Work Package 7

Transfer of
ABC Practice

ABC logo

Act, Belong, Commit

Work Package 7 focuses on the transfer and implementation of Act, Belong, Commit (ABC), an evidence‑based mental health promotion framework that encourages people to stay active, build social connections, and engage in meaningful activities. It was created and developed by Curtin University (Australia), based on extensive research into factors that support positive mental health.

Across Europe, countries face common needs: reducing mental health inequalities, strengthening preventive approaches, and adopting interventions that are flexible enough to adapt to diverse cultural and systemic contexts. ABC responds to these needs through a simple, scalable and evidence‑based framework that promotes positive mental health through three pillars:

  • Act: staying mentally, physically, socially and spiritually active
  • Belong: nurturing relationships, joining groups and strengthening social connection
  • Commit: engaging in meaningful, purposeful activities

The role of WP7 within JA PRISM

This Work Package plays a central role in PRISM by coordinating, supporting, and monitoring the transfer of the ABC practice pilot sites.

Its role within PRISM includes:

  • Bridging evidence and practice, ensuring local adaptations of ABC maintain fidelity to the core components while responding to contextual specificity
  • Close collaboration with other WPs, especially WP3, which provides the methodological framework and common criteria for implementation across all sites; and WP4, which works towards the implementation sustainability
  • Providing a distinctive contribution, as the work package responsible for the hands‑on transfer of a concrete practice, generating insights, lessons learned and models that can feed into broader policy and system‑level improvements
  • Ensuring coherence across levels, acting as a link between local implementation sites, national coordination structures and the European governance of the Joint Action

By doing so, the WP ensures that the transfer of ABC not only results in successful pilots but also in increased systemic capacity for evidence‑based mental health promotion practices across Europe.

Lead

Institute for Health Systems Research Biosistemak (BS), Basque Country, Spain

Co-lead

L’Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM), France

Countries with ABC implementation sites

Work Package 7 has five main activities to reach its goal

Situation analysis

  • Identify and engage key stakeholders for the deployment of the ABC practice in each implementation site
  • Establish Local/Regional/National Implementation Teams with stakeholders in child and youth mental health promotion and prevention of mental distress
  • Gain in‑depth knowledge of the ABC practice, its scientific and behavioural framework, and the methodological approach
  • Conduct the situation analysis to identify needs, facilitators, barriers and required resources, providing a clear overview of priorities and strategic actions for implementation and sustainability

Adaptation to local contexts and requirements

  • Adapt the ABC practice based on findings from the situation analysis to ensure feasibility, acceptability and relevance in each setting
  • Define context‑specific pathways from early detection to referral and access to mental health services where appropriate
  • Involve people with lived experience (PLE) and/or civil society representatives to ensure adaptations meet real local needs

Incorporation of cross‑cutting mental health issues

  • Identify mental‑health‑related needs not fully covered by the ABC practice through the situation analysis
  • Apply the “add‑on methodology” to integrate targeted micro‑interventions addressing these gaps
  • Co‑develop micro‑interventions with PLE and/or civil society representatives to ensure local relevance

Development of action plans

  • Develop action plans based on the situation analysis and adaptation process, serving as the roadmap for implementing ABC practice
  • Define objectives, activities, responsible actors, KPIs (process, output, outcome), timeframe and implementation settings

Deployment and monitoring of implementation

  • Begin implementation of the ABC practice across participating countries, deploying context‑specific interventions

Resources