Digitization of social welfare entities and its importance for the effective implementation of social services in the public management system

Background: For almost a decade, before the Covid-19 pandemic forcefully highlighted the importance of this area, the digital future of Europe had been the main focus of European Union politicians and senior officials. In February 2020, the European Commission published the communication “Shaping Europe’s Digital Future,” which outlines the European Union's digital transformation strategy. Research objectives: This article aims to identify the information and communication technology tools used by a public entity providing social services such as a Social Assistance Centre (SAC). The SAC is the basic organizational entity implementing social policy goals in the social welfare subsystem, functioning in every municipality in Poland. Research design and methods: The research method used in this article was a case study. Results: The implementation of digital tools into the OPS enabled the entity to identify problems in real time and respond to them faster, make more accurate decisions faster and more efficiently, and access a huge amount of data that improved the analyses carried out. Conclusions: The use of modern technologies in organizations providing social services contributes to a better use of available resources. In the broader perspective of city, regional, or national governance, the use of ICT provides new evidence for the design of community-based public policies and their adaptation to new realities, enables reforming the operation of public organizations, and increases the transparency of public sector activities.