Mental Healthcare and Forensic Care Aim to Improve Collaboration

SINT MAARTEN/CURACAO - Mental healthcare (MH) and forensic care (FC) in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom aim to enhance collaboration. Speakers from all parts of the Kingdom will share insights on 'best practices' and challenges within MH and FC during a conference in Curaçao on April 15, 16, and 17.

The signatories of the Four-Party Consultation on Justice and the Four-Country Consultation on Public Health have instructed both the FC and MH working groups to propose ways to improve collaboration in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. Challenges such as outdated legislation which limits options for care and treatment in mental health forensic are important focal points.

Participants will share experiences, gain inspiration, and meet stakeholders within the mental health forensic care chain. Together, they will make recommendations to improve various forms of mental health forensic care, which will ultimately lead to improving the overall mental health care chain. The outcomes and recommendations of the conference will be presented to the signatories the Four-Party Consultation on Justice and the Four-Country Consultation on Public Health

The conference will cover various topics such as legislative developments on forced MH, FC within detention, outpatient forensic care, addiction care, and aftercare. So far, 125 participants from the Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, the BES Islands (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba), and Suriname have registered.

Dutch Caribbean Mental Health

The conference will also take further steps to strengthen and formalize the collaboration between various MH parties in the Caribbean part of the kingdom into the Federation Dutch Caribbean Mental Health. This includes the foundations FSMA Respaldo (Aruba), GGZ Curaçao, Brasami (Curaçao), PSI Skuchami (Curaçao), Mental Health Foundation Sint Maarten, and Mental Health Caribbean. The federation aims to promote the quality of mental healthcare on all islands within the kingdom. It will facilitate the exchange of substantive and organizational expertise, particularly in the areas of quality and further development, legislation, and education.