1. Examples from Peru and Nepal
Feedback in practice:
Examples from Peru and Nepal
Beneficiary Feedback Learning Event
Action Aid, London Offices, 11 July 2013
Lukas van trier
CIUK Governance & Accountability Advisor

2. What we will discuss today
(why) feedback
in CARE
two
examples
main
take-aways

3. Why do we want to be accountable?
To respect our vision, mission, values and principles
To improve quality, effectiveness and relevance of our work
To promote ownership & sustainability
To maintain legitimacy and credibility (especially in governance work)
To empower, to fulfil rights
To be gender responsive/sensitive
To be conflict-sensitive
To increase staff security
To be timely informed: early warning and corrective measures
To reduce the risk of fraud
Accountability is important for a large number of well-know reasons. This slide simply serves to reinforce the point that we recognise a large number of different reaons for being accountable.

4. Why do we want to be accountable?
Accountability is…
a means to an end
It helps us to improve the relevance, quality and impact of our work
an end in itself
The people whose lives we affect have a right to hold us to account
Accountability is important for a large number of well-know reasons. It’s good to re-emphasise that for us it’s both a means to and end and an end in itself.
Risk of box-ticking exercise if we were to focus exclusively on ensuring the mechanisms are in place so people’s rights are fulfilled – need to be utilised to improve our work. At the same time, purely focusing on the instrumental value of accountability loses sight of people’s rights. Patchy (though growing) evidence base of link between accountability and quality cannot be an excuse for complacency

5. CARE Accountability Framework
I. Parts of CARE
Programmes
Comms
Marketing
Finance
II. Stakeholders
Internal
External
Communities
Donors
Partners
Decision-makers
Supporters
III. Benchmarks
Enabling factors
Core processes
Including feedback
Therefore, frameworks have been developed. This is the skeleton of CARE International’s DRAFT Accountability Framework which recognises different parts of CARE have a number of accountability commitments to various internal and external stakeholders and it distinguishes 8 benchmarks for successful accountability, of which 5 can be seen as core process and 3 as enabling factors.
For me, and also for today’s discussion, accountability of our programmes towards the communities we work with is most important. This is what we often refer to as ‘forward accountability’ (although the terminology is disputed and irrelevant for now).
‘Forward’ Accountability

6. Forward Accountability Framework
Transparency &
info sharing
Feedback &
complaints
Participation &
representation
Enabling (org.)
environment
4 dimensions of FA
Feedback &
complaints
Our approach to forward accountability and our approach to supporting COs in this area is structured around 4 core dimensions. Today we will obviously focus on feedback, but we recognise that a lot of accountability mechanisms cut across and contribute to more than one of the dimensions.
‘Forward’ Accountability framework

7. VS. Solicited & unsolicited
We value both solicited and unsolicited feedback
VS.
Before going into examples, I’d just like to list a few starting points which underpin our approach to accountability in general, and feedback in particular. This might help to put the following examples in perspective.
An example of solicited would be touch-point surveys about the quality of services we deliver (such as at the end of trainings, workshops, awareness-raising events or any other activities which involve interaction between CARE/partners and the community. Unsolicited could be a hotline (or feedback journals)

8. Feedback in practice: Two examples
CARE Peru: Established accountability system
CARE Nepal: ‘Community Scoreboards’
4. Feedback is all around us all the time and for too long or too often we have not systematically used this valuable information our advantage and that of others. Front-line staff who interact with communities on a daily basis are likely to receive and address instances of feedback all the time. This is great, but would be even better if we could start to systematically document, aggregate, compare and analyse tis information
5. Accessibility and awareness are key. Multiple channels and awareness campaign are needed to reach and give access to all groups (in particular women)
6. Closing the loop includes response, but also report-back. If you don’t have the capacity to do this, don’t start gathering feedback is it will decrease rather than increase your accountability levels!!

9. CARE Peru: established accountability system
2. Participation and decision-making
3. Management of grievances, complaints and suggestions
4. Quality management
1. Public information and transparency
CARE’s Accountability System has the components that many of you will recognise, but the important one for today is on the right – the management of grievances, complaints and suggestions.

10. Feedback channels - Peru
Hotline
Feedback register (office)
field record cards (face-to-face)
4. Quality management
3. Management of grievance, complaints and suggestions
2.Participation and decision -making
1. Public information and transparency
days

11. Most used mechanisms
Total volume 2012:
223 messages
CARE Peru, 2013

12. From gathering towards response
Example: numerous complaints from housing project (July 2011)
Issues raised
Contractors showing up late / not at all
Poor quality building materials
Delays in project activities & timeframes unclear
Response
Better information provision (even when it is ‘negative’; explain why)
Closer inspection of quality of goods/services against clear standards
Timely payment of contractors

13. Policy Strategy Learning
From gathering towards adaptation
Beyond individual response:
Annual & quarterly accountability reports
Senior management meets ‘regularly’ to discuss feedback (& response)
Feedback is all around us all the time and for too long or too often we have not systematically used this valuable information our advantage and that of others. Front-line staff who interact with communities on a daily basis are likely to receive and address instances of feedback all the time. That means the smaller loops are closed and that is great in itself, but would be even better if we could start to systematically document, aggregate, compare and analyse this information to learn from it.
Policy
Strategy
Learning
14/11/2018

