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1. Programmes specific for vulnerable young people

2. Funding

3. Quality assurance

Programmes specific for vulnerable young people

Several programmes, initiated by the ministries responsible for youth social inclusion, specifically address the needs of vulnerable young people. The programmes described below operate under the broader framework of the Youth Sector Development Plan 2021–2035 (Noortevaldkonna arengukava 2021–2035), which sets out strategic goals for security, inclusion and support for young people at risk of exclusion.

Youth Guarantee Support System (Noortegarantii tugisüsteem)

The Youth Guarantee Support System (YGSS) is a national service supporting young people aged 16–29 in finding a path towards education, employment, or other meaningful development opportunities. It is built around the principle that every young person should receive support in the way and at the time that suits them best. All 79 local governments in Estonia have joined the system.

The system operates at local government level. Its day-to-day delivery is carried out by a youth welfare specialist (noorte heaolu spetsialist) employed by the local authority, who works with each young person individually, coordinates the contributions of support services and partners, and — where needed — involves members of a core or extended network, such as schools, the Unemployment Insurance Fund (Töötukassa), youth work organisations, or health services. A personal action plan is drawn up for each young person.

The IT component of the system queries national registries twice a year (in March and October), generating a list of 16–26-year-olds in each municipality who are not reflected in relevant databases — meaning they are not studying, working, registered as unemployed, in military service, or caring for a child under 18 months. Local governments use this list to proactively reach out and inform young people of available opportunities. Young people who are not on the list but wish to discuss their plans can also approach their local authority directly, as can those aged 13 and over on a preventive basis. Participation is voluntary and free of charge.

In the October 2025 monitoring round, 13,841 young people aged 16–26 appeared on YGSS lists nationally. Data show that approximately 5–8% of those identified clearly express a need for support, and a growing trend has been observed of young people accepting support only after appearing in several consecutive monitoring rounds. In practice, supporting a young person from the point of first contact to achieving their goal can take between one month and one and a half years. After a goal is reached, contact is maintained for at least a further six months to assess whether the outcome is sustainable.

The legal basis for the NGTS derives from the Social Welfare Act (Sotsiaalhoolekande seadus), the Child Protection Act (Lastekaitseseadus), the Labour Market Measures Act (Tööturumeetmete seadus), and the National Youth Guarantee Action Plan for 2022–2027 (Noortegarantii tugevdamise riigisisene tegevuskava perioodiks 2022–2027). At national level, the Social Insurance Board (Sotsiaalkindlustusamet) organises and coordinates the system, supporting local governments with guidance, training, and tools.

Youth Prop-Up (Noorte Tugila)

Youth Prop-Up (Noorte Tugila) was an action plan developed in 2015 by the Association of Estonian Open Youth Centres (Eesti Avatud Noortekeskuste Ühendus). It targets young people aged 15–26 who are not in education, employment, or training, with the aim of supporting their return to studies or the labour market as quickly as possible. The programme is part of Estonia’s Youth Guarantee National Action Plan.

The programme operates through four phases: locating young people through mobile youth work and outreach; establishing a trusting contact; empowering participants through youth work activities to develop skills and motivation; and maintaining follow-up contact after exit. Mobile youth work — including street work, internet-based outreach, and work in open community settings — is a central method, enabling workers to reach young people in their own environments rather than expecting them to seek help independently.

Between 2015 and 2022, the programme supported approximately 13,000 young people across all regions of Estonia, with delivery coordinated by youth centres and, in Tallinn, by the Tallinn Education Department. Programme monitoring is supported by a dedicated digital tool (LogBook) enabling case-level data collection. Outcome data show that 66–78% of participants remained in education or employment six months after leaving the programme, and over 80% exited with an effective solution for their personal situation. Activities were funded through the ESF programme "Inclusion of youth at risk of exclusion and improvement of youth employability" (Tõrjutusriskis noorte kaasamine ja noorte tööhõivevalmiduse parandamine), 2015–2023.

STEP Programme

The STEP programme was developed in 2015, drawing on the Danish High:five model, initially under the leadership of the Ministry of the Interior and implemented by SA Omanäolise Development Center. It targets young people with a background of delinquency or criminal record who need support to access employment or education.

