Accountability and Social Work Practice Free Essay Example, 2500 words

Concept of accountability is an extremely important factor in social work because of various interacting elements which have a significant influence on the overall development processes of the society. The main reason that accountability has a high stake in the social work is that the social workers, work for that vulnerable segment of the society that genuinely needs help. The empowerment of the vulnerable segment of the society, so that they become part of mainstream society and help contribute towards its development. Poor people report that state institutions are often neither responsive nor accountable to the poor and not accountable to anyone or accountable only to the rich and powerful (Narayan et al. 2000, pp. 172 and 177). The social workers have the important function of facilitating the support and resources for the intervention needed to empower the marginalized population so that they can become a fitting partner in the socio-economic development. According to Singh poor people are most reliant on government services and least equipped to hold government officials to account, they have the most to gain from social accountability initiatives (Singh Shah, 2003). Another major reason is that accountability in the actions and policy decisions facilitates better governance that strives to meet the challenges with more sincerity and efficiency. We will write a custom essay sample on Accountability and Social Work Practice or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now It promotes a work culture which is focused and highly result-oriented. When people know that their decisions and actions are under scrutiny, they are more cautious and make concerted efforts to include the interests of the people in all their decisions, which in turn lead to better programs and strategies in the various areas of development in the public welfare issues. The concept of accountability is hugely responsible for the high efficiency and effectiveness of all the development issues that are designed to benefit the public, especially that segment of the society that needs the support and facilitating resources for their social integration in the mainstream society.