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The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the role and meanings of the concept and practice of Education for Democratic Citizenship (EDC). Taking stock of the political and educational crisis we are living through, this paper presents the international policy agendas of EDC, building a framework that is currently in evolution, moving from a national or European perspective to a global and sustainable one. Moreover, studies register a profound gap between the declared and the experienced, especially when thinking of children as democratic citizens. In fact, the dominant culture of childhood perceives children as apolitical and has the tendency to expel politics from educational institutions. At the same time, the young are reclaiming their political role and acting as public educators, reconfiguring the notion of democratic citizenship. The paper calls for a systematic and deep reflection by pedagogy and pedagogical research on the new meanings EDC can acquire by promoting intergenerational political thought and action.

The desire to protect children from violence is clearly formulated in the Children’s Right Convention (CRV). For example, the right of children to be protected from:” /…/all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse, while in the care of parent(s), legal guardian(s) or any other person who has the care of the child is clearly stated in Article 19 of the CRC, which was ratified by Sweden in 1989 (United Nations, 1989). The right of children not to be subjected to various forms of violence is also emphasized in other international treaties signed and/or ratified by the Swedish state (the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the European Convention of Human Rights, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2010, the Treaty of Lisbon). In order to assure this right, the Swedish legal framework (Prop., 2009/10:232) stipulates that the subjection of children to violence should be avoided at all cost. Italy assures the right of a childhood free from violence thanks to its legal framework as well. Italy’s legal framework is made up of the international documents previously cited, the CRC (ratified in 1991 with the LEGGE 27 maggio 1991, n. 176. Italy’s legal framework is also made up of national laws, in particular by the founding one: the Constitution. Art. 3. This article is used as a base for the creation of national policy to prevent the subjection of children to violence. In this study, the word violence is used in a broad sense to cover the numerous situations in which people are at risk of being physically and psychologically damaged (Hamby and Grych, 2013), such as in cases of discrimination, bullying, violation, or harassment (cf. Greeff and Grobler, 2008; Parkes, 2007). The ambition to oppose and counteract violence through juridification in schools has increased in Sweden through the introduction of the Discrimination Act (SFS, 2008:567) and the paragraph regarding the treatment of others in the Education Act (SFS, 2010:800, paragraph 6). For what concerns the treatment of others and discrimination, Italy refers to the National Plan for educating to the respect of others (Rispetta le differenze. Piano nazionale per l’educazione al rispetto). This plan aims at promoting the values stated in the 3rd article of the Constitution by educating and training students, teachers and families. There are several studies conducted in Italy and Sweden about how this particular right is approached in policy (Francia and Edling, 2016, Edling and Francia, 2017, Biffi, 2017). Although, children’s right not to be subjected to violence is given attention in many countries today it is still a question of negotiation as concerns how these rights are materialized in each country’s educational policy as well as why they are described as important to consider. Whereas Sweden is described as a highly secular (previously protestant) and individualistic country, Italy is pictured as a non-secular, catholic country premiering the collective (see Meyer, 2014; Integrationsverket, 2005). Against this background, it becomes of interest to compare how two different countries like Sweden and Italy approach children’s right not to be subjected to various forms of violence by analysing educational policy that presents motifs and directives for teachers in different stages. In Italy, the plan for the 2016-2019 teacher training in chapter 4.6 (Piano per la formazione dei docenti 2016-2019) declares that teachers have to be trained in order to teach them how to promote respect for others in their classrooms in order to prevent violence. Method The following questions are asked: 1. How do the different policy documents in Sweden and Italy describe and explain teachers’ responsibilities to oppose violence in school? 2. Are there any similarities and/or differences between the countries as regards the question above? If so what kind of similarities and/or differences? To conduct a comparative study, both linkages and differences need to be taken into account. Linkages are created by posing similar questions to the material analysed and differences imply awareness that all comparisons always contain cultural and contextual differences and contestations that need to be addressed (e.g. No´voa & Yariv-Mashal, 2003). As regards linkages, Kazamias (2001) points to the need to use theoretical concepts as lenses to make more 200 coherent comparisons (p. 446) – in this case theoretical understandings of violence. This paper is based on a critical discourse analysis (CDA) of educational policy highlighting teachers’ responsibilities to promote children’s right not to be subjected to violence. Based on Fairclough (1992, 2000, 2001), we argue that CDA facilitates an understanding of the dialectical relation between discourse and social practice. Following Fairclough (2000), the interpretation of the data encompasses three dimensions: (a) text analysis (description), (b) processing analysis (interpretation), and (c) social analysis (explanation). In our study, these dimensions correspond to our research questions. Expected outcomes The study aims to distinguish how teachers’ responsibilities to oppose violence towards children is expressed and motivated by the various policy documents. The comparison makes it possible to discuss plausible similarities and differences between the countries as well as discuss cultural and political explanations for the findings that can help combat child violence. References Biffi, Elisabetta. (2017). Protecting minors against violence: from strategy to practice. Education Sciences & Society. 1, 47-64. Fairclough, Norman. (1989). Language and power. London: Longman. London: Longman. Fairclough, Norman. (1992). Discourse and Social Change. Cambridge: Polity Press. Francia, Guadalupe, & Edling, Silvia. (2016). Children's rights and violence: A case analysis at a Swedish boarding school. Childhood, in process. Greeff, P., & Grobler, A. (2008). Bullying during the intermediate school phase. Childhood 15(1), 127-144. Hamby, Sherry , & Grych, John (2013). The Web of Violence Exploring Connections Among Different Forms of Interpersonal Violence and Abuse. New York, London: Springer Dordrecht Heidelberg. Kazamias, Andreas M. . (2001). ‘Re-inventing the Historical in Comparative Education: Reflection on a Protean Episteme by a Contemporary Player’. Comparative Education, 37(4), 439-450. LEGGE 27 maggio 1991, n. 176 Ratifica ed esecuzione della convenzione sui diritti del fanciullo, fatta a New York il 20 novembre 1989. (GU n.135 del 11-6-1991 - Suppl. Ordinario n. 35-), The Universal Declaration of Human Rights; The European Convention of Human Rights; The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2010, and the Treaty of Lisbon. Linee Guida Nazionali -art. 1 comma 16 L. 107/2015- Educare al rispetto: per la parità tra i sessi, la prevenzione della violenza di genere e di tutte le forme di discriminazione Linee di orientamento per la prevenzione e il contrasto del cyberbullismo nelle scuole -art. 4 L. 71/2017- Meyer, Erin. (2014). The cultrure map. Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business. NY: PublicAffairs US. Nóvoa, Antonio , & Yariv-Mashal, Tali (2003). Comparative Research in Education: A Mode of Governance or a Historical Journey? Comparative Education, 39(4), 423-438. Parkes, Jenny. (2007). The multiple meanings of violence. Children's talk about life in a South African neighbourhood. Childhood 14(4), 401-414. Prop. (2009/10:232). Strategi för att stärka barnets rättigheter i Sverige. Stockholm. SFS. (2008:567). Diskrimineringslag. SFS. (2010:800). Skollag

