4. Social Inclusion
Address
NIVAM - Národný inštitút vzdelávania a mládeže
NIVAM - National Institute of youth and education
Stromová 1
831 01 Bratislava
Tel: +421 2/482 094 11
E-Mail: neformalne@nivam.sk
Website
Currently Slovakia doesn´t have any standards in the field of social inclusion at youth work level. There are present varied publications with examples of good practices. The most complex definition of social exclusion is defined in the National Strategic Framework for combating Social Exclusion and Poverty.
According to The Slovak Youth Report 2024 social inclusion is one of the 8 priority areas in the field of youth work in Slovakia. Since 2014, the youth inclusion policy is focusing on two target groups: the socially excluded youth and youth at risk of social exclusion.
Specific national legislation on youth has existed since 2008 as the Act No. 282/2008 Coll. on youth work support. It regulates youth work support, non-formal education in the field of youth work, youth work funding, the accreditation of educational programmes in the field of youth work, and the voluntary service within the frame of youth work. The novelisation in 2019 brings a more accurate definition of the competencies for youth work by the local and regional governments and increases the quality of the youth work via intersectoral cooperation. The role of municipalities in supporting the youth work of the marginalised groups, youth with disabilities and/or from remote and economically disadvantaged areas is included. The Act also gives a legislative base for combating discrimination in youth work in all conditions.
A further substantial amendment to the Act on youth work support entered into force on 1 January 2026 (Act No. 301/2025 Coll.), updating several core provisions. It refines the definition of a young person and a youth organisation, introduces clearer conditions of integrity and professional competence for youth workers and youth leaders, and reinforces the role of youth parliaments and local youth participation structures. The amendment also simplifies some administrative procedures related to eligibility for public funding and accreditation of non-formal education programmes in youth work, with the aim of improving the overall quality and accessibility of youth work across the country
The main groups of young people facing social inclusion issues in Slovakia are:
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Roma young people and youth from marginalised communities
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Young grown-ups leaving the orphanages, re-educational institutions, foster families,
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Youth with disabilities and special needs
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Young people from geographically remoted and economically disadvantaged rural areas
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Young families and single-parent families
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Young women
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Youth belonging to LGBTI+ community
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Young migrants, asylum seekers and refugees from Ukraine (Since 2022, young asylum seekers and refugee youth, particularly those fleeing the war in Ukraine, have been increasingly recognised as a vulnerable group at risk of social exclusion)
For more information see chapter 4.1.
The pandemic situation has had a significant impact on both excluded youth and youth at risk of social exclusion. Combating the gap in various areas of life will be targeted in the EU Recovery and Resilience Plan for the Slovak Republic, adopted by the Government resolution on 28.4.2021. As of February 2026, implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Plan is in its final phase, with all milestones and targets required to be completed by August 2026. Update as of 28/02/2026 – RRP implementation progress: €3.47 billion disbursed (54.2% of €6.41 billion total grants); final milestones due August 2026 (European Commission, 2025).
The youth social inclusion policy is governed by the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic, the Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic, and the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic and their budget and allowance organisations. See more in chapter 4.2 on the Administration and Governance.
The social inclusion is becoming better legislatively saturated in the Slovak Republic (Chapter 4.3). The Slovak Government is ensuring the youth development support via various tools and commitments.
The Slovak Youth Strategy for 2021-2028 is based on knowledge and evidence of the real needs of young people and is the result of a constructive youth dialogue with representatives of public administration, self-government, and the non-governmental sector. During the two years of consultation preparation processes, more than 300 entities from all over Slovakia participated. It is based on fundamental principles such as dignity, justice, equality, respect, and autonomy, while being based on the principles of active participation, inclusion, and equal access to opportunities. Youth policy, such as the preparation, creation, influencing and implementation of a wide range of measures that directly or indirectly affect the quality of life of a young person, is implemented at local, regional, national, and international levels, therefore supporting the achievement of meaningful civic, economic, social, cultural and the political participation of young people at all levels.
Slovak Republic finds the legislative support for the inclusive strategies in national and international enactment and documents that were accepted and ratified. However, the Slovak Republic does not have a separate strategy for the social inclusion of young people.
The Strategy on Inclusive Access to Education was approved by the Slovak Government in December 2021. The First Action Plan for 2022–2024 was adopted in June 2022, followed by the Second Action Plan for 2025–2027, approved in December 2024, which includes an evaluation of the first plan's implementation and continues to address six priority areas: quality education for all, inclusive leadership and culture, support systems, inclusive curricula and assessment, family and community engagement, and monitoring and evaluation
The Education Act Amedment adopted in October 2021 introduces the term inclusion into legislation, it also details the counselling system, operation of school support teams and higher levels of counselling system. Education is perceived as one of the most important drivers for successful social inclusion toward society, labour market and adult life.
Subsequent amendments to the Education Act have further supported inclusive education. The amendment effective from 1 January 2025 simplified procedures for support measures in primary schools and introduced adaptations for pupils with special needs, particularly those from socially disadvantaged backgrounds. A comprehensive amendment (Act No. 323/2025 Coll.), effective from 1 January 2026, introduced unified admission procedures for all pupils, expanded support teaching positions in primary schools, and strengthened regulations for individualised education plans for disadvantaged pupils, including those from marginalised Roma communities. These changes aim to reduce administrative burdens on schools while ensuring equitable access to quality education for vulnerable groups.
During 2021, more conceptual materials related to education have been adopted such as the Recovery and Resilience Plan for the Slovak Republic, which is relatively ambitious in inclusive education. Apart from measures aiming to create conditions and tools for improving education of children with special educational needs such as the introduction of eligibility for support educational measures and the reform of counselling and prevention system, it intends to focus also on desegregation of education. A definition of segregation should be introduced to legislation; a monitoring of segregation should be carried out together with pilot projects focusing on desegregation and methodical and financial support of the desegregation process should be set up.
In March 2021, the Slovak government also adopted a Strategy of equality, inclusion and participation of Roma until 2030. The strategy concludes that quality education is still inaccessible to children from marginalized Roma communities who are still facing segregation in special schools or separate classrooms in grammar schools. The Office also prepared a youth-friendly version of the strategy to make information accessible to young people. It is supported by two action plans covering the periods 2022–2024 and 2025–2027, aligning with broader inclusive education reforms.
There are several inclusion programmes in Slovakia where children and youth are important target groups e.g. in national programmes for the development of inclusive education, deinstitutionalization of orphanages, development of community centers, the field of social work and others. For further details see chapter 4.4.
Non-public institutions and non-governmental organizations in Slovakia are particularly active in the supporting excluded groups and in fighting radicalization and extremism (4.5).
The chapter 4.6 addresses to quality services affecting the social inclusion of young people in Slovakia. There are several information sources and systems where consultations and advice can be obtained on topics such as housing, health, social assistance, also on specific groups such as people with disabilities or ethnic minorities. Youth work programmes fostering social inclusion of young people in Slovakia are discussed in the chapter 4.7. Moreover, chapter 4.8 provides brief information on forthcoming policy developments relevant to the topic of the social inclusion of youth in Slovakia.