Inclusion Together provides practical tools for supporting a child's learning, development and inclusion in an early childhood education and care service. This resource is designed to support the inclusion of children with disability or developmental differences through building an inclusion team that works well together. It may also be useful when adults are responding to other barriers to inclusion that children may experience.

The resource is divided into sections and includes a map to guide your journey of working together. Each section is colour coded to help you to identify the information that is most relevant to you and to track which part of the resource you are in. You will find information, ideas, strategies and videos, including information about best practice, within each section of this resource.

To get started, explore the information on this page, then select the coloured icon specific to your role at the bottom of the page.

A map for working better, together

The Inclusion Together map helps the inclusion team navigate their journey of working together. There are four steps that support team relationships, guide decision making and help you to monitor progress.

Working together as a team is a journey. Conversations need to be shared so that every team member's perspectives are heard and considered. This helps the team to find common ground to focus on together. When the team finds common ground, you can agree on the path forward and coordinate the next steps. Working together takes commitment, planning and time, but will make a real difference for everyone.

Click here to download a copy of the Inclusion Together Map.

Who is on your inclusion team?

Every team is unique.

Children, families and carers, early childhood education and care services and early childhood intervention professionals can all be part of the inclusion team. Each team is different because each team member brings their own unique perspective and resources to the team.

Team with the child.

Decisions that are made by the inclusion team need to be important both for the child and to the child.

Including the child, their peers and their siblings as part of the team ensures that children's voices are heard as well as the voices of the adults supporting them. This resource uses the phrase 'team with the child' rather than 'team around the child' to recognise the child as a contributing team member.

Hear about who is on your inclusion team

Teamwork makes a difference

Great things happen when a child's inclusion team works together.

When you work together for inclusion, you share and build knowledge, understanding, experience, skills and ideas. This increases opportunities for children to participate and learn in natural, everyday environments, such as early childhood education and care services. Working together, you can strengthen inclusion and build a strong, lifelong foundation for children's learning, development and wellbeing.