Open AccessPartnerships for better mental health worldwide: WPA recommendations on best practices in working with service users and family carers
Author(s) -
WALLCRAFT JAN,
AMERING MICHAELA,
FREIDIN JULIAN,
DAVAR BHARGAVI,
FROGGATT DIANE,
JAFRI HUSSAIN,
JAVED AFZAL,
KATONTOKA SYLVESTER,
RAJA SHOBA,
RATAEMANE SOLOMON,
STEFFEN SIGRID,
TYANO SAM,
UNDERHILL CHRISTPHER,
WAHLBERG HENRIK,
WARNER RICHARD,
HERRMAN HELEN
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
world psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 15.51
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 2051-5545
pISSN - 1723-8617
DOI - 10.1002/j.2051-5545.2011.tb00062.x
Subject(s) - medicine , mental health , psychiatry , mental health service , service (business) , family medicine , economics , economy
WPA President M. Maj established the Task Force on Best Practice in Working with Service Users and Carers in 2008, chaired by H. Herrman. The Task Force had the remit to create recommendations for the international mental health community on how to develop successful partnership working. The work began with a review of literature on service user and carer involvement and partnership. This set out a range of considerations for good practice, including choice of appropriate terminology, clarifying the partnership process and identifying and reducing barriers to partnership working. Based on the literature review and on the shared knowledge in the Task Force, a set of ten recommendations for good practice was developed. These recommendations were the basis for a worldwide consultation of stakeholders with expertise as service users, families and carers, and the WPA Board and Council. The results showed a strong consensus across the international mental health community on the ten recommendations, with the strongest agreement coming from service users and carers. This general consensus gives a basis for Task Force plans to seek support for activities to promote shared work worldwide to identify best practice examples and create a resource to assist others to begin successful collaboration.