The EQUICARES approach adopts the Levesque Framework, which assesses service accessibility through the lenses of approachability, acceptability, availability, affordability, and appropriateness.
The framework will be expanded to specifically address the needs of individuals in vulnerable situations.

A mixed-methods approach will be used, including:

• Ethnographic research (both in-person and digital)

• Application of the Levesque framework to create new mental health-related indicators for evaluating accessibility barriers

• Conducting interviews, focus groups, and surveys

• Collaboration with cultural mediators when needed to build trust and facilitate engagement with vulnerable populations

• Enhancement and integration of existing EU and national databases (e.g., EU-SILC, European Health Interview Survey) for comprehensive analysis

Smart Health Labs:
Eight Smart Health Labs will be established for each pilot, including representatives from people in vulnerable situations. These labs, both physical and virtual, are designed to innovate the design and delivery of mental health services, ensuring that individuals in vulnerable situations are not only recipients of care but also active co-creators of solutions. By integrating digital innovation, social economy practices, and collaboration among multiple stakeholders, the labs will set the stage for improving healthcare accessibility. This approach will help minimise bias by ensuring diverse representation from people in vulnerable situations.

Co-creating and Piloting the proposed solutions: This approach empowers individuals in vulnerable situations by involving them as co-creators of mental health services, rather than passive recipients. By engaging them in the development process, we ensure the creation of pragmatic, sustainable, and socially inclusive service models that lead the way for scalable policy recommendations. In each pilot site, a small-scale project that is based on the scientific paradigm of Citizen Science will be implemented. Citizen Science has been appraised as a method for empowering non-scientific actors, while its application in the mental health domain can have a transformative potential as per the latest research.

Monitoring, Assessment & Cost-Analysis Tools

• Provides data on service affordability and accessibility as well as on other life satisfaction elements. Tracks impact through cost-consequence analysis and performance tools.

• Helps evaluate financial and social implications in mental health access.

Atlas of Innovative Mental Health Solutions

• Dashboard of the identified innovative solutions

• Categorised solutions with interactive visualisations

• Customisable preferences

AI-Based Assistant

• Provides personalised mental health support

• Is tested by end-users in the Smart Health Labs

• Fosters mental health and digital literacy

• Analyses trends and forecasts needs

• Matches policymakers with relevant solutions

Site-Specific Policy Briefs

• Summarises research and pilot findings

• Provides tailored policy recommendations for stakeholders

• Deploys the roadmap for scaling successful interventions to address mental health challenges

Replication Handbook

• Provides guidance in developing a roadmap for assessing access to mental health and care service

• Includes the EQUICARES methodology and the project’s solutions