Il modello culturale ed economico egemonico delle nostre società – il neoliberismo – si basa sull’autovalorizzazione e sulla competizione sfrenata anche nel sistema educativo, erodendo l’ethos democratico e favorendo lo sviluppo di spinte regressive e distruttive. Il contributo propone il Capability Approach, con specifico riferimento alla declinazione di Nussbaum, come una prospettiva alternativa, in un contesto peculiare come il sistema di tutela minorile, dove la partecipazione è mediata da attori istituzionali come il servizio sociale e il tribunale. A partire dai temi emersi durante le consultazioni con i care leavers, condotte nell’ambito del progetto europeo REC Empowering Child Care Systems and Supporting Leaving Care from Inside, si argomenterà che interrogativi su chi, come e a quali condizioni debbano essere posti per decostruire gli impliciti alla base della partecipazione, compreso il conflitto, promuovendo un modello di partecipazione democratica intesa come processo dialogico e costruttivo. The hegemonic cultural and economic model of our societies – neoliberalism– is premised upon self-valorization and unbridled competition at all levels, including the education system. This erodes the democratic ethos and fosters the development of regressive and destructive drives. The contribution looks at how the Capability Approach, with specific reference to Nussbaum’s version, can offer an alternative perspective in a context as peculiar as the protection system, where participation is mediated by institutional actors such as the social service and the court. By drawing on the results of consultations with care leavers, conducted within the European REC project Empowering Child Care Systems and Supporting Leaving Care from Inside, it will be argued how questions about who, how and on whose terms need to be asked for the patterns underlying participation, including conflict, to be deconstructed, developing a model of democratic participation understood as a dialogical and constructive process.

