Italian Family Policies and Pre- School Childcare in view of the Best Interest of the Child and Best Quality of Early Care Services. Towards the Lisbon Strategy and Barcelona Targets Angelo Mari and Giorgia Dessi Presidency of the Council of Ministers Department for Family Policies - Italy

2 1. Italian Family Policies The Italian Department for family policies was established in 2006 Main tasks: a) coordination of national, regional and local policies b) management of the national family Found c) drafting of Family Plan and Childhood Action Plan d) management of working and family life conciliation initiatives e) intercountry adoption activities management f) organization of the institutional communication

3 2. The Institutional Context The new constitutional rules identify three sectors of legislative power: The Local Government manages the administrative activities a)exclusive State legislative power b) combined legislation c) residual legislative power a) the National Centre for the Family b) the National Centre for Childhood and Adolescence Coordination

4 3. Childcare services - First legislative experience: 1971 a)early childcare services (nido dinfanzia) b)the integrated educational services - Main role models

5 - Trend Year Public places Source: National Statistics Institute and Institute of I nnocenti

6 Geographic range (source: National Centre of Documentation and analysis for childhood and adolescence – 2005)

7 4. The Extra-Ordinary Plan new places 17.2% coverage by 2010 Budget: 727 million Euro Tools: Monitoring: agreement between: Government Regions Autonomous areas. quantitative, qualitative managerial Targets aim

5 Perspectives Childhood Action Plan: thematic areas the right to participate and the right to a childrens scale environment the cross-generation pact the fight against poverty children towards an intercultural society the protection of the rights and the guarantee system the integrated services network

Thank you for your attention 6. References. -Istituto degli innocenti, I nidi e gli altri servizi educativi integrativi per la prima infanzia, in Questioni e Documenti, n. 36, Firenze, 2006; -L. Guerzoni (ed.), Le politiche di sostegno alle famiglie con figli, il Mulino, Bologna, 2007; -Diritti in crescita. Terzo e quarto rapporto alle Nazioni unite sulla condizione dellinfanzia e delladolescenza in Italia, 2009, in -Centro nazionale di documentazione e analisi per linfanzia e ladolescenza, -P. Donati, R. Grandini – (ed.) La cura della famiglia e il mondo del lavoro. Un piano di politiche familiari, Franco Angeli, Milano, 2008.