GUWAHATI DECLARATION ON SOCIAL WORK, PREVENTION AND WELLBEING Strengthening Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan through Social Development, Youth Leadership and Community Empowerment
By National Association of Professional Social Workers in India (NAPSWI)
at 14th Indian Social Work Conference (ISWC) 2026 Conference Theme: “From Welfare to Wellbeing: Reimagining Social Work Practice for Viksit Bharat” 2–4 November 2026 Assam Don Bosco University, Guwahati, Assam
NAPSWI
NAPSWI DECLARATION ON SOCIAL WORK, PREVENTION AND WELLBEING Strengthening Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan through Social Development, Youth Leadership and Community Empowerment 14th Indian Social Work Conference (ISWC) 2026 2–4 November 2026 | Assam Don Bosco University, Guwahati, Assam Conference Theme: “From Welfare to Wellbeing: Reimagining Social Work Practice for Viksit Bharat”
Preamble We, the participants and contributors to the 14th Indian Social Work Conference 2026, recognise the essential contribution of professional social work to human dignity, social justice, community development and the wellbeing of individuals, families and communities. We affirm our support for the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA) and its objectives of preventing substance-related harm and promoting healthier communities. Substance use, harmful alcohol consumption, tobacco and nicotine use, and associated mental health challenges cannot be adequately addressed through clinical treatment, awareness campaigns or enforcement alone. Sustainable prevention requires action on the social, developmental, economic, cultural and institutional conditions that shape people's lives. International experience reinforces the importance of placing community health and wellbeing at the centre of prevention. The Kranjska Gora Declaration, adopted at the 71st Session of Movendi International’s World Congress in Slovenia in October 2026, calls for stronger global action to prevent alcohol harm and protect publicinterest policymaking. It highlights the effects of alcohol on children, families and communities and calls for governments to prioritise public health over alcohol-industry interests in policymaking. On the behalf of National Association of Professional Social Workers in India (NAPSWI) and Nada India Foundation, our EC member Sh Suneel Vatsyayan, who presented the best-practice poster “Prevention Is Social: Youth Engagement for Healthy Campuses”. The poster highlighted youth participation, peer support, life skills and supportive campus environments as practical expressions of social prevention. This experience provides relevant learning for strengthening prevention in India's educational and community settings. We appreciate our Prime Minister 100 week campaign "Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan" on August 2, 2026, calling for a nationwide movement to protect youth from substance abuse. We affirm that prevention is social; development is prevention; and protection is prevention. Prevention begins in families, schools, colleges, universities, workplaces, neighbourhoods and communities, where relationships, opportunities, safety, belonging and access to support influence wellbeing. 1. NAPSWI’s Contribution to Strengthening NMBA We affirm NAPSWI’s commitment to extending its support and professional contribution to strengthen the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA) through a comprehensive, rights-based and development-oriented approach. Building on the strengths of social work education, practice, research and community engagement, NAPSWI can contribute to integrating prevention, early psychosocial support, clinical treatment, recovery and social reintegration as interconnected responsibilities. This contribution will advance the principle that prevention is social, development is prevention, and protection is prevention, with families, educational institutions, communities and citizens playing an active role in promoting mental wellbeing before distress escalates into crisis. NAPSWI’s Guwahati Declaration | ISWC 2026 •
2. Mental Health Is a Foundation for Wellbeing We recognise mental health as a foundation for learning, relationships, resilience, participation and human development not merely as the treatment of illness after it develops. We affirm a continuum of mental health promotion, prevention, early recognition, psychosocial support, appropriate clinical care, recovery and social inclusion. Prevention and early support must complement, not replace, qualified clinical and specialist services.
3. Families and Educational Institutions as First-Line Social Institutions We recognise families, schools, colleges and universities as essential settings for building emotional resilience, healthy relationships, informed choices and help-seeking confidence. We support the development of Healthy Campuses where prevention is embedded in institutional culture and everyday relationships, rather than confined to occasional lectures, pledges or awareness days. Initiatives should integrate life skills, emotional literacy, decision-making, substance-use prevention, peer support, youth participation, confidential counselling, referral pathways and follow-up. Families should be supported as partners while respecting young people's dignity, privacy, autonomy and safety.
4. Emotional CPR as Mental Health First Response We recognise Emotional CPR (eCPR), centred on connection, empowerment and revitalisation, as a framework for strengthening human connection and supportive responses to emotional distress. We support exploring and evaluating eCPR-informed approaches within a broader mental health first-response and social prevention framework. Listening without judgement, building trust, supporting agency and restoring connection can help people seek support before distress escalates. Mental health first response is not diagnosis or clinical treatment; it should facilitate access to appropriate services when needed.
