Queen Fabiola Fund for Mental Health

The Queen Fabiola Fund for Mental Health was founded on 10 October 2004 - mental health day - within the framework of the King Baudouin Foundation and it continues with the activities of the former Queen Fabiola Foundation.

The main objective of the fund is to organise activities in the field of mental health and to stimulate the exchange of ideas and good practice between the various organisations and association which are active in this area.

These five objectives are as follows:

to stress the importance of mental health in our society
to obtain the involvement of the users and their families in the content and organisation of mental healthcare
to support the work of healthcare providers who are active in the various forms of mental healthcare
to encourage the sectors and actors concerned to participate actively in the optimisation of mental health
to support the reflection on the various issues of mental health

Work and Mental Health: a priority

Inspired by the work entitled Au plus près des gens (Getting close to people, published by the King Baudouin Foundation in 2005), starting in 2007, the Fund's work will be based on a two-year cycle focussing on one of the topics raised by the book.

The theme of the first three-year cycle (2007-2009) is Work and Mental Health. Both the issue of loss of employment and the rehabilitation through work of people with mental problems are dealt with.

The Queen Fabiola Fund therefore launched a consultation process on this theme with people actively involved in the field. Two round tables held in 2007, one on 5 June, the other on 20 September, will explore the issue, serve as forums for exchanging experiences and spotlight a few 'good practices'.

The results of the round tables will be applied by launching a call for projects designed to support innovative initiatives in this domain. They will be presented at the Museum Dr Guislain in Ghent on 9 November 2007 to celebrate 'Queen Fabiola: 40 years spent focussing on mental health'.

The aim of the call for projects "Encountering the 'other' at work. Highlighting the importance of experience-based expertise in the process for the occupational (re) integration of people with mental problems or a mental disability.

Ten projects were selected in 2008. They were assessed in 2009.

The second cycle (2010-2013) allows the Queen Fabiola Fund to continue its campaign on the theme of Work and Mental Health.

In order to further increase the effectiveness of its campaign, the Queen Fabiola Fund joined forces in 2011 with the Julie Renson Fund and the King Baudouin Foundation.

By pooling their ressources, these three partners have set themselves a fourfold mission :

To recognize and turn the spotlight on mental vulnerability
To encourage an approach that fosters the autonomy of the patient and his network
To defend the rights of spychiatric patients
To call upon the contribution of real-life experience

The Queen Fabiola Fund, the Julie Renson Fund and the King Baudouin Foundation followed several courses of action :

Projects were supported, grants and incentive awards were distributed in Belgium to improve the process of occupational rehabilitation of individuals with mental problems
Research was carried out on the pitfalls of inactivity
Focus groups and interviews (collecting real-life testimonies of users) were organized to strengthen the voice of users in order to help bridge the gap between the world of work and that of mental health
Recommendations were formulated from the perspective of users in order to improve collaboration between the systems of health care and employment

Finally, along with those activities, the two Funds and the Foundation have pencilled in for 2013-2014 two studies on the support practices and support services used by persons with mental problems and their families to improve their quality of life.

Contact:

Mr Yves Dario, Program Manager
King Baudouin Foundation
Rue Bréderode 21
1000 Brussels
Tel. : +32 (0)2-549.61.73
Fax : +32 (0)2-511.52.21
dario.y@kbs-frb.be
www.kbs-frb.be