Project title

Beyond the Gate: What Indonesia Can Learn from the Netherlands’ Deinstitutionalisation Journey

Research question

How can the Netherlands’ experience in deinstitutionalising mental health services guide Indonesia’s transition to community-based care, and which contextual factors must be addressed for an effective, rights-based reform?

Project description

In Indonesia, people with psychosocial disabilities are still predominantly cared for within institutional settings. This project explores how Indonesia might move towards a more inclusive, community-based model of mental health support – one that prioritises independence, recovery, and full participation in society.

To do so, Antoni Tsaputra draws on the experience of the Netherlands, a country that has gradually replaced large psychiatric institutions with local services built around patients’ rights and autonomy. By comparing policies, funding systems, and stakeholder roles in both countries, and by taking into account cultural factors such as family roles, community leadership, and the stigma surrounding mental health, he identifies practical approaches that could be adapted to the Indonesian context. Drawing on document analysis, interviews, and field observations, the project aims to produce a concrete roadmap for reform — and to lay the groundwork for a more rights-based system in which people with psychosocial disabilities can live independently and participate fully in society.

Selected publications