Defence for Children International Italia OdV is an independent organisation that is part of the Defence for Children International movement.
The organisation works both autonomously and in collaboration with other associations, movements and institutions to build a new cultural model in which children and young people are recognised as citizens, entitled to rights and active participation in family, social, cultural and civil life.
During the global meeting of the International Social Service (ISS) held in Malta in May 2018, DCI Italia also became Italy’s official member of this worldwide network, which includes more than 120 countries.
Defence for Children Italia refers to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) as a systemic, comprehensive platform that helps redefine the socio-educational approach towards children and the relationship between adults and young people.
Since 2015, as part of its work to protect the rights of unaccompanied foreign minors, Defence for Children has accompanied the national legislative reform processes on guardianship, deepening the theoretical and operational characteristics of this institution at national and international levels.
On the basis of this work, the organisation has developed training models on guardianship which have now been adopted as a reference by European institutions.
In recent years, the organisation has specialised in programmes related to the transition to adulthood, promoting articulated mentoring models aimed at supporting young migrants.