The paper aims to present a pedagogical reflection on the spaces for youth participation in decision-making, drawing on a content analysis of the most recent European and international youth strategies Youth participation is at the centre of international and European policies and strategies. The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development considers youth rights essential to the development of a sustainable, equitable, and peaceful world (UN General Assembly, 2015). The Committee on the Rights of the Child (2009) identified participation as one of the four principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) and thus it has been recognized not only as a right, but also as a cross-cutting interpretation and implementation of all other rights. A content analysis (Berelson, 1952) of the most recent youth strategies of the European Union (2018), the Council of Europe (2020) and the United Nations (2018) was conducted to explore how youth participation is described and what meanings it assumes in policies. In particular, this contribution will focus on the spaces of participation dedicated to young people. The youth strategies, and especially that of the European Union, gives prominence to the theme of spaces of participation, defining them in terms of both physical and virtual spaces, and understanding youth spaces as autonomous, open, safe, and accessible to all. This is of particular interest because it dovetails with an emerging reflection in the literature, which points out that recent years are witnessing a shift in the spaces of participation (Willems, Heinen & Meyers, 2012). In fact, alongside the decrease in traditional forms of youth participation - associated with political, formal and public contexts accessed "by invitation" (Cornwall, 2008) there is a rise in innovative or alternative forms of participation-characterized by the combination of physical and virtual spaces (Willems, 2012), as well as more "popular" spaces, often claimed or created by young people themselves (Bacalso, 2016). Youth strategies thus emphasize not only the centrality of youth participation in decision-making processes, but from their analysis it begins to emerge how participation is taking on different meanings and spaces than traditional forms. In particular, this contribution aims to read through a pedagogical lens this emerging change in policies, offering pedagogical suggestions for promoting new spaces for youth participation.

This contribution presents pedagogical reflections on the construction of a ‘care leavers-led’ policy as a strategy to promote the right to participate in decision-making processes in the child-protection system. Specifically, the paper bears witness to the CarINg project (Empowering Child Care Systems and Supporting Leaving Care from Inside), co-funded by the Rights Equality and Citizenship Programme of the European Union (REC-RCHI-PROF-AG-2018). The project consortium is made up of two Universities (Polo Universitario City of Prato and the University of Milano-Bicocca); a non-governmental organisation (SOS Children's Villages International), and two local partners (Municipality of Florence and the Health Society of the Area of Prato). It started in April 2021 and, based on the Capability Approach (Sen, 2009; Sen & Nussbaum, 1993; Nussbaum, 2006), it aims at creating opportunities for care leavers–– by working with social services and local stakeholders–– to participate in decisions concerning their life project. We will be looking at a specific phase of the project characterised by a participatory action-research (approved by the ethical committee of the Milano-Bicocca University prot. N. 647)) articulated in four consultation activities (two for each group of participants, with two groups involved) with the care leavers (N=18) part of the protection system of the Municipality of Florence and of the Health Society of the Area of Prato, Italy (areas in which the project is based) that led to the definition of the first draft of a policy concerning participation in decision-making processes. Ensuring participation in the child protection system is challenging because it requires balancing the institutional mandate to protect the child (0-18) with the need to foster participation as a critical form of intervention against violence, and as a form of prevention of, and a strategy for coping with, adverse childhood experiences (Montà & Biffi, 2019). Moreover, participation, in general, is a debated concept which is inherently constituted by ambiguities, starting right from the policy level (Montà, 2021). The issue of construction of policies with the participation of children and adolescents is beginning to be thematized (D.D.G. no. 523/2018, UNCRC, 1989; UN General Assembly, 2015; Eurochild, 2020) therefore, there is a strong need (Biancardi & Talevi, 2011) to support these actions both through empirical research and by proposing new perspectives in scientific debate. The premise is that policies have the power to shape (Bell & Stevenson, 2006) what a child can learn to do and be in a given context, which is also a crucial issue addressed by the Capability Approach. Within this framework, the contribution will pedagogically explore the objects, methodologies and first achievements –also in terms of social impact in relation to the development of a culture of childhood based on rights– concerning the development of care leavers-led policy, where both its object and the process that is leading to its construction is participation/participatory.

