The decree ratifying the Fifth Children's Plan has been signed. On 25 January last, the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella signed the decree to ratify the Fifth National Action Plan and measures for the protection of the rights and development of children and adolescents, approved by the National Observatory for childhood and adolescence
on 21 May 2021. The Council of Ministers resolution was approved on 21 January 2022.

The Programme also received positive feedback from the Authority for Children and Adolescents, the Parliamentary Commission for Children and Adolescents, and the Unified Conference, completing the approval process provided for in Article 1, paragraph 5, of the Decree of the President of the Republic of 14 May 2007 No. 103.

For the first time, the Programme was developed with the direct involvement of children between 12 and 17 years of age, thanks to the technical and scientific support of the Istituto degli Innocenti in line with the functions of the National Centre for Documentation and Analysis for Children and Adolescents, which conducted a very useful survey to collect assessments and guidelines to complete the drafting of the document and the measures it contains. The research was carried out on two levels: consultation through an online questionnaire offered to classes in the main metropolitan areas and in some smaller ones, and a qualitative enhancement in focus groups that included members of vulnerable groups.

The Programme, divided into the three areas of Education, Equality, and Empowerment, promotes the introduction of innovative and empowering measures for minors and is consistent with the contents of other measures introduced in support of families and children and adolescents, through national coordination bodies such as the National Supervisory Body on the Family and the Supervisory Body of the fight against paedophilia and child pornography.

The implementation phase will follow with subsequent monitoring of the outcome, with contributions from the children who participated in the consultation phase during the Programme's development, and the Supervisory Body.

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