Furthermore, the NPM again established that the valid annual plan was not published on the website.17 The management explained this fact by it protecting the exposure of VG RTI employees. This time, VG RTI accepted the NPM’s recommendation and published documents relating to the current school year on the institution’s website. The NPM welcomes the fast response of the RTI, as the website has been updated with current information for adolescents, family members, and the broader public. Due to all the special characteristics of living and working in institutions for adolescents with emotional or behavioural problems, the NPM again recommended to the MIZŠ to consider drafting a special Act, or independent provisions within existing legislation, which would specifically govern the area of organisation and activity of these institutions.18 In its response, VG RTI explained that it was the main petitioner for a consultation in the National Council of the Republic of Slovenia on 16 November 2015, entitled Joint Responsibility for the Cooperation of Overlooked Children with Special Needs, and that the MIZŠ has still not prepared a regulation which would more uniformly govern the activity of residential treatment institutions and provide an appropriate legal basis for the implementation of educational activities. The NPM is therefore again recommending to the MIZŠ that activities for the preparation of this regulation be accelerated. New recommendations were also prepared during the last visit: • We recommended to the MIZŠ to again study nutritional guidelines and the needs of adolescents and provide sufficient funds for the food of children and adolescents19. In its response, the MIZŠ explained that the funds for the food of children and adolescents are ensured on a per day of care basis, and that residential treatment institutions have previously not reported any lack of funds in this respect. • We recommended that a plan be prepared for the systematic and continual education of adolescents, and if possible also parents, on the harmful use of drugs and alcohol, the rehabilitation process, establishing and maintaining abstinence, the consequences of risky behaviours (e.g. use of dirty needles, unprotected sexual intercourse, etc.), preventing HIV and hepatitis infections, and quitting smoking. VG RTI explained that the PAS programme was updated in the spring and considers the new guidelines on the prevention of use or abuse of drugs and alcohol at both the preventive and curative levels. • We asked the MIZŠ if the proposed amendments to the Rules on Norms and Standards for the Implementation of Educational Programmes for Children with Special Needs, which were prepared by an interministerial working group, have already been adopted and if so, to inform us of their content. The MIZŠ explained that the draft amendment to the Rules was in the process of being adopted, i.e. in the phase where SVIZ has already provided its comments. • We welcome the regular solving of problems and recommend that a complaints and compliments box be set up in one of the rooms of the educational groups, and that information on complaints procedures be displayed.20 VG RTI said that they were still putting off the setting up of an additional complaints box, but that they do plan to set it up in the room between the educational groups. 17  The second of the three unaccepted recommendations. 18  The third of the three unaccepted recommendations. 19 The care and understanding of VG RTI, which is trying to ensure enough food for growing adolescents, is welcome. 20 Installing a complaints and compliments box would enable adolescents to make anonymous complaints, which is important if they do not wish to be exposed. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DUTIES AND POWERS OF THE NPM IN 2017 NATIONAL PREVENTIVE MECHANISM UNDER THE OPTIONAL PROTOCOL TO THE UN CONVENTION AGAINST TORTURE AND OTHER CRUEL, INHUMAN OR DEGRADING TREATMENT OR PUNISHMENT 79