Russian CSOs to report on problems with provision of social services
CSOs are being asked to report on problems regarding the provision of social services
19.05.2026
Article published on the miloserdie.ru website
The Presidential Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights is conducting a nationwide survey of organisations which provide social services.
The Council is launching a major exercise to monitor social services provision, including those offered by SONGOs.
This stems from a Presidential directive that was issued following a meeting between human rights activists and the head of State last December. This addressed complaints raised by SONGOs about obstacles being created by regional authorities in receiving statutory payments for providing social services to people with disabilities, the elderly, families in crisis and others in need of support.
In particular, discussions centred on the failure of regions to include social services recipients on their registers, only entrusting CSOs with low-paid jobs and delaying payments.
“The problems still lie in the regions. Not all non-governmental social services providers are well-received by the authorities, nor do they have the opportunity to realise their professional potential”, said Ekaterina Smoroda, a member of the Human Rights Council. She added that the results of the monitoring initiative would be used to draft recommendations to address this issue.
The monitoring is being conducted in the form of a confidential survey, so no personal information is required. Representatives from organisations working in the social care sector and in the provision of social services to the public can answer the questions via the following link:
“We are inviting all social services providers, particularly non-governmental ones, to take part in the survey”, said Smoroda.
