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1. Structure of Decision-making

2. Main Themes

3. The National Agency for Youth

4. Policy monitoring and evaluation

Structure of Decision-making

As previously mentioned, Belgium is a federal state with three communities (Flemish, French and German speaking) and three regions (Flemish, Brussels and Walloon). The Belgian Constitution allocates competences to these entities differently. The federal Belgian government has only limited authority over youth-related matters—for example, certain aspects of judicial youth protection—but there is no comprehensive youth policy at the federal level. 

Person-related matters that affect people directly, such as education, healthcare, culture, and youth affairs, fall under the jurisdiction of the Communities (Flemish, French and German Speaking). Thus, youth policy and youth policy decision-making is within the competence of the Communities. In 1980, Flemish politicians decided to merge the Flemish Community and the Flemish Region, unlike the French Community and the Walloon Region (which are separate administrative levels). As a result, Flanders has one Flemish Parliament and one Flemish Government (including the Minister of Youth) with competence over Community matters as well as over Regional matters, which assume the responsibilities of both the Community and the Region, and which make decisions autonomously through decrees (e.g., the Youth Decree of 23 November 2023).

To give a brief overview, the Flemish Authorities consists of: 

• The Flemish Parliament, which is directly elected by the Flemish population by way of five-yearly elections. The parliament has 124 members. The Parliamentary Commission for Culture, Youth, Sport and Media is the commission responsible for youth matters.
  • Important: In Flanders, the Kinderrechtencommissariaat (The Children’s Rights Commissioner) is an independent body established by decree of the Flemish Parliament that “controls” the Flemish Parliament regarding children’s rights policy and implementation. Officially, it is a para-parliamentary institution of the Flemish Parliament. The Children’s Rights Commissioner reports on the activities in an annual report to Parliament, which annually allocates financial resources and approves the budget. The Children’s Rights Commissioner ensures the proper observance and implementation of children’s rights in Flanders.
• The Flemish Government, which consists, for the term of office 2024-2029, of 10 Ministers who are in office for a five-year term. Since September 2024, Melissa Depraetere is the Flemish Minister of Youth, Housing, Energy and Climate and Tourism. 
• The Flemish Administration, which is currently organised based on eight policy areas. One of those eight policy areas is Culture, Youth, Sport and Media.
• Each policy area is supported by a department and one or several autonomous agencies on the one hand and policy councils, advisory councils and management committees on the other hand. The departments support and advice the Flemish Government on policymaking, whereas the agencies apply the policy through services to citizens, companies and organisations. The department within the policy area of Culture, Youth, Sport and Media is the Department of Culture, Youth, and Media. In all other departments and in the internal and external independent agencies, a staff member is officially appointed as the Point of contact regarding policy on the rights of youth and children. The network of these Points of contact as well as the preparation of the Flemish policy on youth and children's rights are coordinated by the Department of Culture, Youth and Media.
• Several non-governmental organisations play a role in the youth policy decision making, i.e. Flemish Youth Council and four intermediary organisations, De Ambrassade, STEKR, Bataljong, JINT, cf. Youth Decree of 23 November 2023, Article 9-13. It should be mentioned that there are also several commissions organised by these intermediary organisations such as the Youth Information Commission of De Ambrassade, the Broad Youth Policy Commission of Bataljong, the Youth Work Commission and the Policy Working Group on the implementation of th Youth Decree by De Ambrassade. These are all commissions that provide opportunities to prepare (future) youth policy decision-making.
• At the local level, five provinces and 300 local authorities fall within the administrative supervision of the Flemish Region. Most local authorities nowadays have youth services or at least one officer who is responsible for youth matters. 

Main Themes

As explained in detail in 1.2 National Youth Law, the Flemish Youth Decree of 23 November 2023 regulates the instruments for implementing a Flemish youth and children’s rights policy and for supporting Flemish and supra-local youth work. One of those instruments is the Flemish Youth and Children’s rights policy Plan (JKP). The participatory process in preparation of this policy plan and selection of the priorities (i.e. the choice of the main themes) is explained in detail in 1.3 National Youth Strategy. This section also contains more details on the specific target groups identified in the Youth Strategy.

