Memorandum of Understanding Signed Between the Tuscany Region, the Juvenile Court of Florence, and the Istituto degli Innocenti

The Tuscany Region, the Juvenile Court of Florence and the Istituto degli Innocenti signed a new Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen cooperation in protecting the rights of children and adolescents and to support the development of the regional information system on minors. The agreement, signed by the Councillor for Social Policies Serena Spinelli for the Tuscany Region, by the President of the Juvenile Court Silvia Chiarantini and by the Chairwoman of the Istituto degli Innocenti Maria Grazia Giuffrida, continues a path of cooperation initiated in previous years, further strengthening an integrated system of interventions in support of children and adolescents.

The Protocol outlines joint actions across several strategic areas, including:

• Co-designing training courses for local services to enhance their skills in child protection;
• Implementing the regional information system through the collection and analysis of data on adoptions and foster care;
• Strengthening coordination between the Juvenile Court and local services to make child protection procedures more effective;
• Supporting regional planning through the production of data and reports on the condition of children and adolescents in Tuscany;
• Promoting a culture of children's rights and well-being through joint initiatives and specific projects.

One of the most significant innovations of the agreement concerns the updating and management of the information flow between the institutions involved, ensuring more effective monitoring of the conditions of minors at local level, and improving integration between the different actors of the protection system.

As part of its institutional functions and through the Regional Documentation Centre for Childhood and Adolescence, the Istituto degli Innocenti will serve as a key reference point for collecting, processing, and disseminating data, as well as providing technical and scientific support to both the Region and the Juvenile Court.