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EACEA National Policies Platform
Netherlands

Netherlands

1. Youth Policy Governance

1.3 National youth strategy

Last update: 28 November 2023
On this page
  1. Existence of a National Youth Strategy
  2. Scope and contents
  3. Responsible authority for the implementation of the Youth Strategy
  4. Revisions/updates

Existence of a National Youth Strategy

Decentralization policy

Since January 2015, all Dutch municipalities (342 on 1 January 2023, CBS) are responsible for the whole continuum of welfare, support and care for all citizens, including children, young people and families in need of help. The decentralized responsibilities relate to all types of services, including youth mental health.

Before 2015, responsibilities in welfare and care for all citizens, including children and young people, were divided between local, provincial and national authorities. Services were fragmented, financial streams differed and the system was ineffective. Reforms were needed to better streamline the services and approaches and to adapt them to local needs. The aforementioned decentralization has been a major shift in transforming policies and services towards integrated approaches.

The transition in the youth care system did not stand alone, but was connected to policy, budget cuts and decentralization measures in the fields of long term care, employment and education. In paragraph 1.2 more information is given about the national Child and Youth Act (2015) that provides the legal basis for the decentralization and the accompanying transformation of all support and care for children, youth and families.

Scope and contents

Aims of the transformation

The following transformation goals set in the Child and Youth Act (2015) are meant to achieve more coherence between the youth and social domains:

  • Facilitating ownership, empowerment and self-reliance of all citizens, including young people;
  • Creating needs-based services;
  • Better approach to prevention and early interventions;
  • Support, help and care for all citizens;
  • Integrated methods;
  • Mental health support and support for disorders;
  • Cost effectiveness;
  • Care made-to-measure;
  • Involving children and families in policies and services.

Responsible authority for the implementation of the Youth Strategy

Ministries involved

National governmental responsibilities for children and young people belong to 4 different ministries:

Revisions/updates

First evaluation of the Child and Youth Act

As described in paragraph 1.2, the first evaluation of the Child and Youth Act in 2018 showed that since the act came into force most changes made could be characterized as transition. In January 2018 the act’s transformation goals still had to be achieved for the most part.

 

Evaluation leads to action programme

In response to the report and discussions with key stakeholders the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport launched the action programme Taking Care of Youth in 2018. The programme aims to continually improve youth care, child protection and youth probation to ensure that children, youngsters and their families timely receive adequate care. The programme focuses on better protection for children whose development is at risk, better access to youth care and raising more children at home or, if necessary, in family-like care environments. It also aimed to provide all children with the opportunity for optimal development and to improve support for vulnerable youngsters towards independence. The final focus is investing in the expertise of youth care professionals. The Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport and the Minister of Justice and Security together report to parliament about the programme’s progress twice a year.

Second evaluation

In 2020 the Netherlands Institute for Social Research (Sociaal en Cultureel Planbureau) concluded that five years after a decentralization took place in the fields of social support, youth care and employment support, its expected outcomes had not been fulfilled yet. More empowerment, ownership and self-reliance of citizens and more support by their social networks appeared to be less feasible in practice than assumed. Vulnerable children and youth did not receive the specialized care they needed and municipal expenses surpassed budgets.

The Netherlands Youth Institute gives information about Dutch youth policy on its English pages.

National youth strategy on the way 

On 6 June 2023 the House of Representatives unanimously approved a motion by CDA (christian democrats) Member of Parliament, which calls on the government to come up with  an integrated youth strategy. The National Youth Council (NJR) is pleased by this. They have been in contact with the State Secretary Youth of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport about this for some time. NJR will work with the state secretary in the coming months to come up with a good plan for a national youth strategy. 

Youth Reform Agenda approved 

On 19 June 2023, client organisations, professional associations, youth care providers, the municipalities and the national government approved the Youth Reform Agenda. It is a package of measures to improve youth care and at the same time make it affordable. The starting point is that children and families should receive help that suits them and that is effective. Read more about it in Par. 1.2.