Abstract:
As NGOs has increasingly played an important part in development, its role should be founded in public trust where its legitimacy came. This research seeks to find out how NGOs for children build trust in public. Its objectives are (1) to find out the factors influencing NGOs for children's awareness of downward accountability and present state of NGOs for children accountability in Thailand (2) to find out how NGOs for children and its stakeholders make sense of accountability (3) to make suggestions about initiating downward accountability in NGOs for children. The research was conducted by documents review, in-depth interview and non-participant observation using the concept of "NGO accountability" in four case studies including The Center for the Protection of Children's Rights Foundation, Holt Sahathai Foundation, Foundation for Children, and World Vision Foundation of Thailand. The findings reveal that there are many, both domestic and international, factors, influencing NGOs for children's awareness of downward accountability including the growth of civil society, state and private sector roles in development, the changing concept of development, the concept of good governance, and the growth of media role. Consequently, the case studies initiated accountability mechanisms to respond to the growing awareness. These are in the forms of organizational missions, disclosure of reports, board of trustees, codes of conduct, monitoring and evaluation, participation, and informal accountability mechanisms. These mechanisms are found in working process, human resource management, and organization culture. Case studies' downward accountability is relevant to their stakeholders' expectation, i.e. to follow the organizations' objectives with transparency, continuity, and efficiency. The research suggests that successful downward accountability building should include, for example, positive attitude towards accountability and evaluation, clients' participation, inculcation of organization's values, understanding and cooperation between sectors.