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1. Main concepts

2. Institutions of representative democracy

Main concepts

Youth participation means that children and young people actively engage, express their views, and take part in decision-making on matters that are important to them and in environments where they themselves are involved. (Netherlands Youth institute, Nederlands Jeugdinstituut, 2025)

This includes:

• Services they are part of, such as childcare, schools, youth work, and youth care. It also applies to activities related to nature, sports, and culture.

• Municipal, regional, or national policymaking. For example, contributing ideas on housing, youth policy, or climate policy.

• Activities that support others in society. These can take place at the local, regional, national, or international level.

We refer to child participation up to the age of 12, and to youth participation from the age of 13 onwards. 

Youth participation is essential for creating sustainable change, as it ensures that policies and solutions reflect the real needs and experiences of children and young people. By engaging them in decision-making, we foster democratic citizenship and strengthen the legitimacy of existing policies.

Participation helps young people develop skills, confidence, and a sense of belonging. It affirms that their voices matter and supports their healthy development. Their unique perspectives, shaped by growing up in today’s world, enrich the views of adult professionals and policymakers.

Feeling heard and having influence is a basic human need. When children and young people are taken seriously and involved meaningfully, they feel valued and connected to society. This leads to more innovative and lasting solutions.

Importantly, youth have a legal right to participate in decisions that affect their lives, as stated in Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Yet this right is often overlooked, highlighting the need for stronger, more equal collaboration between youth and decision-makers.
 

Client participation

A key principle of the Youth Law (Jeugdwet, only in Dutch) is based on the ability and strength of clients to give direction to their lives and to solve problems independently as much as possible. Care professionals can provide support when needed. More about client participation can be found in paragraph 5.4 Young people's participation in policy-making. 
 

Institutions of representative democracy

The Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy, a decentralized unitary state with a parliamentary system. At the national level the King is the head of the Dutch state and forms the government together with the ministers. King Willem-Alexander has been the head of state of the Kingdom of the Netherlands since 2013. The Prime Minister is head of the Cabinet (Ministers and State Secretaries).

The Parliament consists of a Senate and a House of Representatives. It monitors the government and is responsible, with the government, for enacting legislation. Legislation only becomes effective after it has been passed by Parliament. The government and individual ministers are accountable to Parliament. The Netherlands has a multiparty system. Every four years a new Parliament is chosen. 

At the regional level the Netherlands has twelve provinces that represent the administrative layer between national government and the local municipalities, carrying responsibility for matters of subnational or regional importance.

The government of each province consists of three major parts:

• The Provincial Council (Provinciale Staten) is the provincial Parliament elected every four years. The number of members varies between 39 and 55 (as of 2015), depending on the number of inhabitants of the province. Being a member is a part-time job. The main task of the Provincial Council is to monitor the work of the provincial government.

• The Provincial Executive members (Gedeputeerde Staten) form a board elected from the members of the States-Provincial charged with most executive tasks. Each province has between three and seven deputies, each with their own portfolio. The task of the Provincial-Executive is the overall management of the province.

• The King’s Commissioner (Commissaris van de Koning) is an official appointed by the Crown who presides over the Provincial Council as well as over the Provincial Executive. The Commissioner is appointed for a term of six years, following which reappointment for another term is possible.

At the local level the representative body is the municipal council (gemeenteraad). The size of the municipal council depend on the number of inhabitants of the municipality: the maximum is 45 seats and the minimum is 7 seats as in the smallest municipalities. The municipal council supervises the municipal executive (College van Burgemeester en Wethouders).

The elections for representatvie insittutions are held every four years. Voting is never compulsory. To be eligible to vote, voters must have Dutch nationality and be a citizen of the province or municipality, based on the election. In addition, the voter may not be debarred from voting.

Voting takes place by ballot in a dedicated polling station. Voters must show their poll card and identification document with them. It is possible to vote per post for people with Dutch nationality who stay abroad. People who are not able to vote in person can vote by proxy. That means someone casts their vote for them.