Induction
Inclusion, quality, and digital practice

Inclusion, Equity, and Participation

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Children drawing together with colourful chalk outdoors

QA1, QA2, QA5, QA6, and QA7

Inclusion, Equity, and Participation

Inclusive practice helps every child feel welcomed, respected, supported, and able to participate meaningfully in the program.

Inclusion and equity

Inclusion Is Active Practice

Inclusion at NERPSA means every child is welcomed, respected, and supported to participate meaningfully in the program. Equity means recognising that children and families may need different support, communication, adjustments, or planning to experience safety, belonging, dignity, and participation.

Inclusive practice is not separate from child safety, curriculum, relationships, supervision, health, communication, or family partnerships. It is part of how staff plan, respond, reflect, and make everyday decisions.

Children drawing with colourful chalk outdoors
Main page reflection

Inclusion Is Seen In Everyday Moments

The aim is not to add another task to the day. It is to notice whether each child can access the environment, relationships, communication, routines, play, learning, and support around them.

Educator and child engaging with creative materials indoors
Belonging

Every Child Is Known

Staff use knowledge of each child’s strengths, interests, culture, identity, communication, development, health, family context, and support needs.

Children participating in a shared painting experience
Participation

Every Child Can Join In

Staff look for ways children can participate safely and meaningfully in routines, play, learning, relationships, and service life.

Adult and child engaging with wooden toys together
Equity

Support May Look Different

Fairness does not always mean every child receives the same support. Equity means responding to what children need to participate with dignity.

What Inclusive Practice Can Look Like

Practical application

Look For Barriers And Adjust Early

Staff should look for barriers that may affect a child’s participation, including routines, transitions, communication, environments, group expectations, sensory needs, behaviour, health needs, disability, trauma, language, culture, family circumstances, or access to support.

Adjust the environment so a child can move, play, rest, eat, communicate, or participate safely.
Use visual supports, clear language, gestures, routines, or other communication strategies.
Adapt transitions, group times, mealtimes, toileting, rest, or outdoor routines when needed.
Offer choices that support agency, confidence, participation, and regulation.
Plan for children’s strengths, interests, family knowledge, culture, language, and identity.
Seek guidance early when a child may need additional support, planning, or adjustment.
Pop-up guide

Use An Inclusion Lens

Open the guide for a practical way to think about inclusion during routines, planning, interactions, and team discussions.

Inclusion Lens

When a child is finding it difficult to participate, start by looking at the environment, routine, communication, expectations, and support around the child. Avoid blaming or labelling the child.

What is the child communicating?

Consider words, behaviour, body language, play, withdrawal, distress, sensory responses, fatigue, health needs, and changes in presentation.

What might be creating a barrier?

Look at noise, space, timing, transitions, expectations, communication, group size, environment, materials, relationships, or routine demands.

What strength or interest can help?

Use the child’s interests, relationships, preferred ways of communicating, culture, identity, and successful moments to support participation.

What adjustment could we try?

Consider visual supports, more time, a smaller group, sensory adjustments, clearer choices, different positioning, extra preparation, or a changed routine.

Who should we partner with?

Use family knowledge, service team discussion, the Educational Leader, Nominated Supervisor, Responsible Person, Education Manager, or other approved support pathway.

What needs to be recorded or followed up?

Follow NERPSA procedures for observations, planning, family communication, support plans, referrals, privacy, records, and escalation where required.

Pop-up guide

Cultural Safety And Inclusion Audit

Use this guide to look at everyday practice with a cultural safety and inclusion lens. The aim is not to criticise individual staff, but to notice barriers, strengthen belonging, and improve practice.

Cultural Safety And Inclusion Audit

A simple audit can be used during planning, team reflection, room setup, service review, or when a child is finding it difficult to participate. It should be strengths-based, respectful, and connected to current NERPSA policies, child safe practice, the approved learning frameworks, and family knowledge.

1. Look At The Environment

Check whether spaces, displays, books, resources, images, routines, and play areas reflect children’s cultures, families, languages, identities, abilities, interests, and local community.

2. Listen To Children And Families

Notice what children are showing through words, behaviour, play, choices, withdrawal, distress, enthusiasm, or repeated interests. Use family knowledge respectfully and follow privacy requirements.

3. Check Participation

Ask who joins in easily, who is often waiting, watching, refusing, distressed, excluded, redirected, or needing adult help, and whether routines or expectations are creating unnecessary barriers.

