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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

Youth policy takes place at all three levels of government, i.e. state, regional, and municipal level.

State level

Denmark is a constitutional monarchy, where the role of the monarch is only formal. The government defines the overall objectives of all the policies in Denmark – including youth policies, however both the parliament and the government may introduce proposals for new legislation.

The Minister of Children and Education is the Danish representative in the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council (Education and Youth) in the EU. However, there is no minister or ministry of youth in Denmark. Instead, the decision-making process regarding youth policy and the preparation of legislation regarding young people is the responsibility of the different sector ministries.

A coordination of government policies takes place in two central committees (one for policy coordination and one for economy policy issues), however no minutes are taken from the meetings, so they appear informal.

In the following, an overview is presented of tasks of ministries with relevance for the formulation, evaluation, and monitoring of Danish youth policy.

The Ministry of Culture is responsible for cultural policy for young people, Non-formal Education and Democratic Voluntary Activity (folkeoplysning, see section 2.1), and distributing profits from the national lotteries (udlodningsmidlerne, see section 2.1).

The Ministry of Social Affairs, Housing and Senior Citizens is responsible for socially marginalised young people and young people with fewer opportunities; especially, they are responsible for young people with special needs or disabilities. The ministry does also hold responsibilities related to civil society and the voluntary sector, and the administration of a range of family laws.

The Ministry of the Interior and Health is responsible for a number of policy areas that are not specific related to youth. However, within each area there are youth policy dimensions. It is areas, such as structural policy, the governance of municipalities and regions, and the economics of municipalities and regions. The ministry is also responsible for elections and referenda. And finally, it has the overall responsibility for the healthcare system.

The Ministry of Children and Education is responsible for primary and lower secondary education (folkeskole) (ISCED 1 and 2), and general and vocational upper secondary education (ISCED 3 and IVET).

The Ministry of Digital Government and Gender Equalities is responsible for developing policies and legislation related to equal rights and gender equality as well as digitalisation.

The Ministry of Employment is responsible for developing policies and legislation related to young people’s working conditions, working environment and workplace injuries. Furthermore, it holds the responsibility for combating youth unemployment.

The Ministry of Higher Education and Science is responsible for developing policies and legislation within areas of importance for youth, when defined as being in the age of 18 to 30 years old. It is all higher education, state education grants, as well as areas of science and innovation.

The Ministry of Justice is also responsible for youth dimension of the legal system. Its responsibility relates to authorities of criminal proceedings (such as the police, the public prosecutor's office, the courts and prisons), and it is specifically responsible for the administration of the Justice Act and the Penal Code. However, it also provides advice to the government and the central administration on legislative issues in general, as well as EU legal issues. Furthermore, it provides general legal assistance to ministries and agencies in preparing legislative proposals.

The Ministry of Immigration and Integration is responsible for developing policies and legislation and administer legislation within areas that in general and specifically is of important for youth. It covers immigration (entry, residence, and asylum), integration of refugees and immigrants in society (e.g. education system, labour market, culture and leisure), prevention of extremism and radicalisation, tackling honour-related conflicts and negative social control, and the provision of citizenship.

The Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities is responsible for national and international efforts to prevent climate change, which is of huge importance for young people and high on their awareness. The ministry has set up a youth climate council.

Regional level

Denmark is divided into five regions: the Capital Region of Denmark (Region Hovedstaden), Region Zealand (Region Sjælland), the Region of Southern Denmark (Region Syddanmark), Central Denmark Region (Region Midtjylland), and the North Denmark Region (Region Nordjylland).

The regions administer a number of tasks in accordance with the national legislation. The main tasks are general healthcare in Denmark, somatic hospitals, and they are also responsible for psychiatric treatment, where youth is a specific target group. The regions are responsible for treatment of young people with psychological vulnerability and mental health issues. The regions are also responsible for regional growth and development.

Of specific importance for youth, the regions are responsible for the geographic distribution of youth educations, and for the provision of public transportation. This is important to give young people in less populated areas of the country equal opportunities of access to education, jobs as well as culture and leisure activities. 

