Report on Social Accountability

SHALINI & DEEPAK

ADRRN

23 & 24 December 2013

Report on Social Accountability


Report on Social Accountability Page 2

December 23, 2013; New Delhi, India

A two-day Training Workshop on Social accountability for ADRRN members was carried out in

New Delhi by the Asian Disaster Reduction and Response Network (ADRRN), a regional network

across the Asia-Pacific region. The program has been made possible with the support from The

Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID). On behalf of ADRRN, Sustainable

Environment and Ecological Development Society (SEEDS), one of the founder members of

ADRRN hosted this program locally. Altogether 13 participants from various ADRRN Members

from 7 south Asian countries participated in this workshop. Expert from UNNATI, member

organization from India and Director UNNATI, Mr. Binoy Acharya, facilitated throughout the

two days sessions.

One of the strategic objective of the ADRRN network is to “Facilitate members to enhance

accountability” through various training programs and sharing of important training materials

among member organizations. Some of the members of the network are HAP certified,

maintaining transparency in their dealings at different levels and showcasing accountability in

their mandate in the region.

Major objectives of this training program are as follows;

• Raise awareness about tools used for social accountability.

• Sharing and learning about various best practices.

• Enhancing the ongoing efforts of ADRRN member to build accountability

Inaugural Session

Dr. Manu Gupta, Chair person ADRRN addressed the inaugural session and welcomed all the members

as the Chief Guest. Training started with the introductory session on the subject “Social Accountability”

defining the terminology as just not the fault finding but to improve public service delivery.

Inagural Session



Social Accountability (SA)

Making the program delivery reaching the people for whom it has been designed has been a

key concern of the policy makers, implementing agencies and the civil society organizations

involved in monitoring and social accountability. Increasingly more rights and entitlement-

based legislations and policies are being formulated. However, most of the public programs

lose their effectiveness because of leakage and irregularities at the ground level. What is the

need to be accountable to people? One always talk of upward accountability but not of

downward accountable for this there is an utmost need to break the culture of silence.

Strengthening citizen leadership can invokes civic duties, rights and responsibilities in a

democratic governance framework. It has full legitimacy to exercise citizenship rights vis-a-vis

the government, who is the duty bearer and bears the main responsibilities. Many countries are

not making information act. Political parties refrain from sharing information. Information is

necessary to create Empowered Voice.

Hence Social Accountability = Empowered voice + Compact (Service Provider)

SA concept came for holding our governments accountable but it does not mean they are our

enemies. We have selected our governments. Information disclosure started in 1950’s. But real

push came in 21st

century, from 2000-2013, 70 countries have adopted information disclosure

Act. Compact can be very effective if supported by information disclosure Act. Compact is not

possible unless and until you are backed by some legal backing or Law.

Nepal has adopted this Act even before India. As you build access to information, development

starts though it is slow and rudimentary in the initial period but as it continues, development

increases manifold.RTI of India was developed 8 years back, still in rudimentary state. We

complain to Government officials on generic grounds. We need to be more precise in our action

or what we want rather than being vague.

There are various tools of SA

• Social Audit

• Public Hearing- (Jan sunbai)

• Citizen Report Card

• Community Monitoring of Public Services

Any one or mix of the above tools could be used as per the local needs.

Information in public domain then development is going to take a big turn.

By putting the information in public, Inclusion can be promoted. As a consequence we can

reach out to most needy effectively.



Group work – Divide in 3 groups

Group discussion

Presentation by the Group

• List out all those information at our institutional level that we put in the public domain?

• What different forums we use for downward accountability?

While we provide information within the community it should be ensured that they are

provided in the format understandable by the community. Full picture needs to be provided

with regards to information.

Social Audit :

Main purpose of “Social Audit” is to create people-centric mechanisms to evaluate whether the

programme has delivered results as envisaged and or not. It is not carried out by agency but by people-

to ensure true democracy, by direct participation of communities.

The key objectives of Social Audit are:



• To ensure proper implementation of the scheme under audit

• To ensure accountability in implementing the scheme

• To ensure participation of all the stakeholders

• To ensure community participation and help them realize their rights and entitlements

• To identify and resolve gaps and mismanagement

Pre- Social Audit Process- Gram Sabha & public forum needs to be informed in advance.

