What is DI?
Life in one’s home environment should not be a privilege, but a right of every person. This is reflected in Article 19 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which states that people with disability must have the opportunity to live in the community and have access to in-home services. Many other international documents also make it clear that living in institutions is inhumane. Yet for some people, this right is still denied. In Slovenia, more than 20,000 people live in institutions, and across the European Union nearly 1.2 million. Once the process of deinstitutionalisation (DI) is completed, the door to equal rights will be open. We want to open that door together with all stakeholders and the wider public.
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It’s time for community-based services!
Institutions are an outdated and unsuitable practice in social care, as they fail to provide residents with a dignified life. The present and the future lie in transforming institutional care into community-based services. Institutions must be closed, and people relocated to the community, where they can access appropriate services. Achieving this transformation requires comprehensive investments in services that support individuals in living within their own homes and communities. What we need is deinstitutionalization. While many parts of the world have already completed this process, in Slovenia, it has been ongoing for decades. It is high time to bring it to completion. The Social Protection Institute of the Republic of Slovenia collaborates with the Ministry for a Solidary Future to establish a project unit dedicated to implementing deinstitutionalization. Our tasks include developmental and research work, strategic planning, advocating for human rights, providing field education for employees and users in institutions, offering consultations and advisory services, and engaging in international cooperation to bring back examples of best practices.
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