Programmes for vulnerable young people

The education system

There are a number of top-level programmes aimed at vulnerable young people:

• Reception classes for non-Dutch speaking newcomers (onthaalonderwijs voor anderstalige nieuwkomers OKAN) are organized in primary and secondary education
• The Flemish government provides school allowances to help to pay the school costs. The school allowances for nursery, primary and secondary education are automatically integrated in the Growth Package. This Growth Package is the whole of family benefits (the former child benefit) and other financial benefits that the Flemish government provides tailored to each child in every family. For children in higher education parents have to apply for school allowances. The amount depends on: the type of education, the family income, and the family situation (married, self-employed, single). For students in higher education the amount depends also on the residence of the student (at home or in a student flat) .

The youth sector

Masterplan on diversity in/and youth work (Masterplan diversiteit in/en het Jeugdwerk)

In 2018, the Flemish Government and the Minister of Youth Sven Gatz, together with the youth sector, launched a Master Plan on diversity in / and youth work.  The actions in this master plan on diversity are set out in a process with different milestones. The aim is to develop even more inclusive and coordinated policies for vulnerable target groups, such as children and young people with disabilities, children and young people of foreign origin, children and young people in poverty, and this in an intergenerational relationship. The Master Plan must set things in motion, and this in a sustainable way. It transcends the current legislature and contains a long list of ambitious actions on diversity, both towards children and young people, and more specifically in youth work itself. The Master Plan is updated annually as a result of the Day of Diversity.

The action plan is divided into four major pillars:

1. Achieving a greater supply of youth work and provide more equal opportunities for all children and young people;
2. Achieving more social integration;
3. Detecting research needs, collecting data sources and making them accessible, weigh on the research agenda on diversity and monitoring;
4. Cross-sectoral and international networking and collaboration

This plan formed the basis for several programs and projects. 

European Social Funds

The Flemish ESF operational programme will complement national and regional measures aimed at boosting employment and social inclusion.  The programme aims to complement the existing Flemish employment and social inclusion initiatives and encourage innovative social measures and transnational cooperation. The Flemish ESF falls under the authority of the Flemish ministers of work and social economy.  

Priorities for the Flemish programme with relevance to youth are e.g.:

• Promoting projects for sustainable, high-quality jobs and worker mobility; and investing in education, training and lifelong learning. These areas will attract some 60% of total funding and complement the Flemish career management policy which seeks a more effective labour market. In particular, ESF projects in Flanders will focus on important transition moments in careers, such as the transition from school to work, from unemployment to work, from work to other work.
• Some 20% of funding will support social inclusion, equality and anti-poverty projects. Projects will target the pathways into work and society for the most at-risk groups, such as Roma.

Funding

The education system

School allowances for less affluent families are funded by the Flemish Community. School allowances for pupils in nursery, primary and secondary education are incorporated in the Growth Package, the financial allowances that the Flemish government provide for every child in every family. The Growth Package is automatically paid to the families by the Flemish government service called FONS. School allowances for students in higher education are disbursed by the Flemish government service AVOHOKS  (Afdeling School- en Studietoelagen van het Agentschap voor Hoger Onderwijs, Volwassenenonderwijs, Kwalificaties en Studietoelagen).

In the school year 2024–2025, 536,573 pupils in Flanders received a school allowance, the highest number since its introduction as part of the Groeipakket in 2019. The total amount paid out to families that year was more than €250 million, with the majority going to secondary and primary pupils. For the 2025–2026 school year, the annual school allowance amounts under the Growth Package are set as follows (paid once per year depending on family income and type of education):

• Pre‑school: up to around €126.91
• Primary school: minimum about €148.09; full allowance €230.32; exceptional up to €299.05
• Secondary education: varying by level and boarding status (examples: full allowances from ~€1,154 up to ~€4,000 +)
• Higher vocational nursing (HBO5): external up to ~€1,483; internal up to ~€4,455
• Higher education: a small fixed annual amount (~€59.98/year) on top of study allowance rules for students in higher education (who need a separate application). 

These figures are indexed regularly and are designed to help families with the costs associated with schooling, with eligibility based primarily on family income and composition.

The youth sector

Information related to funding is mentioned above in the description of the program (when available).

European social funds

The Flemish ESF operational programme is worth over 1 billion euros in total:

• 60% of total funding goes to projects for sustainable, high-quality jobs and worker mobility; and projects investing in education, training and lifelong learning.
• Some 20% of funding will support social inclusion, equality and anti-poverty projects. 

Quality assurance

For ESF, the promoter or performer must only comply with quality registration insofar as it provides training, education, guidance, job placement, competence development and advisory services to citizens, businesses and third-party organizations. For example, promoters of ESF projects with a direct service to citizens, for example the guidance of job seekers, young people, the inactive, must comply with quality registration. For each ESF project, it will be determined separately whether the promoters and implementers must comply with the quality registration and this will always be included in the call file.

The quality assurance mechanisms for the other programmes are described where the programme / intervention is mentioned above (when available).