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1. Political Commitment to Evidence-Based Youth Policy

2. Cooperation between policy-making and research

3. National Statistics and available data sources

4. Budgetary Allocations supporting research in the youth field

Political Commitment to Evidence-Based Youth Policy

‘Research’ and ‘evaluation’ run through the Policy Note on Youth 2024-2029 like a red wire and both instruments are also explicitly mentioned as essential building stones for a powerful and efficient policy (OD A.1.1). Youth research and children’s rights research are considered as policy instruments with the aim of developing evidence-based (youth) policy. 

With regard to monitoring and evaluation, it is important to mention that the Flemish youth policy has five main instruments at its disposal, regulated by the Youth Decree of 23 November 2023: 1/ Flemish Youth and Children’s rights policy Plan (JKP) (cf. Article 4); 2/ Horizontal and vertical consultation on youth and children’s rights policy (cf. Article 5); 3/ a network of the Points of contact for youth and children’s rights policy in all departments and agencies of the Flemish Authorities (cf. Article 6); 4/ impact assessment of new legislation on children and youth (JoKER) (cf. Article 7); 5/ a ‘State of the youth’ progress report to monitor the situation of youth (cf. Article 8).

1/ From those five instruments, the progress and impact of the implementation of the Youth and Children’s rights policy plan (JKP) is monitored through annual reporting of actions within the framework of the policy and budget explanatory notes of each specialised minister concerned. This evaluation also includes indicators for each of the JKP priorities.

2/ Also the JoKER impact assessment of new legislation on children and youth (i.e. decrees) can be regarded as a ‘preparatory’ monitoring and evaluation instrument on the formation youth policy. For every draft decree submitted to the Flemish Parliament, a child and youth impact report, abbreviated JoKER, shall be attached if the proposed decision directly affects the interests of persons under 25 years of age.

3/ Next to the JoKER, there is the ‘State of the youth’ progress report to monitor the situation of youth. The State of the youth is understood as a scientifically substantiated report on the living conditions of young people, which also highlights longitudinal developments. This State of the youth is conducted by the Youth Research Platform (Jeugdonderzoeksplatform, or JOP). The Youth Research Platform is an interuniversity collaboration between the Youth Criminology Research Line (Leuven Institute of Criminology – KU Leuven), the Department of Social Work and Social Pedagogy (Ghent University), and the research group Tempus Omnia Revelat (Vrije Universiteit Brussel). The current management agreement recognizes JOP as a scientific support centre for the youth policy field until the end of 2026. As indicated in the management agreement, the Flemish Government invests EUR 289,520 annually in JOP. In short, JOP functions as Flanders’ central scientific hub for youth research, combining data collection, analysis, knowledge dissemination, and policy support. The Youth Research Platform:

• Conducts large-scale, recurring youth research. JOP systematically collects empirical data on the living conditions, attitudes, perceptions, and behaviour of children and young people in Flanders through standardized surveys (the JOP Monitor and the Child Monitor). These surveys cover key domains such as well-being, school experiences, leisure time, political attitudes, and social participation, and relate these to background characteristics (e.g. age, gender, education).
• Monitors trends over time. By repeating the JOP Monitor at regular intervals since 2005, JOP provides longitudinal insights into changes and continuities in the lives of Flemish youth.
• Produces thematic and urban-focused research. In addition to general surveys, JOP conducts city monitors in major Flemish cities (Ghent, Antwerp, and Brussels) to capture the specific context of growing up in urban environments, as well as thematic analyses on issues such as gender, diversity, pressure on young people, and education.
• Publishes and disseminates research findings. JOP translates research results into books, reports, and other outputs that make scientific knowledge accessible to policymakers, practitioners, and the youth sector.
• Collects and unlocks youth research knowledge. Through the Youth Research Database, JOP gathers, organizes, and disseminates existing youth research conducted in Flanders.
• Supports youth policy with scientific expertise. JOP provides scientific and methodological support to the youth policy field, helping to inform evidence-based policymaking.
• Engages in research networks. JOP actively participates in Flemish and international networks on youth research, contributing to knowledge exchange and collaboration.

4/ The Flemish Government also has the Children’s Rights Monitor to measure and adjust youth and children’s rights policy. The Children’s Rights Monitor maps (part of) the living situation of children. It provides material to develop future policy or to adjust existing policy. The monitor ensures that: a) children’s rights are more firmly placed on the agenda across different policy domains; b) policy is substantively informed; and c) efforts are made to improve children’s living conditions, from the perspective of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

During the previous policy period (2019-2024), the Children’s Rights Monitor was renewed, and Children’s Rights Monitor ‘2.0’ was developed. This instrument adds value by:

• taking the child as the starting point and building on the experiences and lived reality of minors themselves;
• giving children’s rights not only a legal, but also a pedagogical and ethical interpretation;
• positioning children’s rights as a reference framework for policy development, implementation and evaluation;
• offering a mix of administrative data and survey data that provides greater insight into children’s experiences and perceptions;
• taking into account the context in which policy is conducted (regional, local) and aligning it with other policy levels (national, local);
• being developed in a co-creative and participatory manner, with government, civil society, researchers and other stakeholders jointly shaping the instrument in a continuous and dynamic way;
• being closely interconnected with other children’s rights policy instruments.

Based on the available information, the Flemish Government can:

• keep a finger on the pulse of compliance with children’s rights in Flanders;
• use data to develop and evaluate (Flemish) policy;
• increase the visibility of children and young people (0–18 years) in Flanders;
• highlight vulnerabilities: domains and target groups where things are not going well and where government action is needed;
• identify blind spots and stimulate further knowledge (development).

