This pilot study is the first to examine whether a novel curriculum based on the Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (RFCDC) could increase children's endorsement and knowledge of children's rights. We conducted a pre-test-post-test design with an intervention and a comparison school. Pupils (n = 172) from Bulgaria, Italy,…

This article aimed to assess the impact of school closures in Italy on children's lives, particularly in Early Childhood Education, as a result of the COVID-19 containment measures. A set of documents published by the Italian government related to the measures to contain the COVID-19 were analyzed. Based on content analysis, three categories of…

The contribution deals critically with the issue of citizenship and children's rights, identifying a silent void starting from the change we have witnessed with the progressive questioning of the principles, secular, and religious, of adult authority and the sacrosanct affirmation rights of minors and their defence against violence and abuse. This…

The article presents a research developed collaterally within the framework of the European research project "LUDI. Play for Children with Disabilities" (http://ludinetwork.eu/, 2014-2018). One goal of the project is to provide guidelines on play for children with disabilities. To reach this goal, first of all the needs of users have…

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child provides a significant platform to include children's views on issues that affect their lives, yet, in many contexts, particularly in educational practice, children's perspectives continue to be irregularly sought and are rarely acted upon. By providing children's perspectives on what they…

It is estimated in the world today, that more than one billion people have a disability (World Health Organization, 2011). Many people with disabilities receive no education, and, of those who do, few receive an education on an equal basis with their non-disabled peers. In 2006, the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Rights of Persons…

This comparative qualitative study was conducted in four countries: Cyprus (central scientific coordinator), Italy, Romania, Slovakia. Research priorities are domestic violence and children's rights. I present the results of the Italian portion of the study and report some of the themes drawn from testimonies (n = 58) from focus group interviews…

Early childhood research and policy, globally, are focusing increasingly on issues of "quality" in early childhood education. However, much of the focus to date has been on adult notions of quality, with little attention being devoted to children's accounts. Conducted in the context of early childhood education in Verona, Italy, this…

This research was designed to investigate innovative practices associated with child-friendly cities initiatives in the United Kingdom and Italy and how civics and citizenship initiatives are being applied into practical programmes of exploration and learning in geography and environmental education. The Child-Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI) of…

It is nearly 30 years since Mary Warnock's "Report of the Committee of Enquiry into the Education of Handicapped Children and Young People" introduced the phrase "special educational needs" into the UK education system. In this article, Katherine Runswick-Cole, Research Associate at Manchester Metropolitan University, and Nick…

Objectives: (1) To identify which United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) recommended child protection (CP) measures, such as policy, reporting systems, and services for child abuse and neglect (CAN) victims, individually or in combination, were most important in establishing a basic level of child protection in 42 countries;…

Since the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child was ratified in 1991, children's right to have a voice, and to have their opinions heard, has led many providers and practitioners in the field of early years to seek ways to involve children's perspectives in the evaluation and development of practice. Those who value democracy understand that…

Children face many important changes in the first eight years of life, including different learning centres, social groups, roles and expectations. Their ability to adapt to such a dynamic and evolving environment directly affects their sense of identity and status within their community over the short and long term. In particular, the key turning…

Noting the growing global consensus on the need to promote family-based alternatives to institutional care for children and adolescents, this report examines efforts to prevent the institutionalization of children in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Italy, and Spain, focusing on both public and private initiatives, as well as local and national…

The majority of European countries do not recognize working children as a cause of concern, but rather consider it a past and/or solved problem, or one present only in developing nations. This report presents the results of a questionnaire study, undertaken by the European Forum for Child Welfare (EFCW), which investigated at a grass roots level…