Deinstitutionalization and Social Inclusion in Albania

Albania’s mental health sector is shaped by global mental health reform efforts as well as by the general societal changes taking place in the country during the postsocialist period. An understanding of contextual challenges is crucial to the creation of effective mental health services and the promotion of public mental health in the country. I open this paper with a historical overview of the development of Western and socialist psychiatry in the Albanian context. I continue with an analysis of postsocialist mental health reform, a complex process in which local and international actors seek to transform the Albanian mental health sector from an institutional system characterized by isolation, stigma, and abuse, to one that embraces community-based services, consumer and caregiver empowerment. Finally, I present the impact of these processes on mental health institutions, family and community members, and consumers, drawing on 50 semi-structured interviews and 30+ hours of participant observation conducted in central and southeastern Albania (Elbasan, Korče, and Tirana) during the summer of 2013.

2021

Recent changes, especially after the 90s in Albania, have marked an important turn in the whole health system and even more so in the field of mental health. With health services, policies and social services were implemented to people with mental health problems, and it in this form that there was a need to bridge these policies and services to beneficiaries, such as social workers in mental health. Now the social worker is one of the key persons in the multidisciplinary team whose purpose is to identify, diagnose, treat, plan and integrate these people into society. The study aims is to identify the support and role of social work in persons with mental health disorders at Psychiatric Hospital “Sadik Dinçi” Elbasan, Albania and in the supported housing in this city. Qualitative method was used for conducting the study, and semi-structured interview with a focus group of 4 social workers of this hospital, 2 social workers of Elbasan Community Mental Health Center and 4 day-care erg...

Social Services in Albania: Background and State of the Art. , 2020

The volume is divided into two parts. The first two chapters introduce the reader to the understanding of the Albanian current socio-demographic situation. The second part of the volume offers an unprecedented insight view on the organization of the Social Services in the areas of the capital city Tirana and in the districts of Shkoder and Elbasan. The research was carried out by the three Albanian universities involved in the project through interviews realized with the professional Social Workers active in the three local areas and with the Administrative Staff of the three Municipalities. The aim of this part of the volume is to provide a multifaceted picture of the organization of the Albanian Welfare that – starting with the description of the general framework, principles and norms of Social Services in Albania – covers the main aspects of the economic resources dedicated to the Social Services, the access of the Albanian citizens to the existing Welfare and the quality of the current Albanian Social Services’ delivery.

Mental health policy is a major challenge in every government engagement. Human wellbeing is threatened by mental health issue, and this is why it is necessary to position mental health as a health priority (WHO, 2001). The reduction of human and economic cost of mental health problems can be achieved by providing equitable and evidence-based mental healthcare and treatment. In Albania, the organization of mental health policy has experienced changes in the past half century, especially after the 90's. This was driven by political commitment at national and intergovernmental levels in response to the challenges posed by mental health problems. The purpose of this paper is to analyze, present factors, and circulates what affects and prepossess the adoption of new mental health policy. The methodology used for this paper was based on two main elements. The first was the analyzing of Albanian conceptual framework, which is derived from two grounded elements: policy content and health policy process. The second element involves data collection using semi-structured interview (12) with three levels of policy: policymakers, health policy administrator, and mental health care provider. Also, we consulted a wide range of electronic databases before underpinning the research with additional search. This search includes the scanning of a range of websites, reference lists of included studies, the legal mental health framework, and the respective documents. The activities stipulated in the First Component of the SouthEastern European Mental Health Project under the Stability Pact urged the process of a new mental health policy formulation and adoption of mental health legislation stressing human rights of patients. The WHO has influenced the whole mental health policy framework. They have instructed the National Policy Document for the Mental Health and the recpective action plans. In addition, they have supervised the impemention of this Documents and has trained mental health experts at all levels. Albanian policymaker are concerned with having an adequate map of mental health

2015

The system of social services in Albania was totally transformed compared to the system that functioned during the communist time. Besides State, various groups of civil society, strategic partners, donors and international organizations played an important role in providing social services. The aim of this paper is a) to provide a general overview of the role of the actors that provide social services in Albania; b) to analyse the impact of decentralization and privatization of social services; c) to present evidence of achievements and challenges in the public and non public services. The paper is not intended to be a comprehensive one on the overall subject of the system of social services in Albania, but rather a review of services related to social protection of vulnerable groups, children and women support, services for the people with special needs. This paper is prepared based on documentation analysis (basic policy and strategic documents, legislation), interviewing and pra...

World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews

An integrated system of mental health services means a network of services at the regional level, which responds to the needs of the population it covers for inclusive services, with a focus on community services. This category of services includes all those services that focus on the objectives and their functioning have the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of persons with mental disorders, as well as the prevention of these disorders and the promotion of positive mental health. Psychosocial interventions undoubtedly play an important role in the treatment of individuals with mental health problems in addition to drug treatment. Therefore, the study includes measuring the satisfaction of individuals with mental health problems and the effectiveness of community services and in particular that of community-based psychosocial interventions [3]. The study aims to determine the level of patient satisfaction of Community Health Centers mental and mainly in the city of Elbasan. Fo...

2005

The 3rd International Conference “Achievements and Challenges of Social Work Profession in Albania”, 8th November 2019, Elbasan, Albania, 2019

Conference Agenda

Hacettepe Journal of Health Administration, 2018

2017

The last reform in the field of social services in Albania is based on the national and sector strategy 2015-2020, which is applied immediately after the new administrative and territory reform in Albania. The main objectives of the both above reforms has been strengthening local governance and increasing their efficiency in improving welfare of citizens and their services. The objective of this paper is:"To evaluate the social service system not only in terms of how it serves in achievement of the objectives mentioned above reforms, but especially in terms of functional and financial decentralization in order to strengthen local governance especial on key social services for their respective communities". This analysis will be performed for Lezha municipality through assessments of legal framework, and financial managerial and other sector capacities using interviews and analyzes of data collected in this municipality. The paper aims to address the issues that affect the ...