5. Citizen Ownership and Shared Responsibility Prevention cannot depend exclusively on government departments, health professionals, law enforcement or rehabilitation services. Citizens, students, families, educators, social workers, peer supporters, community organisations and local institutions must have meaningful ownership. Community-based prevention networks should equip people to recognise distress, respond compassionately, challenge stigma and connect individuals with appropriate help. We must not wait for people to become patients before responding to their needs, while ensuring that citizens do not substitute for qualified clinicians.
6. Young India Wellness Campaign: Youth Leadership and Measurable Action We recognise the Young India Wellness Campaign (YIW) as a platform for youth engagement, health promotion and community participation. The campaign’s focus on non-communicable diseases, substance use and mental wellbeing is relevant to strengthening prevention through social work, educational institutions and community participation. The following voluntary organisational commitment provides a measurable implementation pathway: “By 31st December 2029, strengthen community empowerment and cross-sector collaboration by scaling the Young India Wellness Campaign (YIW) as a traditional, complementary and integrative medicine-informed, youth-led health promotion model addressing non-communicable diseases, substance use, and mental wellbeing, training at least 2,000 students across 10 Indian states, conducting community outreach, campus-based wellness activities, and peer-led advocacy campaigns, supported by partnerships with health, education, and civil society organisations, and monitoring participant reach, partnerships, and community engagement outcomes annually.” NAPSWI’s Guwahati Declaration | ISWC 2026 •
This commitment sets a measurable direction for student training, campus wellness activities, community outreach, peer-led advocacy and cross-sector partnerships. Implementation should comply with applicable national laws, public health safeguards and the respective roles of participating organisations. It is a voluntary organisational commitment and does not imply endorsement by WHO.
7. People with Lived and Living Experience People who have experienced substance-use problems, treatment, recovery and social exclusion possess essential knowledge for improving policies and services. Their meaningful participation should be supported in programme design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. Peer-support roles should be appropriately trained, supervised, ethical and clearly defined. Every person must be treated with dignity and included in decisions affecting their life and recovery.
8. Treatment, Recovery and Social Rehabilitation Effective responses require coordination between clinical treatment, psychosocial support, family engagement, peer-led recovery, education, housing, livelihood opportunities and community reintegration. Coordination is needed between relevant health authorities, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, educational institutions, social work agencies, local administrations and civil society. Treatment should be accessible, evidence-informed, ethical and respectful of human rights. Social rehabilitation must restore agency, relationships, participation and opportunity rather than focus solely on service delivery or programme completion.
9. Professional Social Work as a Prevention and Wellbeing Resource Professional social workers contribute through social assessment, family work, community organisation, early psychosocial support, safeguarding, referral coordination, advocacy, rehabilitation, livelihood linkages and policy research. Continuing professional development, supervision, clear role definitions, ethical standards and adequate staffing are essential to ensure that psychosocial support is meaningful and responsive.
10. Healthy Campus as a Demonstration Model We support Healthy Campus programmes as a practical pathway for strengthening prevention in higher education. The model can follow five connected stages: Prepare assess campus needs and readiness; Prevent deliver life skills, resilience education and substance-use prevention; Engage,involve students, faculty, peer supporters and community partners; Identify recognise distress and offer voluntary, confidential routes to support; and Support,provide listening, guidance, referral, counselling and follow-up. The approach should be student-friendly, non-punitive, inclusive and evaluated through wellbeing, trust, participation, help-seeking and access to support, not merely events conducted or people reached.
11. Alcohol-Harm Prevention and Public-Interest Policy Alcohol harm affects not only the person consuming alcohol but also children, partners, families, road users, workplaces and the wider community, through injury, violence, mental ill-health, disease and economic hardship. In the spirit of the Kranjska Gora Declaration, we support evidence-informed alcohol-harm prevention and transparent public-interest policymaking that prioritises community health, protects children and young people, and is safeguarded from undue commercial influence. International cooperation can inform national action while respecting national law and the responsibilities of public authorities.
NAPSWI’s Guwahati Declaration | ISWC 2026 •
12. Strengthening NMBA Through a Whole-of-Society Approach We affirm the importance of strengthening NMBA through a comprehensive framework connecting prevention, early psychosocial support, clinical treatment, recovery and social reintegration. NAPSWI and the wider social work profession can contribute through education, research, practice, professional capacity building, community engagement, youth leadership and policy dialogue. Progress should be supported by inter-sectoral collaboration, sustainable resources, independent evaluation and appropriate measures of service quality, equity, referral completion and long-term wellbeing. Our Shared Commitment We commit to advancing a vision of India in which prevention is embedded in everyday social life; mental wellbeing is supported before crisis; educational institutions nurture belonging and resilience; families and communities are equipped to respond; professional and peer-support systems work together; and every person affected by substance use is treated with dignity. We do not wait for people to become patients before we care. Prevention is Social. Development is Prevention. Protection is Prevention. Wellbeing is a Shared Responsibility.
NAPSWI’s Guwahati Declaration | ISWC 2026 •