Every child has the right to feel safe and respected in their relationships – to have warm and genuine interactions with others, to have their views listened to and acted on, and to be supported as they learn to manage their feelings and behaviour.

What is inclusion?

Inclusion is a way of thinking, a mindset that embraces diversity and looks for ways to include rather than reasons to exclude.

Understanding inclusion is a journey. It requires educators to reflect together about ‘how to’ rather than ‘can we’ include. When this happens, all children participate in early childhood and outside of school hours care (OSHC) services alongside their peers and they experience the positive outcomes they are entitled to.

What makes an inclusive educator?

Inclusive educators nurture relationships with children, guide their behaviour with culturally safe and responsive interactions, and provide individualised adjustments and supports for all children.

It is easy to believe that relationships evolve naturally, but inclusive educators understand relationships are intentional and complex. In early childhood education and OSHC services, relationships are the foundation of practice and, like all aspects of practice, they are governed by the expected standards of the sector. Quality Area 5 of the National Quality Standard (NQS) requires educators to be purposeful in their interactions and meaningfully engage with children of all abilities and needs.

The Learning Outcomes/Outcomes of the Approved Learning Frameworks set an expectation that relationships with children with disabilities or additional needs comply with the inclusion obligations for approved providers and educators under the Disability Discrimination Act and the Racial Discrimination Act.

Inclusive interactions with children

Positive relationships require attention, time and effort. Every interaction is an important building block in a relationship. The Guide to the National Quality Framework (NQF) describes positive interactions as meaningful, predictable, relaxed and reciprocal. Do your team’s relationships with children with disability or additional needs consistently look like this?

Survey or ask your educators about their confidence and knowledge of having positive interactions with all children. Would they benefit from training to improve their understanding of the needs and experiences of children with disability or additional needs or how to adjust their interactions to support individual needs? Find out who in your community has specialist knowledge and can support educators’ practice and communication.

Children’s dignity and rights

It is important all children are listened to and their views are considered. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child enshrines the right for all children to be active participants in all matters affecting their lives, as does the NQS. When children are supported to have choices and be decision makers, they build their self-confidence, sense of identity and independence, explore their interests, participate in and enjoy their involvement in the program.

To confidently meet element 5.1.2 of the NQS, educators’ practice must be inclusive. To identify ways to enhance your practice, start by considering if your service has high and clear expectations of educators to defend and preserve the dignity and rights of children with disability or additional needs.

You could also consider whether the rights of children with disability or additional needs are addressed in your code of conduct, philosophy, induction for staff, and policies and procedures. Are all educators’ practices in line with these documents?

Self-regulation

Educators who nurture relationships through culturally safe and responsive interactions provide children with emotional support and assist them to develop the skills to manage their feelings and behaviours. This allows them to interact positively with others and feel a sense of belonging. Children who experience a sense of belonging understand how they can move within a space to regulate their own needs.

Educators can foster this belonging by understanding the needs of children and collaborating with the child, their family and external services the family access to plan how to support children’s self-regulation. Behaviour support plans are useful tools to bring all of this information together. They can provide a space for services to think purposefully about how educators can most effectively respond when children need support to regulate their behaviour, rather than leaving educators to decide how best to support the child in the moment.

Self-regulation will look different for each child and each service. Having a collaborative and consistent approach with a child and their support network helps educators to support the child to work towards their goals, ensure they feel supported and have a sense of belonging when they are with you.

Resources

ACECQA

• Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) resources
• Supporting children to regulate their own behaviour information sheet (PDF 1 MB)

NSW Department of Education

• Supporting inclusion in NSW OSHC services
• Inclusive educational programs for children with disability
• Understanding and supporting children’s behaviour resources, delivered by Phoenix Support for Educators