Toward Theory of Accountability (5 Factors of Development)

The demand and need for accountability in human services are crucial, and the time has come to develop a conceptual and operational theory of accountability. The benefits of such a development are far-reaching; which are the factors of development:

1. Clients
2. Human service workers
3. Administrators
4. Social work
5. Funding sources

1. Clients:

Clients stand to benefit because more qualitative services may be provided if a system of accountability, including intent, goal, and evaluation, became an integral part of every human service program.

2. Human Service Workers:

Human service workers would benefit because they would have a clearer understanding of their professional responsibility and their expectations. Also, they would have the tools with which to measure their effectiveness.

Related Link: A Brief Account of Accountability

3. Administrators:

Administrators would be provided with more realistic resources with which to manage human service programs effectively. They would also have a clearer social mandate from funding sources and clients regarding their responsibility as brokers.

4. Social Work:

The social work profession stands to benefit because a system of accountability as defined below could do much toward accruing and enhancing the knowledge base of social work practice, especially in goal and objective formulation and its relationship to resource allocation and evaluation.

Related Link: Reciprocal Accountability Theory

5. Funding Sources:

Funding sources would be better able to make funding decisions in terms of their own goals and objectives. Those funding sources that wish to adopt a cost-benefit criterion may do so, while others who wish to adopt a less economic criterion may choose a quality-loss analysis.

Finally, we have dealt in this paper with those factors directly within human services and the importance of developing systems of accountability. Beyond the scope of this paper, and equally as important, is the development of accountability systems, which includes those factors less directly involved in human service practice yet intricately related to the development and maintenance of human services, i.e., government and business.