香港在70年代初期存在著不同的社會福利理念，包括：港英政府以福利作為社會 整合工具、本土傳統志願團體以福利作為社會網絡的補充、和外國志願團體以福利作為社會 改革手段。這三種理念互相競賽和互相吸納，而不同機構的零星的工作和實驗，更被港英政 府所參照，將之漸次演變而為今天龐大複雜的福利體系。港英政府因而改變了角色，不再把 社會福利介定為純救濟的措施，而是整個社會制度的一個部分，包含著社會工程的目標。雖 然民間團體在香港的社會福利發展史上曾經發揮過重要作用，但是有關研究卻異常貧乏。香 港學者日後應對本土和外國來港的志願團體多作個案研究，範圍還應包括較小規模約互助組 織。

　　　　　There were different streams of ideas of social welfare in Hong Kong in the 1970s, namely, the colonial Hong Kong Government who took social welfare as a tool for social integration, the indigenous traditional voluntary organizations who regarded it as a supplement for their social networks, and foreign voluntary organizations who held it for social reform. After a process of competition and administrative absorption, the colonial government transformed its passive role and developed an extensive social welfare system in Hong Kong. Notwithstanding their great contributions to the growth of social welfare, there is a dearth of research on the non-government organizations' development. The authors hence suggest that students of social policy should conduct more case studies on these organizations and also other mutual-aid groups in Hong Kong.