Youth Policy in Germany

The official document addressing the needs and/or rights of young people and youth issues is the Social Code, Book VIII – Child and Youth Services [Sozialgesetzbuch Achtes Buch Kinder- und Jugendhilfe, SGB VIII]. It is a federal law. It is also called the Child and Youth Services Act [Kinder- und Jugendhilfegesetz (KJHG)]. It came into force in January 1991 (in the newly formed German Länder in October 1990). Each federal state (Bundesland) has an implementation act pertaining to the Child and Youth Services Act.

Youth policy-making takes place at different levels. At national (Bund) level, it is under the responsibility of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (Bundesministerium für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend, BMFSFJ). The Ministry is responsible for encouraging and supporting youth (and child and youth welfare) policy activities in cases where it has supraregional significance and cannot be encouraged and supported by a federal state alone.

The cooperation between public and non-public institutions and organisations is determined by the principle of subsidiarity. This principle says that a central authority performs only those tasks that cannot be executed by a person, group or organisation at a more local level.

A joint youth strategy of the Federal Government was developed and introduced in December 2019. It aims at involving young people in all decisions concerning them. In doing so they shall be offered the best possible conditions to cope with the challenges of this independent phase of life called youth. The youth strategy is based on the 'new youth policy' that has been pursued by the Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (Bundesministerium für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend, BMFSFJ) for a couple of years. Thus it makes the shared interests of millions of young people and adults between 12 and 27 visible.