Our charitable foundation has taken a new initiative to help target communities assess their social service needs and update their social passports as part of our ongoing project to support the social protection system.
Our regional teams have been holding coordination meetings with representatives of social protection institutions. We are pleased to report that communities have expressed a strong desire to expand the range of social services available to provide basic support to citizens in need. By preparing or updating social passports, we can effectively identify the pressing needs of the community and provide timely assistance where it is needed most.
A social passport serves as a comprehensive document that provides vital information about a community’s resources and social characteristics. It encompasses various aspects such as the administrative-territorial structure, demographic status, employment/unemployment rate, infrastructure, housing and utilities, public and religious organizations, local government and budget, as well as the risks faced by community residents.
As part of our commitment to supporting the social protection system, we have developed an optimal format for a social passport that covers all areas of community life. This document allows to easily identify whether the community provides essential services such as banking, postal, administrative, communication, and social services. Additionally, we can determine the availability of medical, educational, cultural, and sports facilities that are accessible to the population and whether there are district police officers, social workers, fire brigades, and other essential services.
A key step in the development of a social passport is to assess the needs of the community. This involves collecting and analyzing information from individuals and families about their needs and concerns through the use of questionnaires and focus group discussions by an authority or a contractor. The information gathered is then analyzed and generalized to develop a comprehensive overview of the community’s social reality, which is reflected in the social passport.
A social passport is a valuable tool for public management of local development, as it allows to:
- Assess the potential of the community;
- Stimulate the expansion of the range and improvement of the quality of social services;
- Ensure adequate living conditions for the population;
- Increase the capacity of the community and representative bodies to solve problems at the local level and at the expense of the local budget.
Yuliana Hasanbekova, the Foundation’s coordinator for the development of social passports, added,
“A social passport is a tool for creating a community’s image and popularizing its successes. At the same time, it carries an important message for investors and donors: ‘We are open to communication and suggestions! We know the social reality in the community and want to change it for the better.’ The work carried out in the community to assess service needs and develop a social passport also positively affects the image of local self-government bodies. Their activities become transparent, the local policy becomes socially oriented, and there is feedback between the recipient and the service provider. As a result, the quality of services is improved, and the time required to receive them is significantly reduced. This is important for both local residents and IDPs who are integrating into the life of the community.”
As life in the community is constantly evolving, it is important to update the social passport at least once a year, and more frequently if necessary.
How we help communities develop social passports
We select the communities that most need support in creating or updating this document based on the results of the coordination meetings. This year, our foundation is implementing such activities in 14 oblasts across Ukraine, including Cherkaska, Chernivetska, Khmelnytska, Kyivska, Kirovohradska, Lvivska, Odeska, Poltavska, Rivnenska, Ternopilska, Vinnytska, Volynska, Zakarpatska, and Zhytomyrska.
To facilitate the creation or updating of social passports, our team will provide methodological and advisory support to the target communities in conducting a needs assessment and drawing up the document. We have already begun our work, and in March, communities began to create working groups on these issues.
All initiatives within the project “Supporting the capacity of the social protection system to register internally displaced persons” are carried out with the support of the UN Refugee Agency in Ukraine. In February, we held 67 coordination meetings in 20 oblasts. In particular, at 42 meetings in 12 regions, we discussed cooperation in assessing community needs for social services and developing social passports.
Learn more about identifying the social service needs of ATC populations and the development of social passports in our guide here.