Social Work Administration and Programme Management in Government Welfare Agencies in Rivers State

Effective social work administration is critical to the planning, delivery, and accountability of welfare programmes in public sector agencies. This study examines social work administration and programme management practices within government welfare agencies in Rivers State, South South Nigeria, with focus on the State Ministry of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation. A descriptive mixed-method design is employed, with 70 social work administrators, programme officers, and welfare managers in Port Harcourt and Obio-Akpor selected as respondents. Structured questionnaires and key informant interviews are used for data collection, with descriptive statistics and content analysis applied in interpretation. The study finds that programme management in the sampled agencies is characterised by top-down planning processes that inadequately incorporate beneficiary feedback, weak monitoring and evaluation frameworks, and insufficient staff training in administrative best practices. Budget shortfalls and bureaucratic rigidity limit the adaptive capacity of welfare programmes to respond to emerging community needs. Social workers in administrative roles frequently report tensions between professional social work values and institutional demands for compliance with rigid reporting structures. Recommendations include establishing participatory needs assessment mechanisms for programme planning, investing in social work management training for senior welfare officers, and introducing performance-based monitoring frameworks that align with social work professional standards. Keywords: social work administration, programme management, government welfare agencies, Rivers State, monitoring