Inclusion allowance, squeeze on compulsory education: no school, no support

A new piece is added to the welfare reform. The right to Inclusion Allowance (AdI) will now be linked to the school attendance of minors. The measure, signed by the Ministers of Labour and Education, translates into practice one of the most significant innovations introduced by the 'Labour Decree' and reinforces the principle according to which, as mentioned, the right to economic support also passes through the fulfilment of the minors' educational obligation.

The novelty therefore links, for families with underage children, the benefit to proof that all the minors in the household are fulfilling their compulsory schooling. In the absence of this documentation, the economic support will not be recognised. Support that from 1 January 2024 will in fact represent the cornerstone for combating poverty and social exclusion, intended for households with at least one minor, a disabled person, a person over 60 or subjects in disadvantaged conditions, and will also be subject to specific verification.

The procedure is entrusted to the social workers who follow the Pact for Social Inclusion, who will be able to carry out checks using the cross-referencing of data and information available to the different administrations involved. Thanks to the GePI platform, in fact, municipalities can directly consult data on minors' school attendance. Data, the latter, made available by the Ministry of Education through the National Education Register (Anist) and the National Digital Data Platform (PDND). If the platform does not return confirmation, parents will have to submit within ten days the documentation proving regular school enrolment and attendance

In the event that the check ascertains that the child has not complied with the schooling obligation, an alert will be triggered that will allow the parents, by signing the Pact for Inclusion, to make a formal commitment to have the child resume school attendance. If, within seven days of signing the Pact, attendance is not resumed, the allowance is suspended from the following month and will only be reactivated once school regularity has been ascertained. Failure to comply without a justified reason will result in the definitive forfeiture of the benefit.

However, the new discipline marks a change of step: economic support is no longer just a welfare measure, but a tool to promote the growth and inclusion of the youngest, making families responsible and enhancing the role of schools. A challenge that focuses on the right to education as the key to social redemption and a future for the new generations. Thus, not only welfare support for the weakest groups. The measure also aims at combating school drop-out and promoting social inclusion, strengthening the link between the right to education and access to support measures. Compulsory education in Italy lasts at least ten years and includes primary school, lower secondary school and at least two years of high school or vocational training. However, it should be borne in mind that failure to comply with this obligation, in addition to forfeiting the benefit, may also constitute a criminal offence for the parents responsible.