Perceptions of accountability in Australian faith-based social-welfare organisations

With the increasing devolution of service-delivery from government to the third sector, there has been an escalating flow of public funds to the faith-based social-welfare organisations through a variety of funding mechanisms, including grants, competitive tendering and annual funding allocations. This research paper analyses the effect this increased flow of funding has had on the sacred and secular matters of three large faith-based socail-welfare organisations, based on the perceptions of accountability by managers within these organisations. The conclusions from the study are that all three case organisations were able to resist secularisation arising from the increased government funding by focusing on their core mission of meeting needs of the poor and marginalised, as exemplified by christ. There had been an increase in financial accountability obligations arising in the faith-based social-welfare organisations, but this did not appear to detract from the 'sacred central sanctuary' of these organisations.