• Informing and Meeting Officials of City and State Government

• Collection of Basic Data

• Selection of settlements for audit on the basis of the above data

• Selection of a Local Partner

• Meeting and Sensitizing Communities about the process

• Informing Municipal Corporation about the dates of Public Consultation

• Summarizing project documents for a Display for the people

• Quarterly Schedule is drawn up

• Minimum 15 days in advance,

Recording of data by independent person, the agency cannot do its own audit.

Social Audit Process:

• Public Consultation process in the Gram sabha

• Findings read out

• Gaps are explained

Code of Conduct for the Facilitator:

• SA can be conducted by independent people only

• Stay in poor localities

• Accept only vegetarian food and pay for it

• No press meets or press release by social Auditors

• Good conduct towards women

• No alcohol or vices

• No acceptance of hospitality

Social Audit + Service giving agency = Compact

• Mobilization through verification

• Systematization of information MIS – PIS

• Publishing Information

• Verification by people sets the agenda

• Facilitation for empowered people’s participation

• People’s feedback is the basis for corrective action



• Voices of Vulnerable people

Policy changes can take place through Social Audit. In each case it is mandatory to find out the

FOCUS of the Programme and unravel and monitor the relevant information. So, 3 steps,

identification of required Information, asking that information and verification of information is

very important in the entire process of Social Audit. Relevant people or beneficiaries should be

identified amongst whom the process needs to be carried out with the aid of external

facilitator. Social Audit can bring about immediate policy corrections, change in work style or

policy design.

Public Hearing: Raising awareness is a central role of public hearing. For this strong mass based is necessary.

Public hearing can have long term antagonistic effects. This tool also includes collection and

verification of information but in public hearing service providers are not there. Public hearing

is an igniting tool where people provide testimonies. The victims should speak out themselves.

Giving testimony in public is a big challenge. It is systematically mobilizing people to tell truth,

the main work is of the mobilizers and facilitators. In Jan Sunbai, you are entering the village

with assumptions that the government officials are corrupt, compact is not available, as service

providers are not there, Public Hearing is used extensively to raise awareness but does not

automatically lead to change. No compact is there hence no one is listening to you.

Public Hearing is aggressive and for antagonistic purposes. On the Dias, independent jury

consists or retired judge, and civil society leaders. They give the communication verdict mostly

published by Media. It is an indirect process.

Citizen Report Card: Citizens’ survey methods are where feedback from individual citizens is aggregated to provide

report cards and survey reports on a range of issues. These could pertain to service delivery

assessments, opinion polls, awareness exercises etc.

Survey should include:

• Availability & accessibility (in terms of timeliness and delivery of service to all)

• Quality & Reliability (timeliness)

• What Other problems

• Corruption / Irregularities

• Level of Satisfaction

• Why are you dissatisfied – Reason?

• Any feedback for improvement

Questions are asked from a group of people or focused group discussions could be carried out.



People are trained to conduct Citizen report card. Focus should be on most vulnerable.

Interface with Community – compact is there. It is encouraging you to do better and also trying

to make community to be part of plan of action. In terms of conducting the survey: Assessment

of situation, Questionnaire is based on people’s feedback, issues of supply, sewerage, drainage,

and find out people who are actively engaged in this process. It should have not open but

closed questions designed after discussion with people. Information needs to be collected in

such a way that comparison can be made between wards / neighbourhoods.

Citizen Report Card: is a time consuming process hence, the common citizens lose interest. It is

a research oriented process that takes 5-6 months to complete. It is expensive and difficult to

institutionalize. On the other hand its positive aspects include that it provides data to service

providers. It is highly urban process that always focuses on specific issue.

Community Monitoring of Basic Services:

It can be used in large Governmental Programmes like Health/ Pension etc.

Various components of CBM:

• Mobilizing people

• Mapping of services

• Indicators from people’s point of view

• People must analyze

• Capacity building

• Community will monitor

• Interface with service provider

• Institutionalize

Mobilization of community: Discuss the quality of service. People must be taught to diagnose

the quality of services

Service Mapping: Done at cluster / hamlet or neighbourhood level. Avoid at city level, try to do

it at Sub Ward or Ward level at the most.

