A family in a difficult life situation as an object of state social policy

Currently, there is no legally fixed concept of a family in a difficult life situation in normative legal acts, no signs of classifying families as those who are in a difficult life situation, no unified typology of such families. As a result, social support measures for such families are not being fully implemented. In this regard, the study aims to clarify the conceptual content of the term “family in a difficult life situation”, substantiate the signs of such a situation and develop a typology of families in a difficult life situation requiring measures within the framework of state social policy. The research materials were normative legal acts - the national standard of the Russian Federation in the field of social services, legislation on state social assistance, legislation on probation, as well as scientific publications that reveal the concept of a difficult life situation, the characteristics of families whose circumstances allow them to be classified as families in a difficult life situation. The analysis of normative legal acts and theoretical sources and the classification method are used as research methods. The analysis of the content of normative legal acts made it possible to clarify the definition of the concept of a difficult life situation, to substantiate the signs of classifying families as those who are in a difficult life situation, to identify the types of families that can be classified as those who are in a difficult life situation. The analysis of theoretical sources provided an opportunity to systematize the authors' approaches to defining the concept of a difficult life situation, identifying families who experience a diverse range of difficulties in different life circumstances. The results of the analysis of normative legal acts and publications of domestic researchers were the basis for substantiating the research approach to classifying families in difficult life situations. The classification method made it possible, based on the definition of the characteristics of the object under study, to orient oneself in the variety of types of modern families, to identify among them the category of families in difficult life situations and to develop their typology. The theoretical justification and subsequent normative legal consolidation of the category “family in a difficult life situation” will ensure regulatory certainty and may contribute to improving the effectiveness of state social policy. The results of the study consist in substantiating the concept of a family in a difficult life situation, highlighting objective signs of classifying families as studied, developing a typology of families in a difficult life situation with differentiation of the characteristics of their family situation and resource constraints. The causal complex of objective difficulties in the life of families is diverse. The causes of difficulties and the peculiarities of the life of families act as a basis for determining the nature, scope and duration of state support measures for such families. The author declares no conflicts of interests.

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