This article, based on a review of the concept of governance, examines the public policy of childhood and adolescence at local level in Colombia. The empirical examination of governance is carried out based on the analytical categories of management and leadership, the interaction of actors, decision spaces and multilevel structure, the design and institutional structure, the technical capacity of the levels of government and accountability. These categories show the multiple aspects that affect the configuration of local governance of this policy and understand why the guarantee of the prevailing rights of children in the territories is achieved or limited, based on two case studies.