The current Flemish Youth and Children's Rights Policy Plan 2025-2029 (Vlaams Jeugd- en Kinderrechtenbeleidsplan 2025-2029) is organised based on four policy priorities, selected by the Flemish Government.

• Well-being and resilience: within this priority, strong emphasis is placed on the resilience and adaptability of children and young people in a constantly changing world. As the social lives of children and young people also take place online, this priority includes attention to the digital living environment.
• Space to be young: children and young people should be able to thrive in a safe and healthy environment that they can explore freely. This has a positive impact on their well-being and development. The focus is on sustainable, traffic-safe, and liveable spaces that meet their needs.
• The path to adulthood: choosing a field of study, entering the labour market, finding quality housing, and growing independence all pose significant challenges. This priority aims to better support young people through these major transitions, across policy domains. It pays particular attention to young people in socially vulnerable situations, such as young people leaving youth care or with a disability.
• Living together in solidarity: children and young people need inclusive leisure opportunities and social connection in our superdiverse society. Every child and young person has the right to fully develop and express their own identity.

The identified priorities relate to the areas covered in the EU Youth Strategy, such as Health & Well-being, Participation and Voluntary activities (the latter two topics mainly in the priority “living together in solidarity”). The priority ‘the path to adulthood’ relates to ‘education & training’ and 'employment & entrepreneurship’ but also highlights the concerns in Flanders about the difficult transition to work, higher education and housing for youth in socially vulnerable situations. Social Inclusion is a topic that intersects with all 4 selected priorities as the entire Youth and Children’s Rights Policy Plan pays attention to unequal opportunities and intersectionality. 

The National Agency for Youth

The department within the policy area of Culture, Youth, Sport and Media is the Department of Culture, Youth and Media. The Department of Culture, Youth and Media was established on 1 April 2015 and is part of the Flemish Administration.

Within the Department of Culture, Youth and Media, Team Youth ensures the substantive and administrative follow-up of the Flemish policy on youth and children’s rights. Furthermore, they stimulate and support a rich and varied offer of non-commercial socio-cultural activities for young people, mainly through subsidies to associations and local authorities (cf. Youth Decree of 23 November 2023). In short, the tasks of Team Youth and the Department are as follows:

• Preparation, follow-up, evaluation and implementation of legislation (e.g. the Flemish Youth and Children’s Rights Policy Plan (JKP));
• Funding support structures, youth organisations, youth projects, youth hostels and accommodation centres;
• Funding or investing in youth work infrastructure;
• Providing material support for youth work;
• Providing information on youth (work) policy;
• Representing Flanders at international forums. On the one hand, Team Youth is involved in bilateral cooperation projects that Flanders established with other countries or regions in the context of cultural or partnership agreements. This cooperation mainly consists of exchange programmes. On the other hand, Team Youth participate in multilateral forums, which have a youth agenda, such as the Benelux, the European Union, the Council of Europe and the United Nations.
   

Policy monitoring and evaluation

The department of Culture, Youth and Media coordinates the monitoring and evaluation of the youth policy in general and the Youth and Children’s Rights policy plan in particular. 

Like other Department and Agencies of the Flemish Administration, the Department of Culture, Youth and Media is obliged to evaluate all subsidies and subsidy frameworks every five years, as stipulated by art. 76/1 of the Flemish Codex Governmental Finances of March 29^th 2019 (‘Decreet houdende de Vlaamse Codex Overheidsfinanciën, citeeropschrift: Vlaamse Codex Overheidsfinanciën van 29 maart 2019 of VCO’). This evaluation consists of structural monitoring of administrative data and commissioned research providing empirical evidence on impact and results. In a similar way, each JKP is evaluated.