Wando County Launches 'Happiness Welfare' Fully Felt by Residents

A Four-Year Welfare Roadmap Shaped by Voices from the Field

Accelerating the 6th Community Social Security Plan

Expanding Services Tailored to a Super-Aged and Island Region

Wando County in South Jeolla Province is accelerating the process of establishing the "6th Wando County Community Social Security Plan (2027-2030)" aimed at delivering welfare policies that residents can truly feel in their daily lives.

Wando County announced on July 30 that it had recently conducted focus group interviews (FGI) with working subcommittee members of the Community Social Security Plan at the Wando Cultural and Arts Center.

Wando County conducted a focus group interview survey targeting the working subcommittee members of the community social security plan. Provided by Wando County

The Community Social Security Plan is a statutory plan that meticulously analyzes the welfare needs of residents and outlines the direction and specific projects for welfare policies to be implemented over the next four years. It is a core task that establishes the foundation for tailored welfare in local governments.

This focus group interview was organized to gather firsthand opinions from the field in order to identify effective welfare policies that residents can directly experience in their daily lives. Welfare professionals who work on the front lines attended the meeting for an intense exchange of views.

This meeting brought together stakeholders from six sectors: seniors, people with disabilities, families, suicide prevention, integrated case management, and employment·housing. Participants reviewed the achievements of the 5th Community Social Security Plan and examined new tasks and key initiatives to be incorporated into the 6th plan from multiple perspectives. In particular, the discussion focused on expanding care and welfare services tailored to Wando County’s unique characteristics as a "super-aged society" and an "island region."

The main agenda included expanding care services and addressing welfare blind spots, strengthening the prevention of solitary deaths and mental health support, creating customized job opportunities for youth and women, and measures to support the stability of vulnerable groups. Attendees unanimously stressed the need for field-oriented policy making to maximize residents' experience of welfare, such as reassessing the effectiveness of existing welfare programs and improving the accuracy of target support groups.

The county plans to thoroughly review the feedback from field experts during these interviews and continue to develop customized welfare projects that residents can tangibly perceive in their everyday lives.

Kim Shin, the county mayor, stated, "The Community Social Security Plan is a valuable promise of welfare practice, jointly created by residents and those on the welfare frontlines. I will ensure that every single resident’s voice is faithfully reflected and establish a 'worry-free, happy and inclusive Wando' where no one is left behind."

Meanwhile, Wando County intends to finalize the action plans for each strategic goal of the 6th Community Social Security Plan, including new and key projects, by the end of August. The final plan will be completed after a review by the representative council and reporting to the county council in September.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.