Until 2021, the programme served young people aged 15–26 in Tallinn and Harju County. Since 2022, it has been expanded to serve young people aged 16–29 from across Estonia. Participation is voluntary and free of charge. The programme provides individual case management, mentor support, and job placement assistance, and maintains a network of employer and volunteer partners who offer young people access to work experience and extracurricular activities.

The programme’s vision is that all young people who want to work should have the opportunity to do so, and that society should offer young people with a delinquency background a genuine chance to contribute. Strategic partners include the Unemployment Insurance Fund (Töötukassa), the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board (Politsei ja Piirivalveamet), and the Tallinn Education Department. Development of the programme in 2015–2020 was supported by the European Social Fund and the Ministry of the Interior.

ESF Programme for Young People Not in Education or Employment

From 2015 to 2023, the Education and Youth Board (Harno) implemented the European Social Fund programme "Inclusion of youth at risk of exclusion and improvement of youth employability" (Tõrjutusriskis noorte kaasamine ja noorte tööhõivevalmiduse parandamine). This programme served as the principal ESF-funded vehicle for youth social inclusion in Estonia over that period. It covered four strands of activity: expanding access to youth work services and engaging at-risk youth; raising young people’s competences and enlarging their contacts with working life; launching support measures for NEET youth; and improving knowledge and understanding of youth and the impact of targeted services.

Over nine years, the programme supported over 17,000 NEET young people directly, and 269,966 young people participated in improved youth work services by the programme’s close in 2023. Under this programme, 23 innovative local youth work models were co-developed with 78 local governments, and a national youth monitoring and analysis system was established to track NEET trends and evaluate policy impact.

Key sub-programmes funded through this ESF programme included Youth Prop-Up (Noorte Tugila, see above) and Get Moving (Hoog sisse), the latter providing targeted activation support for NEET youth in the Tallinn area.

From 2023 to 2029, the Education and Youth Board is implementing a successor ESF+ programme: "Youth Work Measures to Support Young People’s Entry into the Labour Market and Provision of Support Measures for NEET Youth" (Noorsootöö meetmed noorte tööturule sisenemise toetamiseks ja NEET-staatuses noortele tugimeetmete pakkumiseks). The programme has a total budget of €13.66 million, co-financed by the European Social Fund and the Estonian state budget. Its objectives are to develop the quality of youth work services, provide targeted support for NEET young people through youth work, strengthen the national Youth Monitoring and Analysis System, and support the mental health of young people. The target is for 84,000 young people to have participated in quality-improved youth work services by 2029. The programme is managed by the Education and Youth Board (Harno).

Funding

Dedicated government funding is allocated for programmes supporting the social inclusion of young people. The programmes align with the strategic priorities for tackling youth social exclusion set out in the Youth Sector Development Plan 2021–2035 (Noortevaldkonna arengukava 2021–2035).

For each programme described above, specific funding and co-financing principles have been defined. The ESF+ programme 2023–2029 has a confirmed budget of €13.66 million. The STEP programme received ESF and Ministry of the Interior funding in its development phase (2015–2020), and has continued under revised arrangements since 2022. The YGSS is co-funded through national budget allocations and EU structural funds.

Under the Youth Sector Development Plan 2021–2035, further Action Plans and programmes are under development, with funding to be confirmed.

Quality assurance

All programmes described are subject to a detailed, multi-layered quality assurance mechanism established by the respective financial instruments. Quality indicators are defined both in the Youth Sector Development Plan 2021–2035 (Noortevaldkonna arengukava 2021–2035) and in programme-specific operational instructions.

For example, the ESF programme targeting NEET youth (young people Not in Education, Employment or Training) includes both baseline indicators (2013) and target indicators (2023). The YGSS was subject to an independent evaluation by the Institute of Baltic Studies in 2023. The STEP programme is evaluated periodically by its implementing body. Further quality mechanisms are set out in individual operational programmes.

References

• Social Welfare Act (Sotsiaalhoolekande seadus) (2015). Issued by Riigikogu (Parliament).
• Labour Market Measures Act (Tööturumeetmete seadus) (2023). Issued by Riigikogu (Parliament).
• National Youth Guarantee Action Plan for 2022–2027 (Noortegarantii tugevdamise riigisisene tegevuskava perioodiks 2022–2027) (2022). Prepared by the Social Insurance Board and the Ministry of Education and Research.
• Analysis of the impact and effectiveness of the Youth Guarantee support system implementation (2023). Institute of Baltic Studies.