14. Community Scoreboards in Nepal – what you need to know
Adapted social accountability mechanism from health project
Seeks dialogue with participants (beneficiaries)
Facilitated by health project staff
Piloted in Community Support Programme
The process…
Orientation & training
Indicator-setting, scoring, action planning
Follow-up 3/6 months after

15. Community Scoreboards in Nepal – Example of indicators
impact group & users committee participation in project/activities
users committee formation process
transparency in program finances
timely fund release and settlement
capacity building of impact groups/users committee
behaviour of staff towards impact group
spaces for dialogue between impact group and CARE Nepal/implementing partners

16. Community Scoreboards in Nepal – adaptation?
Feedback
Response
delays in funds release
Taking out a loan from HQ which solved the problem
status of fund & requisition, advance settlement, etc.
Better/more training on record-keeping, settling of bills, expenses claims etc. (3 months later, the same indicator got a full mark)
low score for
staff performance
Time and frequency of field staff providing technical support to the community was increased
expand scoreboard to other localities
Planned: integration into project’s training curriculum

17. Policy Strategy Learning
Main take-aways
The potential of social accountability tools
A highly rated initiative – relationships and trust matter in their own right!
Unsurpassable(?) value of dialogue and face-to-face interaction
Some real improvement areas identified, although more strategic adaptation is yet to be seen!
Policy
Strategy
Learning
14/11/2018

18. The value of client perspectives widely recognised
We are committed to learn from others, both within as well as outside the sector, as we see all around us the feedback from end-users, whether you call them beneficiaries, clients or participants is increasingly recognised as highly valuable information.
We’re seeing all around us that feedback (from service-users and clients) is increasingly recognised as highly valuable information for providers of goods and services, both in the public and the private sector. Client perceptions are key to improving the quality of services we deliver. We should be prepared to learn from others and look beyond the NGO sector for success stories.

19. Thank you!! Remember… vantrier@careinternational.org
“The relationship between an NGO and its intended beneficiaries is a
foundation stone for effective interventions.” (Listen First 2010)
Thank you!!

20. Extra slides
Extra slides

21. Governance & Accountability Learning Initiative
Ghana – Cocoa Life: multi-stakeholder value chain project
Micro-surveys at trainings and other ‘touch points’
Partnership health assessments
Periodic independent gathering of beneficiary feedback
Unsolicited feedback (hotline + field journals)
Sierra Leone – CASHED: Health Governance Project
Micro-surveys at trainings and other ‘touch points’
Radio discussions with phone-in opportunity
Feedback session during community mobilisation

22. ‘Other’ feedback channels in Peru
Verbal: Some people fear that if you write the complaint down they can be identified, and this can have negative consequences, CARE respects their confidentiality.
Recordings: Often video recordings have been made to find some messages that people are unable to express directly, but only when they have meetings or another activity.
Official documents: People also present written documents (minutes, cards, request notes, etc.)

23. From gathering towards adaptation
RECEPTION
COORDINATION
Individual response
7 to 21 days
RESOLUTION
RESULT
REPORT

24. We value both solicited and unsolicited feedback
Points of departure
We value both solicited and unsolicited feedback
Relationships (and) trust matter
The value of client perspectives is widely recognised
Feedback is happening all the time and everywhere; it’s time we start to systematically use this valuable information
Accessibility: multiple channels and awareness-raising
Closing the loop (without it, accountability )
4. Feedback is all around us all the time and for too long or too often we have not systematically used this valuable information our advantage and that of others. Front-line staff who interact with communities on a daily basis are likely to receive and address instances of feedback all the time. This is great, but would be even better if we could start to systematically document, aggregate, compare and analyse tis information
5. Accessibility and awareness are key. Multiple channels and awareness campaign are needed to reach and give access to all groups (in particular women)
6. Closing the loop includes response, but also report-back. If you don’t have the capacity to do this, don’t start gathering feedback is it will decrease rather than increase your accountability levels!!

25. Forward accountability
As much an end in itself as a means to an end
Relevance, effectiveness, sustainability
Means to an end
Communities understand & influence our work
End in itself =
Forward accountability

26. Accountable to whom? government partners impact groups donors
supporters
CARE has many different accountability relationships and obligations
Both externally (donors, governments, supporters, etc.), but also internally; e.g. as a CI member, CIUK’s accountability towards country offices
Partner accountability and accountability to COs are crucial areas for further exploration, especially in relation to the on-going discussions around organisational redesign and vision These are beyond the scope of today’s session.
Various accountability’s not always compatible, let alone mutually reinforcing:
“A growing body of research shows that the mechanisms used for upward accountability consistently tend to undermine downward accountability.” “Ebrahim (2003) describes in detail how results-based management tools divert field managers’ attention away from the changing realities of people’s lives and towards pre-designed activities.”
List First piloting exercise (2010)
A good accountability system will be comprehensive and recognise the need to balance various accountability obligations. But we need to start somewhere.
CARE family members
peers

27. Donors impact groups impact groups
upward
Forward
impact groups
Internal
downward
impact groups