Since the 1990s children’s participation has become mainstream among child rights and child development agencies (Jans, 2004). Despite its expansion and diversity, children’s participation has not turned into a broad-based practice in the wider development community. “More generally, the concept of participation has failed to provide a sufficiently strong theoretical basis to forge an agenda for children’s participation” (Theis, 2010, p.343). Although Sen does not address the foundations of participation as such, he states that: “The people need to be seen, in this perspective, as being actively involved –given the opportunity– in shaping their own destiny, and not just passive recipients of the fruits of cunning development programs” (Sen, 1999, p.53). Building on this, David Alexander Clark, Mario Biggeri and Alexandre Apsan Frediani (2019) recently argued that the Capability Approach to development offers a theoretical framework to understand and practice (child) participation, addressing the gap in terms of lacking its own distinctive framework. The aim of our paper is to further elaborate on this idea by addressing two interlinked problems that emerge within the CA when children’s participation is at stake. The first one is related to the concept of participation. As has been pointed out, similarly to what happens in policy documents and the models of interpretation (Hussey, 2019), participation is not well defined in the CA (Hammock, 2019), thus requiring further elaboration. This is arguably due to what seems to be a constitutive feature of the concept: as a concept, participation is ‘empty’ (Theis, 2010, p.344), it can be filled with almost anything, which is one of the reasons for its popularity. The other one is that the CA itself needs a refined concept of agency which can account for the specific agency of children. In our view, one of the issues of thinking children’s participation within the CA is that its notion of agency seems to be still largely tailored on adults (Macleod 2010 and 2014) . Indeed, the view that, when dealing with children, functionings should be privileged is a widespread view within the CA. The most common justification for this is that a certain functioning must be secured before a capability for agency can be developed: functionings such as nutrition, being sheltered and similar ones are necessary conditions in order for children to be able to grow and develop complex strategies for decision-making. Scholars have also focused on how the development of certain functionings promote, in turn, the development of certain specific capabilities (Claassen, 2014). By contrast, our starting point is that the CA can be an adequate framework for thinking about children's participation if and only if priority is given, in all circumstances, to the active involvement of children in the expansion of their capability-sets (Biggeri,Ballet, Comim, 2011; Biggeri & Karkara, 2014; Bonvin & Stoecklin, 2014 ). In order to address these problems, in this paper –building on the work of Clark, Biggeri and Frediani (2019), we will suggest that 1) the CA would benefit from integrating a concept of participation as presented in the work of Paulo Freire, for whom participation is intended as the way people (children) learn how to gain confidence and abilities to change the unjust conditions and structures of society; and that in turn 2) the CA can be a framework for the elaboration of methodologies and approaches in line with such concept. After outlining Freire’s notion of participation, the paper will discuss how it can fruitfully interact with the CA conceptual framework. We will then suggest that it represents a useful starting point to elaborate a notion of agency specific to children, that we call relational agency, which needs to be placed at the centre of any intervention aiming to foster the participation of children.

Children’s rights and needs are at the center of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, where education is viewed as crucial for providing the opportunities for sustainable, peaceful and equitable coexistence in a changing world. Alternative care settings are educational contexts (Tibollo, 2015) that deal with children in vulnerable conditions (UN General Assembly, 2010). For this reason, they can be considered as a sort of “field test” or “magnifying glass” on how the progress in striving to the implementation of the goals is proceeding – no one must be left behind. The 2020 global pandemic provoked an external shock to current socio-economic dimensions of sustainability. Education has been one of the most struck systems – let’s think of the 1,6 billion learners that have been affected by school closures (UNESCO, 2020)With this global framework in mind, the contribution aims at offering a pedagogical reflection on the impact the Covid-19 pandemic is having on children living in residential care centers (RCC). Worldwide, many RCCs, following the ongoing global pandemic, have been closed with the consequent return of children to their families of origin (CRIN, 2020). This process of deinstitutionalization, however, has not been overseen by rigorous monitoring, leading to increased risks of violence for children. This urges authorities to take carefully planned measures with respect to deinstitutionalisation in light of the COVID-19 pandemic (Goldman, et al., 2020). But Covid-19 is not only a health risk for children in RCCs. Because of the complex impact that the pandemic has had on the lives of children, on one side care responses are required, and on the other psycho-social and educational ones are also crucial (SOS Villaggi dei Bambini Onlus Italy; Save The Children, 2020). In Italy, for example, special guidelines have been drawn up to mitigate the spread of the virus within residential structures, that sometimes are overcrowded (Istituto superiore di sanità; SOS Villaggi dei Bambini Onlus Italia, 2020). In addition, tools have been provided to support the mental health of the children and adolescents that are deprived of opportunities for socialization given the closure of schools. In some cases they are isolated within the services themselves to mitigate the risk of the spread, causing a limitation in the possibility of seeing people outside the institution as their parents. Covid-19 underlines the urgency of promoting family-based alternative care for children. In particular, this paper aims to read through a pedagogical lens, the European scenario of residential services for children, to explore the impact of Covid-19 in these services; and to promote a family-based approach in alternative care preventing the risk of institutionalization in children welcomed.

Objectives This contribution is the result of a narrative literature review (Bouhris, 2017) investigating how children living in residential care homes (RCH) perceive their environment and how the sense of“feeling at home” contributes to well-being. Care policies, framed within the UNCRC, emphasise the importance of ensuring that each child is ‘given a voice’ in creating a safe environment, organised around the rights and needs of children, in setting as close as possible to a family or a small group situation (UN General Assembly, 2009). Method Given the complex historical and political nature of RHC, the review will be cross-disciplinary, also interrogating literature regarding different services such as nursing homes for elderly people (Flemiet al., 2017), and official policies at a European level. Using EBSCO research database, the key terms are: home, homely-like environment in residential care, sense of home in children, children in alternative care, children in residential care homes. Results The literature points out that living in a "homely-like" environment in institutional contexts is linked well-being. It is expected, at the end of the review, to have a greater and more systematic understanding of theEuropean context of residential care homes for children and on the sense of ‘homeliness’ according children. Conclusions RCH should have the characteristics of a civilian home, with a welcoming and homely environment suitable for the different age groups of children (Istituto Degli Innocenti, 2017) to avoid the risk of institutionalisation. At the same time, RCH represents a place with multiple connotations in its being simultaneously home, workplace and institution (Dorrer et al., 2010). This complexity makes it a fertile ground for pedagogical reflection. List of 3-4 recommendations or takeaway points for the audience RHCs are often considered as the last resort (Holmes et al., 2018). This caused a reflexive vacuum (Tibollo, 2015) in the pedagogical debate on residential care homes for children and should be addressed. There is a strong need to define the pedagogical practices to construct a sense of home inRHC, able to ‘dialogue’ with the institutional borders of the RHC. The sense of belonging and feeling at home contribute to the well-being of the children in RC.