The regions also offer highly specialised services for youth with special needs.

The regions do not have the right to levy taxes, so every year, the government and Danish Regions (the region’s umbrella organisation) enter into an economic agreement on the regional spending and the regional tasks.

Municipal level

The 98 municipalities are responsible for the main part of welfare services that people meet in their everyday life. These are to different degrees directed at young people. Concerning youth, municipalities are responsible for lower secondary education (folkeskole), part of the healthcare system, especially affecting youth with special needs (prevention, nursing and rehabilitation outside hospitalisation), culture and leisure activities, including support to voluntary social work (see section 2.1), active labour market measures in the local job centre (see section 3.6) and municipal youth guidance units (KUI), social benefits, and integration of people with immigrant background.

Specifically targeting young people are youth schools and youth clubs, and youth councils or joint pupil’s councils (although they are not mandatory).

With the Consolidation act on Municipal Provision for Young People under 25 years  (Lov om kommunal indsats for unge under 25 år), municipalities have full responsibility for coordinating guidance offers, educational offers, and employment offers for young people under 25 years old.

The Children's Act (Barnets Lov) obliges municipalities to offer advice, help and support to young people to prevent social problems. In addition, the municipalities must meet the special needs of young people resulting from reduced physical or mental functioning or special social problems. 

The main purpose of the Act is to ensure that young people who need special support can achieve the same opportunities for care, learning, personal development, well-being, health and an independent adult life as their peers.

It is emphasized in the law that help and support must be based on the individual young person. The measures must ensure opportunities for personal development and building skills and opportunities to form social relationships and networks, as well as promoting health and well-being. Furthermore, they must support the young person's schooling and the opportunity to complete an education and ensuring a safe caring environment while growing up.

Finally, the Children's Act emphasizes legal guarantees, a principle of proximity and the cooperation and cooperation with the family. A municipal Child and Youth Committee (Børne- og ungeudvalget), which is independent from the municipal council, makes decisions in cases where the family's consent cannot be obtained but action is required. It is decisions about social and psychological examinations, treatments or placement of youth outside the family home.

The municipalities have a considerable degree of autonomy known as municipal self-government (kommunalt selvstyre). The right of municipalities to self-govern under state supervision is established in The Constitutional Act of Denmark, § 82. Thus, the welfare services may vary locally depending on the priorities made by the local government. However, the municipalities' framework for developing local self-government is limited by the level of detail in the national legislation.

The municipalities are under state supervision by the Social Appeals Board (Ankestyrelsen). The Social Appeals Board monitors whether the municipalities administer in accordance with the laws that apply to public authorities, such as the Public Administration Act (Forvaltningsloven), the Public Records Act (Offentlighedsloven), and the Act on Local Government (Kommunestyrelsesloven).

The municipal economy is established in annual economic agreements between the government and the municipalities’ umbrella organisation, the Local Government Denmark (Kommunernes Landsforening, KL). Typically, the agreement establishes the total level of expenditure on services and facilities as well as the level of municipal taxation.

To prevent the worst inequalities in the levels of service provision in the municipalities, Denmark has a system to balance municipal economies to ensure that citizens can expect the same service level no matter if they live in a wealthy or a poor municipality.

Main Themes

Danish youth policy is governed through a cross-sectoral approach and deals with issues in areas such as education, employment, housing, health, civic participation, culture, and leisure. The list above of municipal tasks related to youth gives an impression of the extent of Danish youth policies.

The scope of Danish youth policy is that all children and young people should have the best start in life. Regardless of social background, children and young people must have the same possibilities to learn, develop, thrive and be educated.

This is a ground-pillar in the Danish Welfare State conception. It is not written into basic law; however, it is the premises in key acts as well as government strategy papers. The premise is formulated in Government strategy to combat negative social inheritance (Lige muligheder for alle børn og unge: Regeringens strategi til at bekæmpe negativ social arv) as well as in the Government’s strategy paper Equal opportunities: strengthened personal resources and social cohesion (Lige muligheder: styrkede personlige ressourcer og social sammenhængskraft). Furthermore, it can be found in the municipal youth policy strategy papers.

