Regional Child and Adolescent Protection Authority

In 1991, Italy made a historical commitment to the rights of children and adolescents by ratifying the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the first binding international law on the subject. This represents a great milestone regarding the protection and promotion of children’s rights. Its guiding principles are the best interest and non-discrimination of children and adolescents, which lay the foundations for guaranteeing all other minors’ rights.

The Regional Child and Adolescent Protection Authority has been established by Law no. 112 of 12 July 2011 to give full enforcement to the Convention at the national level and to protect children’s and adolescents’ rights in accordance with its provisions. As established by law (art. 3, paragraph 1, letter a), the Authority “promotes the implementation of the New York Convention and other international instruments on the promotion and protection of the rights of children and adolescents, the full enforcement of current European and national legislation regarding the promotion of the protection of children and adolescents, as well as the right of minors to be accepted and educated as a priority in their own family and, if necessary, in another support or substitute family environment.”

The Authority is a unipersonal entity and is endowed with autonomous organisational powers, administrative independence and has no hierarchical subordination constraints. The Authority performs a range of tasks to fulfil its general purpose of promoting and protecting the rights and interests of children. It interacts with Parliament and Government and is involved in several cooperative schemes within Italy (Ministries, Parliamentary Commission for Children and Adolescents, Ombudspersons for Children of the other Regions and Autonomous Provinces, non-profit organisations, universities, and others) and internationally (ENOC - European Network of Ombudspersons for Children, CAHENF - Ad hoc Committee for the Rights of the Child, and others). These interactions allow it to intervene in this area as well as to play a significant role in guiding and raising the awareness of political institutions.

Like other regions, Sardinia has established the Regional Authority for Children and Adolescents by Law no. 8 of 7 February 2011. The Authority is established within the Regional Council and according to the intentions of the legislator it is expected (art. 1) to ensure a stronger implementation, at regional level, of the rights and interests granted to children and adolescents in accordance with the “Convention on the Rights of the Child” approved in New York (1989) and with the “European Convention on the Exercise of the Rights of the Child” (1996). The Authority is also responsible for verifying the conditions and interventions aimed at receiving and integrating foreign minors, including those who are unaccompanied.

Contact person:
Grazia Maria De Matteis
Authority for Children and Adolescents
c/o Regional Council, Via Roma, 25 - 09125 Cagliari
Tel. +39 070 6014307
Email: garanteinfanzia@consregsardegna.it
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Visit the Regional Authority for the Protection of Children and Adolescents section on the Sardinia Regional Council website (in Italian)
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See regulations and documents:
Regional Law No 8 of 7 February 2011 (in Italian)
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Convention on the Rights of Children and Adolescents ;

Visit the National Authority for Children and Adolescents website (in Italian)
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