The Digital Family Card (DFC) is an innovative solution that aims to improve the quality of people's lives by utilizing digital technologies and data-driven decision making. The project was implemented by “National Information Technologies” in partnership with UNDP Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The DFC is a platform capable of quickly and efficiently collecting, integrating, and processing data on the most vulnerable groups of the population of Kazakhstan. This is achieved through a holistic family well-being assessment that eliminates silos among various government entities. The well-being assessment is based on the indicators sourced from the 120 government databases that include public data on socio-economic, education, health, and housing conditions.
The DFC analyzes vulnerabilities, identifies target populations in need of support, and provides comprehensive public services to vulnerable groups in a proactive manner, i.e. certain services are automatically delivered to an individual/ family as a mechanism to prevent the deterioration of their socio-economic condition. This way, the DFC streamlines government efforts to support vulnerable families without the involvement of citizens themselves, even if citizens are not aware what benefits or services they are entitled to.

The implementation of the DFC improves the efficiency of government agencies in providing quality support, increases the transparency and accountability of budgetary spending, and overall ensures equal access to social protection services. It creates a comprehensive, gender-oriented, holistic, and rational system of effective social support for the most vulnerable segments of the population in Kazakhstan, mitigating the consequences of socio-economic shocks in compliance with the UN principle of "leaving no one behind."

https://sdu.gov.kz/

• Kazakhstan

• Youth
• Older persons
• Women
• The unemployed
• The poor
• civil servants whose job of services provision has been improved and all the families in Kazakhstan who receive social services in a more timely and efficient manner.

The Digital Family Card is an innovative solution that collects data on families from various state databases and applies the methodology of multidimensional poverty to assess the level of need of families. It allows the government to carry out targeted measures of state support. The solution has a large potential for scaling and replication in other countries and regions depending on the level of data and digital maturity of the country.
Replicability in other countries: the government of Kazakhstan and the technical team behind the DFC is ready to share the experience with other countries sharing the implementation steps, requirements on data infrastructure, team composition, and other aspects that are crucial in the tool development. The team understands that each country/ region has their own context and characteristics as well as the level of data preparedness that will impact the process of solution replicability. Based on the goals, timeline, and the political interest, the government of Kazakhstan is ready to contribute to the knowledge sharing of this innovative instrument for the common goal of decreasing inequalities.
International case study: the team is happy to share the DFC methodology and Kazakhstan’s experience as a case study with international organizations and foreign governments. The DFC can be of interest to the international organizations that work in developing economies or in areas where an effective social support system is needed.
Adaptation in various fields: The DFC concept can be applied not only in the field of social protection, but also in other areas, e.g. diving deeper in the areas of education and applying a similar approach to identify the educational needs of students and provide personalized assistance.
When scaling or replicating the DFC in other contexts, it is vital to take into account unique challenges and requirements. A thorough analysis is required to understand the starting point and develop a replication plan.

The project is designed to be sustainable through its scalability, automation, and data-driven approach. By integrating with over 120 government databases, it ensures continuous data updates, allowing for real-time assessment of family well-being without manual intervention.It automates the identification of vulnerable families and the allocation of support, reducing administrative costs and ensuring efficient resource distribution. The use of open-source technologies like Apache Airflow, Superset, and ClickHouse enhances cost-effectiveness, flexibility, and adaptability, making the system easily maintainable and reusable by other governments.

The project’s long-term sustainability is further supported by its integration into national policies. With strong backing from the Ministry of Labour and UNDP, it aligns with social protection strategies, ensuring continued funding, policy support, and institutional ownership.

The Digital Family Card (DFC) is more than just a technological tool, it is a visionary effort aimed at creating a more equitable society. The DFC is most aligned with the SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities. Target 10.1 is met as the DFC directly supports the most vulnerable groups by providing them with social protection measures, that include social benefits, pension, newborn care payments, among others. These measures contribute to the improvement of socio-economic status of families reducing inequalities. Target 10.2 is addressed by promoting universal social and economic inclusion. The DFC eliminates barriers associated with traditional bureaucratic systems, providing all families, irrespective of their status, location, digital literacy, access to social benefits. The DFC promotes inclusion as the core DFC methodology is based on the international Alkire Foster Method of measuring multidimensional poverty. Target 10.3 , the DFC encourages equal opportunities by democratizing access to social benefits leveraging the power of data and technology. The digital infrastructure and related legal agreements on personal data usage enforce transparency, accountability, and eliminates potential discriminatory practices. The goal of DFC is to eliminate human influence in payments decisions to ensure non-discriminatory and fair access to social protection. Target 10.4 . By providing a transparent and efficient method for distributing welfare, the DFC supports fair implementation of fiscal and social policies. In addition to the SDG10 targets, the DFC also aligns with the selected SDGs by implementing social protection systems, reducing poverty, improving access to resources and services, addressing hunger and healthcare needs, building resilience, and recognizing unpaid care and domestic work. Through its comprehensive approach and targeted support measures, the DFC contributes to the achievement of these SDGs and promotes the well-being and empowerment of vulnerable individuals and families.