Metropolitan research institute (MRI): updates and insights from the SOLACE CEE Project
Events so far:
1. Kick-off meeting in Kosice (28-29 oct. 2024)
The first meeting of the project was organized by DEDO Foundation between 28 and 29 October, 2024 in Kosice. meeting centered around the project objectives, indicators, pilot innovations and work package activities. We discussed monitoring, needs assessment and about the type and method of how to communicate the results. We agreed on further key discussion events for the innovation team.
2. Innovation Team meeting in Budapest (05-06 dec. 2024)
The second meeting was held in Budapest on 5 and 6 December, 2024, hosted by the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta (HCSOM). We worked on developing a common understanding of the integration of health and social care, trauma-informed care and housing first values. HCSOM shared with us all its experience in telemedicine, both from medical, research and support service perspectives. HCSOM also presented its health portfolio of traditional and digital elements, including details of the planned pilots and led a field visit to one of their shelters with health facilities in a temporary shelter offering respiratory care.
The MRI team outlined the main issues of the assessment process, and the expectations from the project partners. Eszter Somogyi was elected as lead of the innovation team.
Tasks Completed
1. Online consultations on the needs assessment for the questionnaire
During November and December we had a series of effective meetings with project partners to discuss the needs assessment process on a bilateral basis. During the online meetings, we also identified common and individual aspects to be taken into account in the monitoring and evaluation plan:
- what are the common objectives of the project,
- what are the skills and experience of each partner so far,
- who will be the target group during the project,
- how many people will be the target audience,
- whether there are specific needs and, if so, what they are.
2. Monitoring and Evaluation Plan
As a result of our online discussions, by mid December, MRI prepared the Monitoring and Evaluation Plan, which included the main topics for measurement, monitoring and evaluation. The plan detailed the topics that will be included in clients’ questionnaires, and social and health workers’ interviews.
3. Development of a draft questionnaire for project entry measurement
We took the opportunity of the online meetings to work on the draft questionnaire for the project entry measurement which was prepared for participating organisations in Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary so that the partners can launch the data collection in March 2025. The project-entry questionnaire covers the following main topics:
- Demographic information
- Living conditions
- Family structure
- Employment
- Specific needs
- Traumatic events
- Medical history to identify health conditions, substance abuse, and mental health support needs
- Health literacy and use of services in general
Work in progress
1. Needs Assessment – preliminary opinion on the prepared questionnaire
The finalisation of the questionnaire is taking place along with the needs assessment interview guidelines in online meetings with the project partners, in order to adjust the data collection tools to the individual (specific) profile of the organisations and their specific comments. Given that some organisations target individuals, whereas others work with families we are designing separate single client questionnaires and household client questionnaires.
2. Team Meeting Consultations
MRI is a member of the Innovation Team and the Communication Team. The teams are organising regular online meetings to share their initiatives and ideas, to discuss upcoming activities, and also best design the partners’ role in the processes. While MRI makes sure that the project processes are advancing through its contributions to the Streeting Committee and Project Management Committee meetings, the discussions within these two key Teams are a great resource for inspiration.
