This article considers some of the factors involved in the modification of social work education and practice to suit the setting of a society in transition. The author describes a research project undertaken with students at the Hong Kong School of Social Work, with the purpose of designing a relevant skills training course suited to their actual work needs and requirements. The result indicates that student social workers are likely to opt for an eclectic model, constructed principally from Western theory, but drawing from the concrete reality of their own situations. The demands of time annd pragmatic considerations, as well as conservative attitudes, are likely to mean that uniquely 'indigenous' models are not developed. However the outcome most probably will be a workable amalgam of learned theory adjusted to suit practical realities encountered in the field.
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