Abstract: Modern demographic trends in the field of fertility have led to increased state attention in recent years to issues of social protection of motherhood and childhood, social support for families with children. This trend has resulted in a significant increase in the list and volume of social benefits and other social benefits, and an increase in the number of their recipients. The issue of evaluating the effectiveness of measures taken by the state is becoming increasingly relevant, not only from the standpoint of quantitative statistical indicators, but also by studying the opinion of beneficiaries. The article presents the results of a study aimed at determining subjective assessments of the material security of families with children in connection with their receipt of social protection and support measures. The object of the study is families with children belonging to the categories of large and foster families. By the method of in-depth qualitative interviews, representatives of households of 10 large families and 10 foster families living in large and small cities of the Irkutsk region were interviewed. The author has revealed significant differences in assessments between representatives of different categories of families with children. Large families express dissatisfaction with the following positions: the availability and amount of social benefits; the amount of benefits and the complexity of obtaining them. In conditions of dependence of social benefits on the size of the per capita income of family members, the status of having many children ceases to play a social protection role, not being a significant factor in ensuring the material well-being of the family. On the contrary, foster families note: a significant increase in the amount of payments for the maintenance of foster children and the remuneration of foster parents; an increase in the list and volume of additional social support measures. These measures have made it possible to increase the level of financial security of foster families. Foster parents expressed the need to take into account the needs of foster children not only of a minimal nature, but also related to their development, health maintenance, and additional education. The results obtained made it possible to formulate approaches to solving problems of a social protection nature of the considered categories of families with children. For foster families, it is important to gradually expand measures of social support for foster children based on monitoring needs. In relation to large families, it is necessary to radically change the social protection mechanisms based on the recognition of the status of having many children, which gives the right to receive additional social guarantees.

Abstract: Providing employment opportunities for senior citizens in the context of increasing life expectancy of the  population is worldwide recognized as a necessary condition for active aging. Solution of this problem is mainstreamed due to raising the retirement age. The goals of this research is to describe the trends in the sphere of employment of senior citizens in the Russian Federation, which includes people of retirement and pre-retirement age, as well as assess the possibilities of implementing work activity of “age” employees. The problem of employment of Russian senior citizens is examined via analysis and systematization of the government statistics and secondary analysis of the data of monitoring and one-time sociological research (Russian monitoring of economic situation and public health, online surveys of employers and job applicants, local regional studies). The acquired results reveal the existing contradiction between the increasing motivation of senior citizens to continue work activity and inability of the system of social production to ensure necessary opportunities for its implementation. The steps taken by the government on providing legal guarantees for employment of the senior citizens, namely people of pre-retirement age, have not yet yielded the desired results. Having analyzed the factors that promote or impede the employment of senior citizens, the authors conclude on the need of the following issues to be addressed as a matter of urgency: interest of the employers in providing employment for senior citizens, and overcoming ageist stereotypes in the society that unreasonably reduce the value of labor capacity of “age” employees.

Abstract: This article is dedicated to certain aspects in development of social services for senior citizens. Demographic trend of aging of the population actualizes solution of the questions related to livelihood of senior people, among which is the development and implementation of new types of social services and technologies meeting the essential need of senior population. On the example of in-patient replacement technology “foster family for seniors”, the article explores the relevant issues of implementation of such social technologies. High demand for such life order of the senior citizens, and obvious advantages of economic and sociocultural characteristics in relation to the traditional forms of in-patient facilities, substantiate the need to expanding the scale of its utilization and carrying out research on the problems and results of its implementation. Analysis is conducted on the example of Irkutsk Region, using the methods of qualitative semi-structured interview with the participants of foster families and expert assessments, ensuring implementation of the technology. The a special role of assessment of the quality and results of implementation of social technology in the aspect of its development is determined. The author highlights the vectors of control and assessment of results of implementation of the technology and function of their subjects, which include: senior citizens living in foster families; members of foster families; personnel accompanying foster families; experts and heads of the structures of social service and social protection involved in the process of implementation of foster family technology for senior population.