| Objective: Observe the development of social services through the study of structural, dynamic, organisational and functional characteristics of nonprofit bodies and public direct service providers Survey unit: nonprofit organisations and public entities engaged in social services Data collection technique: CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing). |
The survey is part of the Institute’s recurrent research activities that aim to observe, on a two-year basis, the development and changes in social services through the study of the structural, dynamic, organisational and functional characteristics of nonprofit entities, as the main providers of social services.
Social services are a broad and multifaceted field that fulfil a fundamental role in protecting and guaranteeing rights at the basis of welfare, classified according to the Interregional Nomenclator of Social Interventions and Services, which includes 79 items (and 6 sub-items) of elementary service grouped by Inapp into 9 homogeneous areas of service in order to facilitate the dissemination and understanding of the subject.
The units of analysis of the survey are nonprofit organisations engaged in social services, classified, as per the 7 sections of RUNTS, into: Social enterprises (or social cooperatives), Voluntary organisations, Social promotion associations, Philanthropic entities (or foundations), Membership networks, Mutual aid societies, Other third sector entities.
The survey, which is sample-based, studies nonprofit entities in four sectors: Education and research; Healthcare; Social assistance and Civil defense; Economic development and Social cohesion (in 2016 there were only two sectors: Healthcare; Social assistance and Civil defense).
The field research phase is conducted entirely in-house with a CAWI (Computer Assisted Web Interviewing) technique, using an online application to implement the self-completion questionnaire. This survey technique has been gradually refined with the succession of survey rounds, especially in terms of the technical assistance provided to participants.
The 2020 edition duly considered the extraordinary conditions and limitations imposed by the pandemic, enriching the questionnaire with a new section devoted to the effects of the Covid emergency on service operations, employees and organisations.
Contact: [email protected].
Materials related to individual years: