Non-Governmental Organizations as Subjects of Improving the Quality of Social Services: Foreign Practices

Abstract

The article focuses on the role of NGOs in improving the quality of social services against the backdrop of transformations in modern social policy systems. The review of different theories about the definition of NGOs and social services makes it possible to comprehend them not only as institutions but also as more complicated categories. A special emphasis is put on the interaction mechanisms between the government and the third sector, including the concept of social services' co-production, implying that their production involves not only institutions but also their recipients. The significance of the international experience and cross-sectoral cooperation as determinants of the effectiveness of social services is also discussed.

The article provides the analysis of the main prerequisites for successful NGO involvement in the social field, based on an assessment of the institutional capacity, funding type, and the quality of the legislative framework based on an overview of the world's scientific literature and practical observations in Ukraine. The main obstacles to NGOs' involvement in the social field, such as financial instability, inequitable resource allocation, problems associated with formalization, and unaccountability to service users, are identified.

Much emphasis is placed on the problem of evaluating the quality of social services, understood as a category of a multilayer structure, including the technical component, process aspect, results, and the subjective side of recipients' experience. The influence of regulation in terms of creating preconditions for effective cooperation of NGOs, especially in terms of developing quality standards, monitoring, and partnership relations models, is considered.

As the final statement, it is pointed out that the impact of NGOs on the improvement of the quality of social services is situational, and possible only when institutional cooperation, resource stability, and people-oriented approach are ensured.