TARGETED SOCIAL ASSISTANCE: THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL ASPECTS

Abstract

The article highlights the issue of targeted social assistance as an important tool for social security of the population.The emphasis is on the importance of providing targeted social assistance to the most vulnerable segments of the population, especially internally displaced persons (IDPs), low-income families and persons with disabilities in the context of modern crises. The purpose of the study is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of targeted social assistance as a tool of social policy. Particular attention is paid to the problems of accessibility of social services for certain categories of citizens, in particular those who have fallen outside the state support system due to the imperfection of the criteria for determining the right to assistance.The current state of financing of the social sphere, the distribution of types of social assistance and the specifics of their provision in 2024 are analyzed. The main features of targeting are determined: targeting assistance to the most needy, an individual approach, effective use of budget funds, as well as ensuring the targeted nature of social payments.The practical aspect of using methods for directing social assistance is presented: assessing the degree of need of a person/household (direct and point methods); providing assistance to target categories of the population; self- selection of recipients of targeted assistance; assigning assistance based on geographical grounds; assigning assistance to members of certain territorial communities.The article also identifies the key disadvantages of targeted assistance: the risk of dependence on the state and reduced motivation for self-development; high administrative costs required to determine the legitimacy of receiving assistance; insufficient flexibility in crisis situations, in the event of sudden changes, when rapid assistance is needed for a wide range of people.