National guidelines on child and adolescent participation in Italy

Guidelines providing principles, processes and governance tools to institutionalize participation across family, school, community and public institutions.

National framework to embed participation as a right and practice in Italy. Adopted by ministerial decree, they define participation as a civic exercise of citizenship, grounded in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and EU Child Rights Strategy (2021). The document outlines principles of authenticity, concreteness, trust, responsibility, and care for context, and details the phases of participatory processes (preparation, implementation, feedback, evaluation). It addresses roles of adults and institutions, stressing inclusive methods for vulnerable groups. Application fields include family, school, associations, health, justice, and local governance, with annexes of good practices. The aim is to shift participation from sporadic initiatives to a systemic, permanent practice in Italian policy and society.

Source: Istituto degli Innocenti
Language: Italian

Year of publication: 2022