O presente artigo objetiva realizar uma reflexão pedagógica sobre os significados de infância e democracria ao longo dos tempos, considerando a Convenção das Nações Unidas sobre os Direitos da Criança (CNUDC) como um marco no pensamento destes conceitos, pensando-os, especificamente, como ponto culminante, ponto de virada e ponto de partida. A infância é uma construção sociocultural que se origina de um movimento duplo: a construção adulta da infância por meio de educação e política e a maneira como as crianças de carne e osso participam do cotidiano de suas famílias e comunidades, contribuindo para definir o que uma criança pode fazer. A primeira seção do artigo explora o movimento duplo mencionado da Idade Média ao século XX, preparando as bases para o desenvolvimento da Convenção das Nações Unidas sobre os Direitos da Criança em 1989, que liderou uma mudança no modo como a infância é concebida, uma mudança que tem suas raízes no reconhecimento do que as crianças de carne e osso estavam fazendo e sendo ‘silenciosamente’ por eras, por isso é um ponto culminante nesse sentido. O artigo, então, aprofunda a análise da CNUDC, concentrando-se especificamente em como os direitos de participação oferecem uma perspectiva específica sobre democracia, compreendida como um modo de vida que precisa ser aprendido também pelas crianças. O artigo finaliza com uma reflexão sobre o futuro da democracia visto na Agenda 2030 da Organização das Nações Unidas para o Desenvolvimento Sustentável, a qual se baseia na própria CNUDC. The present contribution offers a pedagogical reflection on the meanings of childhood and democracy through the ages, taking the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child as a culmination point, a turning point and a starting point for considering these concepts. Childhood is a socio-cultural construct originating from a twofold movement: the adult construction of childhood through education and politics and the way children in flesh and bone participate in the everyday life of their families and communities, contributing to defining what a child can do and be in a certain society. The first section of the paper explores the mentioned twofold movement from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century, preparing the foundations for the development of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in 1989. The UNCRC led to a shift in the way childhood is conceived whose roots lie in recognizing what children in flesh and bone had “quietly” been doing and being for ages, so in this sense it is a culmination point. The paper then deepens the analysis of the UNCRC, specifically focusing on how the participation rights offer a particular perspective on democracy, understood as a way of life that needs to be learnt. The paper ends with a reflection on the future of democracy as can be seen in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which is based on the UNCRC itself.

The contribution pedagogically reflects on the role child-led policy plays in the construction of a rights based school culture. It is grounded in the experience of collaboration between Children’s Parliament in Scotland and Manor Park Primary School in Aberdeen, Scotland (UK). The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (art.12) and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognize child participation as a core principle both for understanding the meanings of childhood and for creating an inclusive, equitable and just society. School is an ideal context for promoting child participation as it is the basic context of growing up and learning in our society. However, a school culture in which children’s right to participation is ensured is rarely observed across the world. This for many reasons: children may not be considered as capable to participate in decisionmaking [1]; teachers may not have an adequate knowledge of children’s rights [2] and/or may perceive them as a threat to their authority and control over the classroom [3]. In 2016, when Children’s Parliament began their partnership with Manor Park, the primary school was a place where children’s human rights were not being respected, which was reflected in their position as primary school with the highest level of exclusions across Scotland and as one of Aberdeen’s lowest attaining ones. A change in headteacher in 2017, and an attention from the senior leadership (SLT) team for the learner's well-being, led to the collaboration with Children’s Parliament to create a child-led vision for the school, which was underpinned by what children need to be happy, healthy and safe and the idea of human dignity. The collaboration with Manor Park intensifies because of a shared understanding of the importance of integrating children’s human rights and democratic practices into the school. The expedient to do so is embodied by a specific form of pedagogical documentation: policies made by the children, entitled ‘What we need from the adults in our school: learning and teaching; and relationships.’ The policies, a real pedagogical innovation, hold adults accountable and can be directly invoked by the children, developing their agency. The contribution reflects on the participatory process that led adults–school management, teachers, pupil support assistants (PSA) and the wider school community– and learners, through the facilitation of Children’s Parliament, to construct these policies, not only as a mere product, but as a process that, like an agora [4], creates the space and time for children and adults to share the experiences of education and childhood, contributing to the construction of a rights-based, democratic school culture.

