Your map for working better, together

Use this map to help navigate your working together journey. There are four important steps along the way.

Each step on this page has information, resources and ideas to support you. Hear how other early childhood education and care services have navigated their journey of working together. Hear the perspectives and experiences of other inclusion team members.

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

Share hopes, needs, problems, thinking, goals and ideas

The most important step in becoming a team is to talk and listen together.

When each team member in a child's life shares information that is important to them, and talk about their unique hopes, needs, problems, thinking, goals and ideas, it builds the knowledge and understanding of the whole team. Shared perspectives expand the possibilities for working together.

A child's early childhood education and care service is an integral part of the inclusion team

The service and educators:

• support families and promote the inclusion of all children as part of their usual, quality practice;
• provide an important natural, everyday environment for children to play, learn, develop and thrive;
• have expertise and experience to share about how children play and learn in a group setting with same-aged peers; and
• have collaborative partnerships with families, professionals and communities.

• the whole child and their family context;
• the child's natural, everyday environments, such as their home, and other programs and care arrangements;
• the child's early childhood intervention professionals and the specialised expertise, support and strategies they provide; and
• other team members working with the child, and the skills, knowledge and experience they bring to the team.

Talking and listening allows you to ask questions and clarify your understanding of all team members' perspectives and expectations.

Shared conversations help other inclusion team members to know and understand you

Talking and listening helps you to share important information about:

• your service's unique philosophy, play-based curriculum, environment, educators, policies and procedures; and
• the impact of the National Law and Regulations on your policies, procedures and daily practice;

Talking and listening helps you to share your knowledge, experiences, skills and ideas such as:

• observations and program documentation of the child that you would like the team to know and understand;
• key strategies you are trying, or problems you have identified;
• the child's likes, play preferences and peer relationships that create opportunities for learning and practising skills within the daily program; and
• a greater understanding of the child's voice and the importance of this for children's agency.

Shared conversations help the inclusion team at every step along the way

Ongoing conversations support you to:

• identify what you have in common, so the team can find common ground to focus on together;
• brainstorm ideas or solutions and make decisions;
• make plans for the next steps to move forward; and
• keep connected.

• Conversation Starters can help you begin your journey of working together.

Find common ground to focus on together

Common ground is a place of agreement. It is where different people with different perspectives work out what they agree on and focus on together, no matter how small.

A focus could be a problem or challenge, a skill, a goal, or child outcome. Finding this common ground creates opportunities for the inclusion team to think about what is important for a child's learning and development and to decide on shared priorities.

Each inclusion team member brings something different to the team

The hopes, needs, problems, thinking, goals and ideas of other inclusion team members may be different to yours. Talking and listening together will help you to hear and understand their perspectives. It will build the whole teams pool of knowledge and understanding and strengthen the team working with the child.

Together, through shared conversations, you will find some common ground that you can all agree on. This could be just one strategy you want to try or one problem you want solved. It is something the team can start to work on together.

When a child's inclusion team works together, children thrive.

Finding common ground to work on together, strengthens the outcomes for children. As an educator, you have the whole inclusion team's pool of knowledge, skills, experience and ideas to draw on to help you.

Taking small steps will keep you moving forward

To get started:

• have shared conversations to identify what you all agree is important for the child's learning and development;
• brainstorm ideas and possible solutions in response to what has been shared;
  
• talk about what to focus on to support the child's learning, development and inclusion at your service;
• choose what to focus on first;
• consider if this shared priority is achievable in your service's natural, everyday environment. Does it align with best practice? and
• define each priority as specifically as you can to help plan the next steps.

Even if the starting point seems small, the successes achieved can be built upon and can have great impact.

It is important to recognise that the unique role and perspectives of each team member influences their approach to planning and goal setting. Having a shared focus will inform your next steps.

• The Finding Common Ground information sheet and template can help you decide on and document the team's shared priorities.

Information, resources and ideas for finding common ground

Agree on the next steps and 'who does what'

Once you find common ground, you need to agree on the path forward and the next steps to get there. As a team, decide on the actions or tasks that need to be done to achieve your shared priority. The next steps also should include 'who does what', so that everyone knows what is happening and who will do it.

A well thought out and planned path forward helps you to work better, together. You are more likely to make progress and keep on track when the inclusion team is coordinated.



To work better together, the inclusion team needs to:

• decide on actions and tasks that need to be done and discuss and decide who will be responsible for doing them;
• discuss and plan activity ideas for the child that can be delivered in their natural, everyday environments;
• decide on where and when the activities can be delivered during the routines of the child's day alongside their peers or siblings. This may include mealtimes, transitions, group-time experiences and play. Be specific;
• decide on who will lead the activities;
• consider how the activity could be adapted for different natural, everyday environments, and what supports are needed to help this happen;
• document the ideas, planning and progress made; and
• adapt the strategies in response to growth, change or if things are not going well.

When planning the next steps forward together, think about best practice approaches

The following questions will help you to do this:

• Does the activity support the child's participation in the early childhood education and care program?
• Have the child's interests, preferences and choices informed your decision making;
• Can the planned activities happen in the natural, everyday environment of the early childhood education and care service alongside peers?
• Is the role of the child's same-aged peers planned for?
• Are planned activities play-based and fun? and
• Do the agreed actions represent the shared priorities of the team?

See also Best Practice for more information.

• The Who does what information sheet and planning template can help you plan your next steps.

Check in and keep working together as the journey continues

Working together is an ongoing, dynamic journey. It is not usually a straight line to your destination. Working better together means regularly checking in so that you remain connected, are working together as an inclusion team and moving forward.

To keep connected, continue to use the Inclusion Together map:

• Have shared conversations;
• Find new common ground; and
• Agree on the new next steps and actions to keep moving forward.

Change happens

As you continue to work together, you will create new team knowledge, ideas and experiences that will shape your ongoing team journey. As young children grow and develop, next steps and actions may need to be revised or new ones created.

The inclusion team might also change over time. When there is a new team member, it is important that shared conversations happen, so that their unique knowledge, skills, ideas and perspectives inform what happens next. A new team member may also change who is doing what. Make sure all team members continue to know what is happening, how and when.

Keep strong connections

Set up effective and accessible communication processes when you begin working together. Check in to make sure communication methods continue to suit everyone. Remember that regular and ongoing shared conversations help the team to work better, together.

• Check in Tips will help the team stay connected.

Information, resources and ideas for keeping connected