A wide range of factors inform the choice of themes in the Danish youth policy. Danish youth policy must comply with a series of international conventions, such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and the EU Convention on Human Rights. 

Danish governments support the EU Youth Guarantee. Furthermore, the report ‘Denmark’s National Reform Programme’ describes the national policy responses to comply with the EU country-specific recommendations. Some of the policy responses affect the Danish youth policy in the area of employment, education, and social inclusion. 

Research conducted at the universities, national knowledge centres, national councils and research centres draws attention to effects, problems, international inspiration and possibilities for development that may be used as arguments in political discussions. 

National knowledge centres collect, produce and distribute knowledge, for instance The Danish Centre for Teaching Environment (Dansk Center for Undervisningsmiljø, DCUM), The Knowledge Centre for Non-Formal General Adult Education (Videncenter for Folkeoplysning, VIFO), The National Knowledge and Special Needs Advisor Organisation (Den nationale videns- og specialrådgivningsorganisation, VISO), The Centre for Voluntary Social Work (Center for Frivilligt Socialt Arbejde, CFSA), The Knowledge Centre for Social Measures Against Violence and Sexual Abuse of Children and Young People (Videnscenter for sociale indsatser ved vold og seksuelle overgreb mod børn - SISO), The Danish National Centre for Grief (Det nationale sorgcenter).

National councils and committees advise ministers, politicians and public authorities, as well as discuss policy proposals and legislation, and participate in current debates. The councils are obliged to formulate consultative statements in their sector area. Councils concerned with the area of youth policy are for instance the National Council for Children (Børnerådet) (see section 4.5  and 5.3) and the National Council for Volunteering (Frivilligrådet), which advises government and the Danish Parliament (Folketinget) on volunteering in relation to social challenges with the purpose to contribute to the public debate on the voluntary sector’s role in the future development of the welfare society, including the sector’s cooperation with the public and private sectors. The Danish Disability Council (Det centrale Handicapråd) advises on how to improve conditions for people with disabilities. The National Council for Socially Marginalised (Rådet for Socialt Udsatte) gives socially marginalised citizens a voice in policymaking processes and in the public. The Council for Children’s Learning (Rådet for børns læring) monitors and assesses the academic level, the pedagogic development and the pupils’ benefit from education; recent focus areas are quality education, the balance between public and private schools, and digitalisation. The Youth Climate Council (Ungeklimarådet) gives input on the solutions of climate challenges to the minister for climate, energy and utilities (see section 9.3: “Global issues exchanges with policy-makers at the domestic level”). Finally should be mentioned the Media Council for Children and Young People (Medierådet for børn og unge) (see section 5.3) and the Danish Institute for Human Rights (Institut for Menneskerettigheder) (see section 9.2).

Ad hoc expert groups, committees or commissions with knowledge on a specific area are set up in the case of larger reforms. They conduct analyses and recommendations for the government to inform policy development. An example is the expert group on better ways to youth education (Ekspertgruppen om bedre veje til en ungdomsuddannelse) that made recommendations to improve educational offers to young people who stalled in the educational system. The most recent example is the well-being commission (Trivselskommissionen) that is set up to investigate young people’s failure to thrive. The result of the work of the commission will be published on their website.

Interest organisations, social partners, and associations are consulted in Danish policymaking. They are consulted during the formulation of bills. The consultation is a mechanism to ensure that all perspectives are included in the final proposal. Ministries are obliged to send bills in a formal consultation (see section 5.4). Interest organisations and private persons may contact politicians regarding specific concerns of the organisations’ members.

Citizen motions. Since January 2018, all persons entitled to vote in general elections in Denmark can formulate a policy proposal if a minimum of three additional persons sign the proposal. If the proposal subsequently receives support from 50 000 persons entitled to vote in general elections, the parliament is obliged to discuss and vote on the motion. Youth-related citizen motions have been passed in parliament, for example: Minimum 6 months grief leave when parents lose a child in the 0-18-year age group and Prolongation of the period a women’s ovum can be frozen when couples are in fertility treatment.