Indicators: Framing indicators for the service one has never experienced or received is very

difficult. Hence exposure visits could be organized for this.

Capacity Building: - women in every village are trained who would lead.

Monitoring by Community: - Community should take responsibility to meet every month.

Symbols can be used as indicators amongst the illiterates.



Institutionalization- This tool is completely in the hands of the community so even if you

withdraw, they can handle, being exposed to service provider. After being conversant to service

providers on daily basis, the tool can establish accountability. Community Report card is

produced.

Steps are similar:

• People must understand the programme

• Information to people

• Verification – common thinking done differently

• Transfer data into understandable format for the communities

• Making a report which needs to be presented for discussion

• In all cases the service provider is present except in the case of Public hearing

• Action is taken immediately or there is change in policy/ programmes

• Attitude of citizens & service provider is also changed

Most Important: - Data needs to be collected.

Group Exercise: List out the key questions you are going to ask in case of Public Health Programme with

reference to Prenatal /Post Natal health care, Primary health care, Immunization and

institutionalization of Deliveries.

In case of:

1. Awareness about the services:

• If you have to conduct delivery, besides Dai who is the service provider in your area?

• Name of the officials

2. Timing of services:

• At what time the services/ clinics opened? (Working hours) of the PHC

• Does it remain open in this hour?

• Official timing of ANM in the village?

3. Quality of Service

• Does the doctor remain present daily? Last week for how many days was the doctor

present?

• Whether there is a trained professional available to assist delivery?

• Last time when you went to the centre- did you pay for it?

• Do the PHC/ NGO have an ambulance service?

• Last time when you called the ambulance, how much time did it take to reach?



Pre Social Accountability Report

Questions Average presence of doctor

in a week

Payment for medicines

which is available free

Average waiting

period at the PHC

/sub center

C1 0 (3 Respondents)(Rs 100/-) (3

Respondents)(above

1 hr)

C2 2 (5 Respondents) (Rs 50/-) (5Respondents)(less

than 30 min)

C3 3 (8 Respondents) (Rs 25/-) (7

Respondents)(above

40 min)

C4 2 (1Respondents )(Rs 125/-) (9

Respondents)(more

than 2 hours)

C5 1 (10 Respondents) (Rs 200/-) (1 Respondents)(less

than 10 min)

Share this Pre social Accountability report – display in the community in the presence of the

service provider. The format should be easily understandable by the communities.

Group Exercise: List out the key questions you are going to ask for a Water distribution program (Tender of

overhead tank with pipes to individual houses)

Some of the Questions could be:

• Number of houses provided with 1 water tap= 98/100

• Number of houses who received more than 1 tap=15/100

• How many people left out?

• Why are they left out?

• Is the water supply – functional?

• For how long the water comes?

• What is the source of water from ie where the water is coming into the tank?

• Approved amount, - expenditure,

• Size approved – size constructed

• Size of pipe



Conclusion.

The workshop concluded with a note from the chair person ADRRN, thanking all the members

for their participation. He emphasized the need of practicing this by the members of the

network to maintain the atmosphere of accountability with all the stakeholders and

communities we work with.

Future Steps: • Members should practice Social Accountability through their projects in their countries.

• Tie up Social Accountability component with the ‘Resilient Cities Campaign’ through a

Local citizen forum

• Conduct more training sessions & workshops with members of their organization

involving other organizations.

• Share reports and feedback on the practices carried out by them incorporating Social

Accountability with the ADRRN Secretariat.

• Revert to ADRRN Secretariat for any further support on the Subject.

Closing session



Know our resource person:

Binoy Acharya is the Founder Director of UNNATI – Organisation for Development Education. As

a social development practitioner and researcher he has been working in the areas of social

inclusion, democratic local governance and social accountability. Over the past thirty years, he

has been associated with movements, networks and government forums relating to dalit rights,

gender issues and decentralized governance. Currently, he is working in association with the

government in the state of Gujarat to operationalize the social audit system in one of the public

programs on entitlement on wage employment. He has facilitated 32 evaluation and project

appraisal studies, facilitated 20 strategic planning and program planning exercises and provided

support on capacity building to 25 organisations at local, national and international level. He

has been editing an in-house development bulletin named ‘Vichar’ since 1995, published in

Hindi and Gujarati, which has more than 2000 circulation. He also plays a consultative role to a

wide range of institutions locally and internationally, like Dalit Adhikar Abhiyaan in Rahasthan,

Kutch Nab Nirman Abhiyaan and Gender Resource Centre in Gujarat, National Platform for

Decentralized Governance, Members, Working Group, Governance and Democracy program of

the Commonwealth Foundation, and Voluntary Action Network India to mention a few. His

other areas of interest include program and strategic planning, organizational development and

stakeholder participation and interfacing.

