Slovakia Population: 5,404,3221
104
Signed Yes Yes
CRPD CRPD Optional Protocol
Ratified Yes Yes
General summary Slovakia has a number of long-stay psychiatric hospitals and also provides residential services for people with mental health problems in large social care institutions. Service users in institutions tend to be people with chronic conditions, who either require a higher level of support with daily living or those who are in need of housing (e.g. homeless people) in the absence of social housing. However, there is no information on the number of people with mental health problems living in social care institutions. Institutions are often located in remote rural areas making it difficult to maintain or build social relationships and providing poor access to community facilities and employment opportunities. Community-based initiatives reach only a small minority of people with mental health problems in need of residential support.
Types of residential services for people with mental health problems in Slovakia2
Type of service Psychiatric hospital Psychiatric hospital for children Supported living Rehabilitation centres
8
Typical size (min-max number of places in each type of service) 200 - 461
1
90
90
2 3
14-16 15-20
30 50
Number of services
Total number of service users 2411
Personal budgets Personal budgets are not available for people with mental health problems in Slovakia.
Deinstitutionalisation Deinstitutionalisation is an official policy of the Slovak government. At the end of 2011, the country adopted the National action plan for the transition from institutional to community-
1 Eurostat, 2012 2 Source: National Coordinating Body for Mental Health, 2011 (hospital data) Residential Support and Community Treatment National Network, 2011 (community-based settings)