The contribution offers a pedagogical reflection on some of the challenges the Italian school had to address in the forced transition from face-to-face learning to distance learning. The challenges have been identified by using a rights-based lens, specifically by focusing on those rights that the document “Didattica a distanza e diritti degli studenti. Mini-guida per docenti” (Distance learning and rights of the learners. Mini-guide for teachers) of the Ministry of Education and of the Autorità Garante (child ombudsman) highlight [1]. The contribution is framed by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989, art.28), the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDG 4) and by the UNESCO initiative Futures of Education: Learning to become [2] which see education, in a changing world, as the foundation for the construction of a just, equitable, tolerant, open and socially inclusive society. In 2020 the Covid-19 pandemic started challenging this political and pedagogical project by igniting unprecedented events, amongst which the gradual global closure of schools. In Italy 10,876,792 learners have been affected by school closures until the end of the academic year [3]. Classes continued through distance learning. In order to support distance education, a methodological and practical guide for teachers based on children’s rights was created. It focuses on the rights to: non-discrimination (art.2), participation (art.12), freedom of expression (art.13), adequate standards of living (art.27) and the right to education itself (art.28). Despite the formal recognition of rights, CISMAI denounced their substantial violation [4] during the pandemic. Furthermore children, families, educators and teachers expressed feeling abandoned, left behind [5] and researchers are bringing attention to a ‘new’ way of conceiving the digital divide, that manifested itself only with the absence of an in-person relationship: the relational digital divide [6]. It doesn’t only include access to digital devices but concerns a system of social inequalities [7], rights breaching could be added, that were already present and have been exasperated during the pandemic. The contribution will also offer pedagogical suggestions to promote children’s rights –the key to just, inclusive and quality education– in distance learning, an ‘extension’ of face-to-face learning and a test bench of the schooling system.

In early childhood education and care services, documentation is seen as an instrument for ‘giving children voice’ and for engaging children in their educational process (Formosinho and Pascal 2016; Kroll and Meier 2018; Robertson et al. 2017). At the same time, documentation plays a key role within the decision-making process in which children should be allowed to participate: it is the space where the adults’ decisions are made and shared, whereas within the child protection system, it remains more likely to reflect the adults’ voice (Caldwell et al. 2019). Thus, documentation, especially when in written alphabetic form, illustrates the power of writing and written text (Biffi 2019b). Given that alternative care services are institutional contexts in which the exercise of power and control is inevitable and determined by a given ‘dispositif’ as defined by Michael Foucault (1975), documentation can represent a strategy for giving voice to children or—on the contrary—a strategy for objectivating them, and thus preventing them from authentically engaging with their own care plans. This paper, by drawing on the different meanings held by documentation in ECEC contexts, in terms of viewing it as ‘equipped with agentic power’ (Alasuutari and Kelle 2015) reflects on the meanings of (pedagogical) documentation in alternative care settings, as a transitional space between ‘being spoken for’ and ‘speaking for oneself’, in light of a rights-based and pedagogical framework. A further aim of the paper is to explore possible approaches enabling children to participate in the documentation process, focusing on the practices able to involve children in the writing and reading of documentation concerning themselves.

