ENG-1964 — Page 160

10

Social Welfare

THE experience of Hong Kong since the war has been the experience of rapid change: change in both the economic and the social struc- tures which form the basis of our community. As Hong Kong moves from being a small trading centre to a thriving industrial city, new living and work patterns often disrupt traditional values and habits. The traditional family system with its strong sense of responsibility for its less fortunate members is tending to break down, and people who now find themselves without the support of their family have to depend more and more on what may seem an impersonal community. The scarcity of land, the heavy con- centration of people into a very restricted area and the creation of new towns are principal factors in the creation of a new way of life which means keen competition for the essentials of existence and brings with it unaccustomed tensions and pressures for the individual.

The many stresses of this increasingly modern society present a challenge and demand a more intense effort to expand and improve the social services, particularly now in the growing field of social welfare. The Social Welfare Department's objective, therefore, is to study and assess social problems, both actual and potential, and to propose measures to deal with them within the limits of the Government's resources. One of the social work methods aimed at such an objective is 'community development'.

The meaning of community development as applied to urban areas and particularly to Hong Kong was recently stated to be a conscious and deliberate effort aimed at helping communities to recognize their needs and to assume increasing responsibility for solving their problems, thereby increasing their capacities to par- ticipate fully in the life of the total community. Its objective is to stimulate and enable the people to organize themselves, to develop local leadership and to mobilize community resources for the improvement of living conditions with the assistance of Government or voluntary agencies working in partnership.