About IMHCN

Towards Community Mental Health and Citizenship

Whole Person - Whole Life -  Whole Systems 

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Introduction

The good practice and experiences of the IMHCN came from deinstitutionalisation processes and practicalities, that is not only downsizing or even closing psychiatric hospitals, but undertaking a complex process of removing the ideology and power of the institution by putting the person first - with his/her subjectivity, needs, life story, significant relationships, social networks, social capital - above the institution.

In order to do that, it is necessary to remove the power of institutions over people with mental health problems. This requires a shift of resources from hospitals to a range of community based services founded on the whole life needs of the person. This approach opens pathways of care and programmes that integrate social and health responses and actions. Deinstitutionalisation is therefore a whole change of systems, thinking and practice, that aims at overcoming the old psychiatric ideology while creating a new way of supporting community mental health and taking better care of people with mental health problems.

Further reading on this can be found in our Foundation Document.

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Our purpose

 The purpose of the Collaborating Network is to bring together places, services and practices that have been successful in developing good quality community mental health, with those that are in the process of implementing change. With the support of a continuous learning collaboration, organisations and individuals can benefit from others' experiences.

The IMHCN charter of purpose and actions sets out the values and principles that support the work of the network in promoting the human rights of service users, the standards and actions required to develop a community mental health service that will improve the lives of people with mental health problems.

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Our vision

Our vision is a world which respects and values the differences between individuals, enabling people who experience mental health issues, with appropriate supports, to lead fulfilling and productive lives using their strengths to contribute as full citizens and enrich our societies.

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Our mission

The mission of the IMHCN is promote and advocate for the human rights of people with mental health issues; to understand and gather the experiences and knowledge of good practice in community mental health from its membership and to disseminate this rich resource throughout the world.

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Our aims & objectives

  • The development and sustainability of community mental health services founded on the whole person, whole life needs and developing a community system, integrated with widespread ownership  and capable of meeting the identified needs of individuals and the community.
  • Deinstitutionalisation, by closing the psychiatric hospital, as well as changing the common psychiatric practice of only responding to the "illness" and instead focussing on the whole person needs.

The aim of the Collaborating Network is to assist places, services and practices that wish to change and develop. We collaborate with the World Health Organisation (WHO); the World Association for Psychosocial Rehabilitation (WAPR); The International Network for Training Education, Research into Hearing Voices (INTERVOICE); and with our partner organisations, national ministries, and non-governmental organisations.

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Organisation and Founder Partners

The IMHCN is an International Non Governmental Organisation founded by Mental Health Organisations and individuals who have developed good practices and services in community mental health based on the whole life whole system approach. Its membership consists of professionals, managers, service users and experts of experience, family members, policy makers from many countries.

The history of network is that was was started in 1993 as an informal group and then was established in 2004 under French Law as an international NGO by Trieste Health Authority, Italy; Lille EPSM, France; Cornwall Partnership NHS Trust, UK; Stockholm Mental Health Services, Sweden; Asturias Mental Health Services, Spain and Monaghan and Cavan Mental Health Services, Ireland.

The IMHCN was  a UK charitable company which closed in March 2025. 

IMHCN has 19 founder partners from across the world who have established the newly constituted organisation. 

IMHCN was established in 1993 by organisations and individuals that wished to develop community mental health services and to close psychiatric institutions. At this time the founder members vision was to seek new ways to improve the lives of people with mental health issues. Twenty years later the vision of our founder members and their significant and important contributions has led to the sustainability and on going development of IMHCN.

In March 2014 we relaunched the Network with its current members as a UK based charitable company limited by guarantee. We also took this opportunity to establish new partnerships with interested organisations that will work with us to achieve our aims and objectives as set out in our charter (see link).

The current and newly invited founder partners will constitute the relaunched IMHCN and will enables us to continue the three main strands of our work:

  • To campaign for the closure of psychiatric institutions through the development of comprehensive community mental health services.
  • The development of Whole Life - Whole System Community approach by developing Strategies and implementing them through partnership working with local communities harnessing their strengths, resilience and resources.
  • To promote and provide opportunities for people with mental health issues and their families to develop their own recovery plans through self determination, autonomy and a full recognition of their assets.

Members have agreed to:

  • Sign up to the Charter of Purpose and Action
  • Share information about the implementation of Whole Life – Whole Systems practice within their organisation and their community partners with the Network
  • Provide a short description of service provision. Identify good practices in community mental health and recovery approaches that are useful to share with other members and enable the network to build a resource library
  • Participate in Twinning Collaboration Agreements (see here)
  • Prepared to host occasional international schools on specific topics of interest to the membership
  • Prepared to contribute and participate in IMHCN conferences, symposiums and workshops
  • Identify individuals who would be prepared to provide expertise and contribute to our international developmental work.
  • Spread knowledge of the work of IMHCN through seeking potential new partners and members in your region and/or country

The current partners as of 2023 are:

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Method of work

The Network achieves its aims through interconnected activities that facilitate shared learning, service development and innovation promoting whole life recovery practices. This is being achieved by holding conferences and symposiums; international schools, training workshops and learning sets; study visits; work placements; and twinning with  organisations with similar values, principles and experiences. We have an internet based forum on LinkedIn and a website.

Conferences and workshops in Whole Life Whole System Approach, Recovery into Practice,  Community Mental Health  Development. The IMHCN holds an annual think tank conference and organises symposiums, learning sets and workshops in partnership with member organizations around the world.

Strategic and Practice Development The IMHCN provides a range of tailored services and products including training and consultancy designed to assist communities, organisations and individuals to transform the thinking and culture of psychiatric services with a focus on the whole life needs of people.

International Twinning Collaboration Agreements between Mental Health Organizations These are formal agreements to work together and exchange staff in small groups on specific developments learning from good practice and a recovery based approach.

Training and education Providing technical expertise in participative and interactive outcome based training for professionals, managers, service users, families and policy makers. This includes: Whole Life Recovery practice; Community mental health strategic development; Management of change; Innovation in person centred support; Community Development approaches to mental health planning

International Schools, Study Visits and Exhange Programmes Four Season International schools bring together a small group of people for an intensive residential shared learning experience focused on the work and practice of the host organisation. We also organise short study visits and exchange programmes within our memebrs partnerships

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Foundation of the IMHCN

 Thirty years ago a number of individuals and organisations developed an informal network to share experiences about  the development of community mental health and the closure or running down of psychiatric institutions. They came together because they shared a common view of philosophy, the need to share good practice and as well the frustrations and problems they accounted. They supported each other in a time of early policy formulation and implementation.

Conferences and workshops were held in different places in the world that identified many centers of innovative and creative work in community mental health services and practice.

In 2004 it was decided to develop the informal network into an International NGO and thus the IMHCN was formed.

The founder members who constituted the first executive board can be found here.

The IMHCN devised and published a Foundation Document that set out its purpose, mission, values and principles. The Foundation Document can be downloaded here.

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