The object of the present contribution is the experienced pedagogical meanings of public, formal and institutional forms of child participation. The premise of the study is that policy on children and their rights frames and contributes to the construction of childhood as a socio-cultural category, impacting onto what a child, in flesh and bones, can learn to do and be in a certain society (Alessandrini, 2014), and vice versa. Since the adult discovery (Ariès, 1968), or construction (Becchi, 1994) of childhood, it has progressively been put at the centre of policy, where the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) represents a milestone in this path of recognition. Today, as never before, in a fragmented world, institutions have been, through policy on children and their rights, investing on childhood as a source for human flourishing (Biffi, 2019). To this end, the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – that draws on the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) that states that children’s views are relevant and should be considered in all matters concerning them (art.12) – aims at providing the grounds and a nurturing environment for full participation of children in the construction of the peaceful, equitable, just 2030 society (SDG’s Declaration, para.25). Within the contemporary panorama, childhood, on paper, seem to be in an ambivalent situation: vulnerable on one side so subject/object of protection, a full co-agent in the construction of our society, on the other side (Biffi, 2019; Montà & Biffi, 2019) Following the indications of these milestones, the latest International, specifically referring to United Nations’, and European, specifically referring to the Council of Europe’s and European Commission’s, policy documents on children and their rights (Van Vooren, 2019) have been addressing the issue of child participation, but the meanings of the concept tend to be ambiguous, reflecting the complexity of the panorama. General Comment No. 12 of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (2009) puts emphasis of some constituent dimensions of child participation, amongst them the fact that it is a process in which «children can learn how their views and those of adults are taken into account and shape the outcome of such process» (Committee on the Rights of the Child, 2009, para. 3). With this in the background, it becomes of interest from a pedagogical perspective, to gain deep comprehension of: how is child participation being experienced, that is how is policy being enacted in public, formal and institutional contexts? Which are the pedagogical meanings of this lived experience for the involved actors? The phenomenological philosophy (Van Manen, 2014), with its ontological, epistemological and axiological implications, will orient the exploration of the research question. In line with the philosophical address, the phenomenological-hermeneutic method has been chosen (Mortari,2016; Van Manen, 1990,2016) to investigate the research object. Due to the exemplarity of the phenomenon, to the descriptive and explicative questions that guide the quest and due to the aim of the study, that is the deep comprehension and understanding of the meanings of the phenomenon (Mortari, 2016), the case study strategy (Yin, 2014) has been chosen. The strategy, conceived in this manner, contributed to the definition of the specific research context: Children’s Parliament Scotland, specifically, its work in the city of Aberdeen as it constitutes a singular situation in terms of not only being a child friendly city but imagines itself as a rights respecting city in the long term (Aberdeen City Council, 2017-2020). Here, the work done in primary school(s) will be explored. Educational institutions, namely schools, in fact, carry an imperative role in the construction of the 2030 world (SDG 4) and enactment of policies (Maguire, Ball, Braun, 2010; Maguire, Ball, Braun, Hoskins, 2011) on children and their rights. They are a place where children learn and participate, or in other words learn by participating (Dewey, 1923), from an early age, in terms of contributing to the definition of their role in society, so to the meanings of childhood. As to data collection methods, they are currently being defined, as the first contacts with the context are being made. In any case, in line with the naturalistic inquiry that is being conducted and qualitative approach that underpins the study, open-ended and inductive styles of questioning and observing will be favored (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). In line with the chosen cognitive posture, so the phenomenological philosophy, the data analysis process will follow the trajectories indicated by the approach. The data will be analyzed hermeneutically, with the objective of interpreting the observed, investigated and lived experiences. The contribution aims at introducing the first findings concerning the pedagogical meanings of the lived experience of child participation at public, formal, institutional levels. Specifically, it is expected to gain deep understanding of the learnings of the actors involved in the participation process, namely children, teachers and other relevant stakeholders identified during the study. The study is expected to shed light on how policy on child participation is concretely being enacted within an exemplary context: school(s) involved with the Children’s Parliament Scotland, an institution devoted to public and formal child participation, within a city that aims at being rights respecting, Aberdeen. Although the study does not aim at generalizing results, it will present first courses of action and reflection, as it will explore connections between theory and practice, for those actors and duty-bearers involved in public, formal, institutional processes of participation. Moreover, the contribution aims at, through the study of the phenomenon, presenting first reflections on what childhood means today, in a twofold sense: how adults are shaping the construction of the category, by devoting/grating spaces and times of participation to children and how children themselves challenge the assigned role, through their concrete participation. References -Aberdeen City Council. (2017-2020). Aberdeen City Integrated Children’s Services Plan 2017-2020. Retrieved at: https://www.aberdeengettingitright.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Aberdeen-City-Integrated-Childrens-Services-Plan-2017-2020.pdf -Alessandrini, G. (2014). La" pedagogia" di Martha Nussbaum. Approccio alle capacità e sfide educative. Milano: FrancoAngeli. -Ariès, P. (1968). Padri e figli nell’Europa medievale e moderna, trad. it. Bari: Laterza. -Becchi, E. (1994). I bambini nella storia. Laterza. -Biffi, E. (2019). Cosa può fare ed essere un bambino oggi? Riflessioni pedagogiche sul contributo dell’infanzia nella società contemporanea. Pedagogia Oggi, 16(2). -Dewey, J. (1923). Democracy and education: An introduction to the philosophy of education. Macmillan. -Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic observation. Thousand Oaks, CA. -Maguire, M.; Ball, S. & Braun, A. (2010). Behaviour, classroom management and student ‘control’: enacting policy in the English secondary school, International Studies in Sociology of Education, 20 (2), 153-170. -Maguire, M.; Ball, S.; Braun, A. & Hoskins, K. (2011). Policy subjects and policy actors in schools: some necessary but insufficient analyses, Discourse: studies in the cultural politics of education, 32(4), 611-624. -Montà, C., & Biffi, E. (2019). Meanings and strategies of child participation in residential care centers: a theoretical reflection. In L. Gomez Chova, A. Lopez Martinez, & I. Candel Torres (a cura di), 12th annual International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation, Seville, Spain. 11-13 November, 2019 (pp. 6480-6486). IATED Academy. -Mortari, L. (2016). Cultura della ricerca e pedagogia. Prospettive epistemologiche. Roma: Carocci. -UN General Assembly (1989). Convention on the Rights of the Child, 20 November 1989, United Nations, treaty Series, vol. 1577, p. 3. -United Nations General Assembly. (2015). Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. A/RES/70/1. -Van Manen, M. (1990). Researching lived experience. Human Scienze for an action sensitive pedagogy. New York: New York Press. -Van Manen, M. (2016). Phenomenology of Practice. Meaning giving Methods in Phenomenological research and Writing. London-New York: Routledge. -Van Vooren, E. (2019). The European and international policy agendas on children, youth and children’s rights. State of the art-update 2018.Retrieved at: https://pjp-eu.coe.int/documents/42128013/47261806/European_Agenda2018.pdf/fb770367-8f1c-9269-db0e-55551cbd1903 -Yin, R. K. (1994). Case Study Research: Design and Methods. Thousand Oaks (CA): SAGE.

