From political to personal? Changing social work ideology and practice in Hong Kong

This paper examines the self-defined function, roles and tasks of social workers at a time of political transformation in Hong Kong, notably between 1986 and 1994. The discussions are based on the findings of two phases of empirical research conducted by the authors. It is argued that social work ideology and practice in Hong Kong have become more de-politicized on an already minimal political foundation. Social control and mediation have been defined as the most important functions of social work, while reformist social work has failed to gain an independent legitimacy in Hong Kong. The authors suggest that demarcation of the personal and the political aspects of social work, which has become more obvious in the 1990s, may become detrimental to the development of reform-oriented social work, and result in a loss of the "social" dimension of social work in Hong Kong.