The themes of the Children’s Rights Monitor naturally lies on the competences of the Flemish Government. The Children’s Rights Monitor works with a fixed core set of indicators that the Department of Culture, Youth and Media (Team Youth) monitor over a defined period. These indicators are based on research data, policy priorities and/or the concluding observations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. The indicators are grouped into nine themes that correspond to 13 articles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. For each theme, it is indicated which article(s) it corresponds to. Eight of these nine themes align with the formal reporting to the UN Committee. They are complemented by the theme of well-being, to reflect a maximalist vision of children’s rights. The nine themes are well-being, disability and health, violence against children, education, leisure, participation, alternative care, family context, and special protection measures. 

The results of the monitoring can be informative for everyone who works with children and young people. Monitoring children’s rights is also an essential part of the obligations of the States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, as it enables reporting.

5/ In addition, monitoring and evaluation is of course always (informally) ‘present’ within the other instrument stemming from the Youth Decree such as the JKP, the Horizontal and vertical consultation, through the Points of contact, although not formally explicit. Furthermore, monitoring and evaluation is also being done through the Flemish Youth Council (e.g., writing policy advice on matters concerning youth) and the four intermediary organisations De Ambrassade, STEKR, Bataljong and JINT and several commissions they are assigned to organise. From those four intermediary organisations, STEKR is formally and explicitly responsible for promoting knowledge and research on children’s rights, reporting on the implementation of children’s rights (including youth policy) in Flanders (see also the Children’s Rights Monitor), and informing children and youth about their rights, in collaboration with public and private partners.

6/ The Youth Decree also contains provisions on the processing of data by, among others, the department and recognized and/or subsidized youth organizations.

7/ Finally, the Department of Culture, Youth and Media also commissions in-depth studies (and investigative projects) on specific topics that are less measurable or specific target groups that remain invisible in surveys or registrations. These studies have for example focused on youth work with children and young people in socially vulnerable situations, young people in residential care, youth work for young people with disabilities, and leisure for young people with a migration background. Also, other publications on youth are brought together on the website of the Flemish Government.

Cooperation between policy-making and research

In line with the section the connection between research and policymaking is present throughout various instruments and provisions stemming from the Youth Decree of 23 November 2023 and additional instruments such as the Children’s Rights Monitor.

With regard to the cooperation between policymaking and research, it is again important to mention that the Flemish youth policy has five main instruments at its disposal, regulated by the Youth Decree of 23 November 2023: 1/ Flemish Youth and Children’s rights policy Plan (JKP) (cf. Article 4); 2/ Horizontal and vertical consultation on youth and children’s rights policy (cf. Article 5); 3/ a network of the Points of contact for youth and children’s rights policy in all departments and agencies of the Flemish Authorities (cf. Article 6); 4/ impact assessment of new legislation on children and youth (JoKER) (cf. Article 7); 5/ a ‘State of the youth’ progress report to monitor the situation of youth (cf. Article 8). Those five instruments provide the necessary knowledge, research, monitoring and evaluation for (participatory) policymaking by policymakers, practitioners, researchers and other stakeholders involved.

Furthermore, the Youth Research Platform (Jeugdonderzoeksplatform, or JOP) should be mentioned here, as a scientific support centre and ‘hub’ for youth policy and governance, combining data collection, analysis, knowledge dissemination, and policy support.

The Flemish Government also has the Children’s Rights Monitor to measure and adjust youth and children’s rights policy.

Finally, there is the Network Group on Youth Research which was established in 2011 by what was then the Youth Division of the ministry. It is currently coordinated by the Knowledge and Policy Division of the Department of Culture, Youth and Media (Team Transversal). Within this framework, the Department of Culture, Youth and Media facilitates informal coordination between youth researchers, colleagues from other policy domains, and key stakeholders in the field. The network serves as a platform for exchanging knowledge on ongoing and completed research, as well as on innovative research methodologies involving children and young people, and on the valorisation and dissemination of research findings.

National statistics and available data sources

Next to the instruments in the previous two sections, Statistics Flanders is a network of Flemish government bodies responsible for developing, producing, and publishing official public statistics. Its statistical outputs cover a broad range of domains, including population and labour, the economy, the environment, and Flanders’ international position. Beyond data production, the network adds analytical value by clustering statistics thematically, identifying trends, and situating figures within a geographical context. While the data are not specifically focused on children and young people, several datasets—particularly within the population and society domain—provide relevant insights into the situation of youth in Flanders.

Furthermore, the Flemish government previously monitored local youth (work) policy through the Cijferboek Lokaal Jeugdbeleid (“Numbers Book Local Youth Policy”), a triennial survey-based publication. This instrument collected quantitative data on how local authorities organised and implemented youth policy, covering aspects such as political responsibility, youth councils, the presence and support of youth work, youth infrastructure and spaces, youth information, and intersectoral cooperation. This monitoring practice ended in 2014 following the introduction of the Policy and Management Cycle on 1 January 2014, which fundamentally altered local planning and reporting requirements. From that point onwards, municipal youth policy objectives were embedded within a broader multiannual municipal policy plan. A final quantitative publication was subsequently produced, reflecting the situation of municipalities at the outset of this reform.

Budgetary Allocations supporting research in the youth field

The Department of Culture, Youth and Media has funding for research to support evidence-based policy and to evaluate policy measures, including youth and children’s rights policy (measures), through public procurements for specific research projects. The exact yearly budgets for youth research are not publicly available.