The paper aims at exploring the risk of violence underneath some small and silent prac- tices (made by gestures, and words) within educational contexts, which can reasonably be considered as part of the general framework for corporal punishments (UN Com- mittee on the Rights of the Child, 2006). The attention is, indeed, focused on those daily practices – connected with the main routines, such as lunchtime, playtime, and the practices related to personal hygiene – which have a specific educational value in terms of respect and recognition of the dignity of the child. The essay therefore reconsid- ers these typologies of smallest gestures from the wider perspective of violence against children (Hamby, Grych, 2013), in order to discuss the connections that exist between violence and education (Biffi, Macinai, 2020), where humiliation and denigration of the child is considered as part of an unacceptable punishment that demonstrates how thin the border between violence and education can be (Schermi, 2016). Finally, the paper will take stock of the path towards the elimination of all corporal punishment, with a specific focus on the role of teachers training in preventing and fighting violence against children, beginning from the sharing of a coherent and respectful educational style, be- tween family and school., Rivista Italiana di Educazione Familiare, Vol. 16 No. 1 (2020): n°1 gennaio-giugno 2020

This paper aims at offering a theoretical reflection on child participation’s meanings and strategies in Residential Care Centers (hereafter RCC). The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development intends on investing in children, viewing them as contributors to the construction of a more just, equitable, tolerant, open and socially inclusive world. The UN manifesto also emphasizes the need to strive for a nurturing environment in which children can fully realize their rights and capabilities [1]. Hence, it is vital to reflect on the meanings and strategies of child participation in alternative care settings [2] where children are more vulnerable by definition and often precluded from contributing to the decisions concerning their lives [3] [4], although mechanisms to ensure their participation have been implemented [5]. Ensuring children’s participation, especially younger children’s participation, in the child protection system is challenging for practitioners, as it requires balancing their institutional mandate as adults in charge of protecting the child (which entails dynamics of power and authority) with the need to competently foster the child’s own participation as a key form of intervention against violence, also institutional violence [6] Goffman [7], and as a form of prevention of, and a strategy for coping with, adverse childhood experiences. Hence, RCC practitioners require specific professional competence if they are to understand the meanings and value of child participation and encourage its practice, especially when dealing with younger children, in their educational relationship with the child. Thus, there is a need to identify forms and strategies of participation, sustainable both for practitioners (taking into account their institutional mandate and the associated constraints) and for children (in light of their particular stage of development and their specific life stories). The paper will present a reflection on the international policy framework on child participation, with a specific focus on participation in RCCs. At the heart of the paper a reflection on meanings, forms and strategies of child participation in RCCS.

This paper will present some pedagogical reflections on the training needs of professionals involved in childhood protection system, with regard to the leaving care phase of children and young people placed in residential care facilities. The considerations here illustrated are related to the qualitative analysis of the first results collected from the training course developed by SOS Children’s Villages Italy (within a wider partnership lead by SOS Children’s Villages International) as part of the two-year project Prepare for Leaving Care (co-funded by the Rights, Equality and Citizenship –REC-Programme of the European Commission, 2017-2018). This paper will present the results of the evaluation of Italian training courses realised during the past year in order to teach how to embed a child rights based approach into their daily work with focus on the leaving care phases. Finally, the paper will underlined how the training of professionals involved in childhood protection system is a pedagogical challenge [1] in terms of developing a multi-professional équipe and high level of competences –included emotional ones [2]– in order to sustain young people in developing their own project of life.