This study is part part of the ‘Governance fit for children’ project, and aims to examine the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child’s ’General measures of implementation’ (GMI) in five EU countries and in EU institutions. The studies carried out in Sweden, Romania, Lithuania, Italy and the United Kingdom, examine implementation at national and local level, and the present study is the examination of the situation in Italy. This study reveals, among other findings, that the policies in favour of children and adolescents have suffered as a result of a lack of a clear strategy and that priorities in the general political agenda and changes in government have not helped to create a child rights based approach.The report also shows that responsibility for childhood policies is divided up among numerous Ministries without there being any efficient coordination between these Ministries. Several important laws have, however, been passed during the last few years with regard to the protection of children, and there is a need to coordinate the various measures that have been introduced over time.