be used to facilitate the transition:
- no spending on institutionalisation;
- resources available to expand capacity and quality of family- and community-based support;
- resources available to facilitate access to housing, early child care, inclusive education and accessible general public services and built environment;
- resources available for monitoring of reforms at national level.
The EEG facilitates development of quality family- and community-based support; by quality we mean support that is person-centred and respecting human rights of all people with care or support needs.