Background. The relevance of the study is due to the rapid development of information technology, the growing popularity of social networks in modern Russian society. In the system of social protection of the population, the use of information and communication technologies helps to increase the satisfaction of citizens in need of state assistance with the activities of social specialists, improve the quality of services and information openness of social service organizations. The purpose of the article is to identify the characteristics of network interaction between specialists and clients of institutions subordinate to the Ministry of Social Policy of the Sverdlovsk Region, and to determine the prospects for the development of communication between specialists and the public in the social protection system. Materials and methods. The article presents the results of an initiative study - a content analysis of the communities of social services institutions of the Sverdlovsk region, implemented in 2019. 61 community in the social networks VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, Facebook. The cases of successful implementation in the state and non-profit sectors of communication of specialists with the population in social networks were identified and presented. Results. The study made it possible to identify the existing and under development virtual communication practices of specialists in the field of social protection of the population of one of the largest Russian regions - the Sverdlovsk Region - with clients of their institutions online. A relationship was established between the existence of successful practices in the interaction of specialists of social service institutions with clients in social networks with high quality indicators of the services provided by institutions. The importance of the development of virtual communication in the activities of social institutions is substantiated. Possible problematic tricks that impede the development of this type of communication in the field of social protection of the population are outlined. The authors offer a number of recommendations in promoting this area of work. Conclusions. According to the study, we can conclude that the virtual communication of specialists of social institutions in the field of social protection of the population of the Sverdlovsk region is only beginning to develop. The dynamics of this development are weak, but some examples of the activity of communities of social institutions show that it has certain prospects in the near future.