The Family Welfare Association was originally a member of the much larger Montreal Charity Organisation Society. The latter had been an attempt to coordinate the various charitable activities that existed in Montreal during the 19th century. It was felt, that there was too much overlap, both in the type of service provided to the largely Anglophone Protestant Community and in the sources of funds and volunteers. By 1919, a new organisation, the Montreal Council of Social Agencies, had been formed. The Montreal Charity Organisation Society ceased to exist, but one member retained its independence and changed its name to the Family Welfare Association. It continued to devote its energies to family service for many more decades until all social services were amalgamated into government agencies.