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1. Governance

2. Main actors

3. Consultation of young people

4. Policy monitoring and evaluation

Governance

The responsibilities concerning social inclusion are divided over several ministries. Each ministry works in different policy areas. Government policies are to a large extent implemented at local level.

Main actors

There is not one top-level authority responsible for social inclusion. Several ministries contribute with their policies to fostering the broad concept of social inclusion:

• Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment
• Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport
• Ministry of Education, Culture and Science

The main public actors involved in policy making

Please see chapter 1, 2 and 3 for other public actors involved in policy making. The main public actors below are not directly involved in policy making. They are, however, important in the Netherlands because they carry out research, monitor and advise governmental institutions.

The Ombudsman for Children Kinderombudsman monitors whether children’s rights are adhered to in the Netherlands by the central and local government. But also by private organizations in education, childcare, child welfare and health care. The Dutch parliament appointed Margrite Kalverboer as the Netherlands’ ombudsperson for Children, on 20 April 2016. Recently, in September 2016, this Ombudsman (only in Dutch) tried to involve children and young people to talk about their concerns and their opinions on the kinds of arrangements they need. On November 8 2016 the Ombudsman for Children published a report. You can find this report in paragraph 4.5 Young People’s Rights.

The Human Rights Institute (College voor de Rechten van de Mens) explains, monitors and protects human rights, promotes respect for human rights (including equal treatment) in practice, policy and legislation, and increases the awareness of human rights in the Netherlands.

Statistics Netherlands (Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek - CBS) publishes reliable statistical information which responds to the needs of Dutch society. They identify, for example, future demands in the labour market.

The Netherlands Institute for Social Research (Sociaal en Cultureel Planbureau – SCP) is a government agency that conducts research into the social aspects of all areas of government policy. The main fields studied are health, welfare, social security, labour market and education, with a particular focus on the interfaces between these fields. The reports published by SCP are widely used by government, civil servants, local authorities and academics.

Movisie is the Netherlands centre for social development. Its mission is to promote the participation and independence of citizens by supporting and advising professional organizations, volunteer organizations and government institutions. One of the key issues it focuses on is ‘Emancipation and Inclusion’.

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

The main non-public actors involved in policy making

Please see chapter 1, 2 and 3 for other non-public actors involved in policy implementation. Other main non-public actors are:

Children’s rights coalition (Kinderrechtencollectief). This is a coalition of different children’s rights organizations that want to promote the rights of children. The coalition consists of:

• Defence for Children Netherlands (only in Dutch);
• Nationale Jeugdraad (National Youth Council) (only in Dutch), which is an umbrella organization of youth councils in The Netherlands;
• Unicef Netherlands (only in Dutch);
• Save the Children Netherlands (only in Dutch);
• Bernard van Leer Foundation, investing in solutions for healthy child development;
• Stichting Kinderpostzegels Nederland (only in Dutch) wants to support the development of vulnerable children all over the world.   

Consultation of young people

For more information on consultation of young people please see chapter 5 Youth Participation.

Policy monitoring and evaluation

All ministries (only in Dutch) are required to frequently evaluate their policies. The ministers report on the evaluation studies they are planning in their budget proposals. The outcomes of the evaluations are reported in the ministries’ annual reports. Specific information evidence-based research and analyses has not been found.

Statistics Netherlands (Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek - CBS) and the Netherlands Institute for Social Research (Sociaal Cultureel Planbureau) (SCP) also provide information about the impact of policies. This information can be used by the government to develop new policies or to adjust them. Statistics Netherlands (only in Dutch) provides figures on poverty and social exclusion.