XN000022-1980-07-13 — Page 12

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The social progress of Hong Kong owes much to the

pioneering spirit and dedication of its social 'workers

in both the public and the voluntary sectors. The voluntary

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or private sector has traditionally played a conspicuous

and valuable role in the provision of social services in

Hong Kong, with the encouragement and financial support of

The Government. Indeed, this sector employs greater numbers

of social workers than the Government.

social work profession in Hong Kong a greater latitude in

This has given the

its speech and action than might otherwise have been possible

in a profession composed largely of civil servants.

Social action can and does take many and varied forms.

However, irrespective of whether it takes the form of

mobilising volunteers to work for the less privileged and

fortunate groups, research and surveys on specific needs

or in planning functions, they all have as their ultimate

goal the solution of human problems or the relief of hard-

ship and suffering. This, in turn, will lead to a steady

improvement in the quality of community life. A responsible

and progressive government encourages popular participation

and responsible social action by the public.

Of course all of us would like to see quick progress:

we are naturally impatient for results. But there are many demands, many desirable objectives and all too often the

resources are simply not sufficient to enable programmes to

be completed in double-quick time. Priorities have to be

decided and that means some programe or parts of programmes

......