1.5 Cross-sectoral approach with other ministries
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Mechanisms and actors
Danish youth policy is cross-sectoral, with an emphasis on coordination between ministries and agencies. There is no legal framework or formalised inter-ministerial working group underpinning the cross-sectoral practice.
Cross-sectoral practices develop ad hoc in accordance with the nature of the policy theme, which often requires expertise from several ministries.
An example of such cross-sectoral cooperation is the establishment in 2018 of an interministerial working group to support the municipalities’ implementation of the Consolidation act on Municipal Provision for Young People under 25 years (Lov om kommunal indsats for unge under 25 år). The initiative to establish the working group was taken by the Ministry of Education. Representatives from the ministries of employment, finance, children and the social, as well as KL, the municipalities’ umbrella organisation, participated in the working group.
As another example, in 2019, the Ministry of Children and Education set up an inter-ministerial working group to prepare a government plan on children and young people's digital lives on the internet, including measures to limit their exposure to harmful content.
As a final example, in January 2020, the government set up an inter-ministerial working group consisting of the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Ministry of Aging, and the Ministry of Children and Education to get inspiration for solving problems with teaching at the internal schools in institutions for placed young people with special needs.
Inter-ministerial working groups have also been established on youth related issues such as abortion, prostitution and legal gender reassignment.