This paper discusses an issue of the prospects for increasing the information transparency of the system of social welfare and social services in the context of digital transformation through the prism of its perception by the population. We touch upon the issues of low informativeness and insufficient interactivity of official Internet resources on such topics, their unpopularity and, as a consequence — the low awareness of state social assistance and social services among the population. We conducted a survey of the population in the Perm region. The data of our survey show the expectations of citizens who are already receiving or applying to receive social benefits and social services in relation to the introduction of new digital technologies in this area in the near future. Citizens want to be able to independently select possible benefits and social services, choose an appropriate social agency, while doing that with the help of interactive services on the official websites of social welfare bodies and social agencies. They want to consult online, have an option to receive all social services in remote format, make appointments with the social welfare authorities and social agencies via the Internet, complain and evaluate the work of specialists serving them online. Citizens also hope to have terminals in public places with reference information on benefits and social services, to receive leaflets and brochures with such information, to take part in free training on thematic sites and mobile applications, to rent android robots for home-based services for the elderly and persons with disabilities, to enter information about themselves into the databases of social welfare bodies and social agencies on their own. The results obtained can be used for the development of information policy aimed at increasing the efficiency of digital transformation in the social sphere.

This article presents the author’s definitions of “digitization of social service provision” and “digitization of social services” concepts and identifies the difference between them. It presents the results of an interview with 18 experts — the heads of institutions and organizations of social service provision implementing the rehabilitation of disabled people in Perm region. The research was conducted in 2019 and sought to identify problems and prospects for the digitization of the social services sphere. Interviewees rated their satisfaction regarding the convenience and time cost of automated systems that are currently being used in their organizations; characterized their needs in introducing various innovative interactive services, mobile applications, and other digital software; and expressed their attitude to various innovations. Social innovations were developed by the researchers and offered to experts by interviewers (for example, services for assessing the quality of work of specialists by service users, quick selection of the right social service, filing a complaint, referring a citizen to another organization, counseling in video mode, electronic appointment service, etc.). The research has shown how innovations can improve the performance of social service providers’ work and the quality of their interactions with citizens, which will ultimately increase the satisfaction of social service users and will positively affect the level of social well-being in society as a whole. A number of problems have been identified that currently impede the development of digitization: they are related to staff resources, the level of computerization, the lack of motivation among managers and personnel of social service organizations to implement innovative IT, and a certain distrust that such technologies can facilitate the activities of the organization and increase its effectiveness. Keywords: digitization, social service provision, social services, social institutions, social work

in the article on the basis of the network approach, a scientific analysis of trends in the digitalization of social welfare and social services is proposed, the stages of this process are highlighted. The features of interaction of social work subjects with citizens in the context of digitalization in Russia are shown. Particular emphasis is placed on the inevitability of accelerating the introduction of digital technologies under the influence of the self-isolation regime due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Based on a number of empirical studies conducted in the Perm Region in 2019–2020, the problems and prospects of digitalization of the social welfare system and social services are described, new trends in this area are shown. We also is analyze the formation of informal communities in the virtual space, allowing the population to independently create additional, alternative channels of self-information about measures of social support or social services. Some recommendations are proposed for improving the process of digitalization of social welfare and social services, some expectations of society in this direction are shown.

В обзоре рассмотрены специфика современных практик социально ориентированных некоммерческих организаций (СО НКО) и социального предпринимательства (СП) в Пермском крае. Определены отличительные черты и элементы социального предпринимательства с учетом существования разных подходов к объяснению самого явления. Феномен показан в дуалистической форме, т. к. рассматривается с одной стороны, как частный случай бизнеса, с другой – как элемент гражданского общес­тва, поскольку представляет собой возможность комбинирования коммерческой устойчивости и социальной пользы от инвестиций. Исследуются уровень развития и меры институциональной поддержки организаций СП и СО НКО в Пермском крае. В регионе отмечается не только количественный рост негосударственного сектора социальной сферы, но и успешность отдельных пермских социально ориентированных организаций на федеральном уровне. В крае сформирована база грантовой помощи некоммерческим организациям, функционирует ресурсный центр, обеспечивающий организационную и информационную поддержку НКО и СП. Установлено, что, несмотря на предполагаемый долговременный характер и постоянство бизнес-процессов, социальное предпринимательство в Пермском крае не достигло уровня развития СО НКО как в отношении результативности в решении проблем социальной сферы, так и в отношении формирования положительного имиджа. Исследователи связывают данный факт с недостаточностью информационной открытости и прозрачности работы СП в Пермском крае. Также рассматриваются успешные практики СП и СО НКО. Значительная часть последних применяет технологию обратной связи как ресурс для минимизации обезличенности акта благотворительности. Многие СО НКО диверсифицируют источники финансирования, в т. ч. за счет регулярных платежей со стороны многочисленных частных доноров путем онлайн-фандрайзинга. Перспективы развития СП и СО НКО в регионе авторы связывают с популяризацией идей социального предпринимательства, с реализацией обучающих и акселерационных программ, с повышением информационной доступности и максимальной открытости деятельности организаций, что будет способствовать формированию позитивного общественного имиджа, а также с совершенствованием законодательного регулирования отдельных видов деятельности социальных предпринимателей и открытием новых сфер деятельности СП.