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Estonia

4. Social Inclusion

4.8 Current debates and reforms

Last update: 27 February 2026
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The Youth Sector Development Plan 2021-2035 (Noortevaldkonna arengukava 2021-2035), adopted in August 2021, is the central policy document guiding youth-related debates and reforms in Estonia. One of its major shifts is a strengthened focus on youth-oriented solutions, including the development of safety networks – that is, coordinated systems of support services (youth work, education, social and health services) designed to identify and assist young people at risk of exclusion at an early stage.

The Plan’s fourth strategic objective – Security – aims to ensure that the exclusion and detachment of young people is noticed and prevented through a safety network that increases a sense of security. To achieve this goal, the Plan sets out three priority actions:

  • providing young people necessary support and equal opportunities;
  • reducing the risk of exclusion and detachment of young people;
  • understanding the causes of young people’s risk behaviour and the risk of exclusion; designing services based on the real needs of young people.

More detailed operational plans are being developed under the Development Plan. These will largely determine the focus of further debates and reforms, and are shaped by cross-sectoral input from the Ministry of Education and Research, the Ministry of Social Affairs, local municipalities, the Education and Youth Board (Harno), and civil society organisations such as the Estonian National Youth Council and the Estonian Mental Health and Well-Being Coalition (VATEK).

In addition to the Development Plan, broader policy reform directions in Estonia bear directly on youth social inclusion. The following issues are currently under attention:

  • Integrated services and decentralisation. Reforms aim to bring early prevention and support closer to those who need it, with the least administrative burden for clients. “Integrated services” refers to the coordinated delivery of support across sectors – for example, combining education and social services for children and youth with special educational needs, so that a single assessment leads to a joined-up response rather than requiring families to navigate multiple systems. The ambition, led by the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry of Education and Research in cooperation with local governments, is to raise the effectiveness of services – including youth work – and to safeguard the sustainability of the social protection system through better coordination. This aligns with the objectives of the Welfare Development Plan 2023–2030.
  • Youth mental health. Supporting the mental health of young people and parents is a growing policy priority. The Green Paper on Mental Health (Vaimse tervise roheline raamat), adopted in 2021, was followed by the establishment of a dedicated Mental Health Department within the Ministry of Social Affairs in 2022 and the Mental Health Action Plan 2023–2026. The preventative programme Youth Aware of Mental Health, implemented in Estonian schools from 2023 to 2029 with a budget of €13.66 million, is one concrete initiative under this priority. Debates in this area involve the Ministry of Social Affairs, the National Institute for Health Development, universities and NGOs such as VATEK.
  • Parental skills. Strengthening support for parenting is linked to the broader reform of family services under the Welfare Development Plan 2023–2030, led by the Ministry of Social Affairs.
  • E-services. The development of digital services for young people continues, in line with Estonia’s wider e-governance strategy. This includes digitalising access to youth work, social services and participation tools, coordinated by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications in cooperation with other ministries.

References