The National Agency for Youth

There is no national agency for youth. In accordance with the cross-sectional organisation of Danish youth policy, administrative tasks are distributed between different ministries. 

The Danish Agency for Education and Quality (Styrelsen for Undervisning og Kvalitet) is the executive agency for the Ministry of Children and Education. Primary youth related activities are organised in the department for upper secondary education and the department for vocational education.

The Agency for Culture and Palaces (Slots- og Kulturstyrelsen) is the executive agency for the Ministry of Culture and it administers funds that support cultural activities of youth.

The Danish Authority of Social Services and Housing (Social- og Boligstyrelsen) is the executive agency for the Ministry of Interior, Health and Senior Citizens. It covers a range of social issues related to youth.

Danish Immigration Service (Udlændingestyrelsen) and Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (Styrelsen for International Rekruttering og Integration) are the executive agencies for the Ministry of Immigration and Integration. Youth is an integrated part of the activities.

Policy monitoring and evaluation

The national legislation is subject to continuous monitoring and evaluation. These evaluations, analyses and reports are the basis for the development of new policies and policy reforms. The evaluations are used in several ways: To inform policymaking, to initiate reforms if the evaluations indicate inefficient measures or unintended consequences, to validate methods, and to develop and improve methods.

Monitoring and evaluations can be conducted by a ministry or agency (internal), by researchers (external), or by a range of state institutions. Some monitoring and evaluations are ad hoc while others are regular. Each sector ministry is responsible for national agencies that perform monitoring, evaluation and reporting.

Within the Ministry of Employment, the Danish Agency for Labour Market and Recruitment (Styrelsen for Arbejdsmarked og rekruttering, STAR) is responsible for implementing and following-up on employment policies in Denmark. The agency initiates tests, analyses, projects and reviews to establish a firm knowledge of which measures have a positive effect.

Ad hoc evaluations and knowledge pilot projects are initiated, for instance ‘Bridge-building to education’. The agency develops literature reviews based on Danish and international research on the effects of employment policies. The agency initiates inspiration projects and conducts practice reports on the implementation of employment policy reforms. One example is a report on municipalities’ referral and assessment of young people under the age of 30 without an education. Another example is evidence-based knowledge gathered by the municipalities’ umbrella organisation, KL, about young people without education or employment.

The agency conducts register-based analysis where the effects of mechanisms in employment policies are estimated, for example Young people’s journey from education benefit to education and employment.

The agency performs regular monitoring and runs a knowledge bank called Job Effects (Jobeffekter) where it is possible to compare the effects of specific measures aimed at specific target groups.

Within the Ministry of Children and Education the National Agency for Teaching and Quality (Styrelsen for Undervisning og Kvalitet (STUK)) collects and distributes research on teaching and learning. Furthermore, the agency is responsible for a range of projects to gain new perspectives and knowledge. The agency supervises all education institutions under the auspices of the ministry. The supervision covers the quality of education, economy, institutional matters and conditions, and law compliance.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Children and Education funds projects that develop teaching. The purpose of the funding is to provide evidence-based knowledge on effective methods in schools and education institutions for the benefit of pupils. The knowledge is used in the development of new policies.

The Ministry of Social Affairs, Housing and Senior Citizens evaluates measures as a follow-up on new legislation. However, there is no specific focus on the 13-30-year age group. The Danish Authority of Social Services and Housing evaluates projects and pools of funding. The evaluations can be midterm or final evaluations. Furthermore, the National Council for Children collects knowledge on children’s conditions in Denmark. Some evaluations are made at regular intervals, for instance the social policy report (Socialpolitisk Redegørelse).

From time to time, the Ministry of Higher Education and Science initiates evaluations of areas within the ministry’s field of responsibility, for instance education programmes, the admission system, the grading scale, etc. The evaluations are ad hoc, and the mechanisms differ. Some evaluations are conducted by the ministry or agencies under the ministry, while others are conducted by external researchers or market research companies.

The Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science (Uddannelses- og Forskningsstyrelsen) is the supervising authority of higher education institutions. The systematic supervision of education institutions is based on the education institutions’ annual reports and auditor’s records (economic supervision). The supervision in relation to the strategic framework contracts is based on annual progress reports from the education institutions. The contracts contain specific measurable strategic targets in relation to the education institution’s key tasks, which are established in a dialogue between the institution and the ministry.

Some evaluations are made at regular intervals, for instance the report on higher education and science (Uddannelses- og forskningspolitisk redegørelse). Other types of supervision are ad hoc. These are thematic supervision of selected themes or single issues. The purpose of thematic supervision is to monitor if new regulations have the intended effect or if new legislation is properly implemented. Reports based on the thematic supervision are published on the ministry’s website. 

Within the Ministry of the Interior and Health, the Danish Health Authority (Sundhedsstyrelsen) has the overall responsibility for monitoring and evaluating trends in the health and well-being within the Danish population, including the Danish youth. The Danish Health Authority initiates evaluations of projects and campaigns. Specific publications and topics are described in detail on their website.

Other institutions, such as the National Institute of Public Health (Statens Institut for Folkesundhed), contribute with monitoring the health among the Danish youth. This work is conducted through special agreements with the Ministry of the Interior and Health.

With regard to more specific evaluations, two overall reports can be mentioned. The National Health Profile and Skolebørnsundersøgelsen (Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC)) are published every four years. They describe the overall pattern regarding health and well-being in the Danish population and youth.

Data for the most recent National Health Profile was conducted in 2023. The results are available in a public database. It covers the following topics: Health and well-being, morbidity, health behaviour, contact with the healthcare system, social relations, and years of good life. The results are used as a basis to coordinate health promotion interventions as well as to identify regional and municipal health differences in the Danish population. 

The Danish School Health Survey (Skolebørnsundersøgelsen) is the Danish contribution to the WHO cross-national study Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children. The most recent report was published in 2022. It is based on a questionnaire survey of 11-15-year-old school children and covers topics such as self-reported health, well-being and health behaviour. The results are used for research purposes as well as health promotion initiatives targeting Danish youth.

The Benchmarking Unit (Benchmarkingenhed) is an independent institution under the Ministry of the Interior and Health. The unit provides analyses of the municipalities’ and regions’ performance, for instance NEETs in the 98 municipalities and Inclusion in the public primary and lower secondary education (folkeskole) and The connection of young people with mental issues to the labour market and education

Other state institutions contribute with monitoring and evaluation activities. The Social Appeals Board (Ankestyrelsen) is an independent state institution that settles complaint cases from citizens in Denmark regarding social policy and labour market policy. Furthermore, the Social Appeals Board supervises municipalities and regions. The Social Appeals Board can initiate inquiries regarding municipalities’ implementation of social policy and labour market policy. The analyses strengthen the quality of municipal administration and equal treatment of citizens across the country. Examples of analyses in relation to young people are Municipal practices regarding placement of children and young people in own rooms and Municipal practices regarding visitation of young people below 30 years without education.

In every region, one municipality is in charge of the Social Supervision (Socialtilsynet), which carries out the supervision of all social measures in the region. The supervision is a quality assurance measure.

The Danish Ombudsman’s unit for Children (Ombudsmandens Børnekontor) can initiate cases when there is an indication of a public authority’s non-compliance with the law. Furthermore, the ombudsman visits private and public institutions where young people are placed in care outside the home. Finally, the ombudsman oversees that international conventions on children are observed.

Besides the audits of public spending, the National Audit Office of Denmark conducts performance studies, called major studies, that cover a wide range of subjects and reflect what the National Audit Office considers essential for efficient, effective and financially sound administration. The National Audit Office has a follow-up procedure that contributes to ensuring that the audits are effective.

Examples of major studies and follow-up procedures in relation to young people in recent years are Report on the measures to keep young people with fewer opportunities in education and Memorandum on the efforts towards children placed out of home and Memorandum on the report on administration of ECTS points in higher education institutions.

Instead of evaluations made by national agencies, the sector ministries can choose to put the evaluation out to tender.