In the Flemish Decree on youth and children’s rights policy and the support of youth work (official citation title: “Youth Decree of 23 November 2023”) ‘youth’ is defined as ‘persons up to and including thirty years of age, or a subset of that population group’ (cf. Article 3, 12°). This reflects a more Gallic-inspired approach (including Belgium and several Southern European countries), in which young people are defined within broader age limits. Consequently, ‘youth’ functions as an umbrella term encompassing, among others, children and adolescents.

At the same time, youth policy in Flanders spans multiple policy domains, some of which target specific age groups or specific subgroups withing the larger group of young people. Accordingly, a number of other decrees address youth-related matters, including:

• Decree amending the Decree of 20 April 2012 on the organisation of childcare for babies and toddlers and the Decree of 3 May 2019 on the organisation of out-of-school childcare and the coordination of out-of-school activities, focused on babies, toddlers and children from 3 to 12 years old.
• Decree on Integrated Youth Care, focused on young people under the age of 18.
• Decree on juvenile delinquency law, focused on young people (aged 12–18) who commit criminal offenses.
• Decree on the legal position of the minor in integrated youth care [and within the framework of the Decree on juvenile delinquency law (inc. Decree of 15 March 2019, Art. 3, I: 1 September 2019)], focused on young people under the age of 18.
• Decree establishing the rules for subsidizing youth accommodation, hostels, support structures and the non-profit organisation General Service for Youth Tourism (2022). With this decree the Flemish Community supports youth touristic accommodation that is youth-friendly, accessible and affordable. Youth refers to children and young people up to and including 30 years of age.