八0年代前，英國社會照顧的主要供給者是由政府部門擔負， 八◦年代後期興起之「照護混合經濟」，促使民間部門之服務提供 者的角色迅速擴張。此項改革的主要目的是欲藉由激勵民間部門對 服務供給的參與，以創造出需求導向、使用者中心、市場驅使、有 效率以及成本抑制的服務輸送體系。爲達成目標而採取的主要策略 有二：購買者與供給者的分離以及照顧管理的實施。顯然，「照護 混合經濟」實施以來，地方政府的角色已逐漸由服務的「供給者」 轉變爲「使能者」。然而，對實現其所欲追求的目標，在理想與現 實間仍有些距離，且各種照護部門也受到不同程度的衝擊。儘管對 英國之「照護混合經濟」的改革是否成功尚有爭議，但她的經，驗卻 可提供台灣在推展「福利社區化」或「社區照顧」上許多重要的借 鏡，特別是其縝密的決策過程、部門間的協調以及資源的整合。

Prior to the 1980s local authorities in Britain are responsible for providing social care for those who need it. As a result of the development of ‘ the mixed economy of care ’ an increasing share of that responsibility has been carried by the rapidly expanding private provision of such care since the late 1980s. By stimulating and involving the private sectors in providing care, the reform is intended to create a service delivery system with needs-led, users-centred, market-driven, efficiency and cost-containment. The goals would be achieved in two main strategies-the split of purchaser and provider, and the introduction of care management. Evidently the role of local authorities ? has been increasingly shifted from ‘provider ’ to ‘enabler ’ under the reform. Nevertheless there still have a gap between ideal and reality in achieving its goals and the impacts on public and private sectors are varied. It is still arguable how much the reform has achieved. However there are valuable lessons that we can learn from the British experiences for developing community-based services or community care in Taiwan, in particular its thoughtful policy-making processes, the coordination between sectors and the integration of resources.