He holds an M. Phil degree in Social Sciences from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. He is

currently based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat and work primarily in Rajasthan and Gujarat.

His presence as a facilitator trainer has immensely guided us.



Meeting on Social Accountability 23-24 December 2013, New Delhi, India Day 1: 23 December 2013

Time Session

9:00 AM – 9:30 AM Registration

9:30 AM – 10:00 AM Welcome and introductions

10:00 AM – 10:15 AM Objectives of the workshop, introduction to session plan

10:15 AM – 10:45 AM An introductory lecture on social accountability

10:45 AM – 11:00 AM Tea break

11:00 AM – 11:45 AM Group discussion on “ how are we accountable to people/stake holders

we work with

11: 45 AM –12:00 Noon Presentation by the groups

12:00 Noon– 12:15 PM Consolidation of the group presentation

12:15 PM – 1:00 PM Process, methods and tools on various instruments of social

accountability –

(a ) Citizen Report Card - A short film

Discussion on –

i. What component/element is being focused.

ii. What are the processes and method used

iii. What are the outcomes.

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Lunch


accountability-

(b) Community Monitoring of basic Services – A short film

Discussion on –

i. what component/element is being focused

ii. What are the process and method used,

iii. What are the outcomes?

2:45 PM – 3:00 PM Tea break



Day 2: 24 December 2013

Time Session

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM Identification of key elements that need to be put into social

accountability and how those information can be supplied / provided to

people – brief input and open discussion

10:00 AM – 10:15 AM Tea Break

10:15 AM – 12:15 PM Developing step by step process for social accountability in the context of

DRR projects

(preliminary plenary discussion and break in groups and presentation)

12:15 PM – 1:15 PM Institutional framework and operational mechanism for effective social

accountability practices

1:15 PM - 2:15 PM Lunch Break

2:15 PM - 3:30 PM Open discussion

3:30 PM - 3:45 PM Tea Break


accountability.

(c) Public Hearing - A short film

Discussion on –



iii What are the outcomes.


accountability

(d) Social Audit - a short film

Discussion on –



iii What are the outcomes.



Resource person : Mr. Binoy Acharya , Director, UNNATI , Organization for Development

Education.

Social Accountability Workshop 23-24 December 2013, New Delhi , India

Name of the participants Organization Country Contact Email

Mr. Nesar Ahmad Coordination of Afghan Relief (CoAR)

Afghanistan +98776675995 [email protected]

Mr.Mohammad Basheer Baheer

Skills Training And Rehabilitation Society (STARS)


Mr.Taj Mohammad Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (CHA)


Ms.HASHI CHAKMA Dhaka Community Hospital (DCH) - Associate Member

Bangladesh +8801716183116 [email protected]

Mr.K.K Tripathy Poorvanchal Gramin Vikas Sansthan (PGVS)

India +919792179433 [email protected]

Shalini Jain Sustainable Environement and Ecological Development Society (SEEDS)


Deepak Tripathy Sustainable Environement and Ecological Development Society (SEEDS)


Mr.Binoy Acharay UNNATI - Organisation for Development Education


Dr. Nidhi Singh Doctors For You India +918080026090 [email protected]

Ms.AMINATH SALEEM Care Society Maldives +96077793115 [email protected]

Ms.Bhubaneswari Parajuli National Society for Earthquake Technology (NSET)

Nepal +9779851067886 [email protected]

Ms.SAMIA ARIF Pattan Development Organization

Pakistan +923335694598 [email protected]

Mr.M.H.M.Hanan Muslim Foundation for Culture and Development (Inc)

Sri Lanka +94777377228 [email protected]

Documents

Report on Social Accountability