Analysis of Social Welfare Workers’ Perceptions regarding the Linkage of Forest Welfare Policies and Community Care: Focusing on Daejeon Metropolitan City

Background and objective: This study aimed to examine the perspectives of social welfare practitioners regarding the policy objective of “<i>Linkage of Forest Healing with the Social Security System</i>,” as proposed in the <i>Revised 6th National Forest Plan</i> (2025), and to provide baseline data for prioritizing policy factors that facilitate the integration of forest welfare and community care services.Methods: The survey consisted of a general questionnaire and an Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) questionnaire on the topic of “activating the linkage between forest welfare policies and community care.” The study targeted community care practitioners in Daejeon Metropolitan City. A total of 30 practitioners participated in the general survey. For the AHP survey, 29 responses were included in the final analysis after excluding one response due to inconsistency. Data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel.Results: The general survey revealed that community care practitioners in Daejeon had limited awareness of forest welfare policies and showed relatively low recognition of the need for policy integration. To address this reality and promote policy linkage, the most frequent response was “information exchange and sharing between the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Forest Service through regular meetings and conferences.” The AHP survey results indicated that, at Level 1, “Financial Resources” had the highest relative importance and priority. At Level 2, consideration of the “Common Needs of User Groups” was identified as the most important criterion for selecting service recipients, while “Programs” ranked highest among service delivery types. Regarding service delivery agents, the role of the “Central Government” was perceived as paramount, and “Public Financing (National Government Funding)” was identified as the primary source for funding.Conclusion: Based on these findings, forest welfare programs should be provided to community care recipients who are capable of physical activity and mobility, including older adults, persons with disabilities, and individuals recovering from illness, by addressing the common needs shared across user groups. To improve service accessibility, discussions are needed on developing “outreach-based forest welfare services” linked to community care. Furthermore, forest welfare stakeholders, including the Korea Forest Service, should take a more proactive role in advancing policy integration rather than relying solely on the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Ultimately, fostering policy linkage can help explore how forest welfare policies function as part of the existing social security system, bringing its benefits closer to people’s daily lives.