The main purpose of the "Italian National Guidelines for schools and private sector on Child Online Protection" is to provide guiding principles to be followed for the implementation of initiatives in schools aimed at promoting a positive and conscious use of digital technologies as well as at preventing and combating the online risks.
These principles are intended to represent minimum quality standards to be observed by public and private actors who carry out initiatives in schools with the purpose to increase the quality and traceability of the interventions.
At the same time, the document will act as a benchmark for schools that will be called upon to:
1.    assess the compliance of the online safety awareness/training activities proposed by public and private actors with the quality requirements contained in the document.
2.    Verify that a series of measures have been implemented to ensure the protection of children and young people in the event of problems arising and to ensure their timely identification and taking charge.
The National Guidelines are based on a culture that incorporates the principles of online safety across all elements of school life. These principles should be reflected in the school’s policies and practice where appropriate, and should be communicated with staff, external visitors/experts, pupils/students and parents.
The document explores key questions in the form of advices - different for schools and external visitors/experts to help educational settings ensure the maximum impact of online safety sessions. In addition, it highlights a range of resources which can be used to support educational setting to develop a whole setting approach towards online safety.