4. Notice Language And Assumptions

Listen for labels, stereotypes, lowered expectations, gendered assumptions, deficit language, cultural assumptions, or explanations that focus only on the child rather than the environment and support around them.

5. Identify Adjustments

Consider changes to communication, timing, transitions, group size, environment, materials, sensory input, choices, staff positioning, family communication, or the level of adult support.

6. Record And Follow Up

Use the correct NERPSA pathway for observations, planning, family communication, support plans, privacy, records, escalation, or Education Manager guidance where needed.

Pop-up guide

Gender Equality In Everyday Practice

Gender equality in early childhood means children are supported to participate, play, learn, express themselves, and take on roles without being limited by gender stereotypes.

Gender Equality In Everyday Practice

Gender equality is part of inclusive practice. Staff should avoid grouping children by gender or making assumptions about children’s interests, behaviour, emotions, clothing, abilities, friendships, leadership, movement, or play based on gender.

What You Would See When This Is In Place

Children access all areas and materials freely. Books, displays, dramatic play, construction, art, science, movement, care routines, and leadership opportunities include varied roles, bodies, families, and interests.

What You Would Hear When This Is In Place

Staff use inclusive language, encourage all children to try different experiences, support emotions without gendered expectations, and gently challenge comments such as “that is for boys” or “girls do not do that.”

What Would Suggest More Work Is Needed

Children are grouped by gender for convenience, resources are described as boys’ or girls’ activities, children are praised or corrected differently based on gender, or some children avoid play because they think it is not “for them.”

What Staff Can Do

Use names or groups rather than “boys and girls,” rotate roles fairly, offer open-ended resources, review books and displays, support all children to lead, care, build, create, move, problem-solve, and express feelings.

Optional Extra: Do A Gender Audit

Observe one routine or play area. Notice who participates, who leads, what language staff use, whether resources suggest gender stereotypes, and whether children can choose freely without teasing, pressure, or assumptions.

Reflect And Adjust

Discuss what was noticed with the team. Choose one small adjustment, such as changing grouping language, adding more varied books or images, rethinking roles, or inviting children into a wider range of play experiences.

Inclusion Across Everyday Practice

Curriculum and play

Plan For Meaningful Participation

Inclusive curriculum starts with children’s strengths, interests, abilities, culture, language, and experiences. Staff should consider how each child can access the environment, materials, relationships, play, routines, and learning experiences.

Communication

Make Communication Accessible

Children communicate in different ways. Staff should use respectful language, visual supports, gestures, modelling, time to respond, and family knowledge to support children’s understanding, expression, choices, and participation.

Family partnership

Families Know Their Child

Families provide important knowledge about their child’s strengths, culture, communication, routines, health, relationships, interests, and support needs. Staff should communicate respectfully and follow approved privacy and record keeping processes.

Team approach

Ask Early And Plan Together

Inclusion works best when staff share relevant information, reflect together, follow current plans, and seek guidance early. If a child is not able to participate safely or meaningfully, raise this through the service pathway.

Avoid assumptions

Use Strengths-Based And Respectful Language

Staff should avoid labelling children or families, making assumptions about ability, culture, behaviour, parenting, communication, disability, trauma, family circumstances, or participation. Concerns should be discussed respectfully, factually, and through the correct service pathway.

When needs are unclear, staff should seek guidance rather than guessing, lowering expectations, excluding the child, or relying on informal arrangements.

When Extra Support May Be Needed

Speak up early

Raise Participation Concerns Early

Staff should seek support when a child is finding it difficult to participate safely, meaningfully, or with dignity, or when the current environment, routine, communication, staffing, supervision, or support arrangement is not meeting the child’s needs.

This may involve discussion with the Nominated Supervisor, Responsible Person, person in day-to-day charge, Educational Leader, Director, Education Manager, or another approved NERPSA pathway, depending on the concern and service procedure.

Policies Connected To This Section

Policy connection

Policies That Support Inclusion, Equity, And Participation

Key connected policies include Inclusion and Equity, Interactions with Children, Child Safe Environment and Wellbeing, Code of Conduct, Educational Program, Enrolment and Orientation, Privacy and Confidentiality, Supervision of Children, Dealing with Medical Conditions, Nutrition and Active Play, and Compliments and Complaints.

Use current NERPSA policies on the main NERPSA website and follow local service procedures. If an adjustment, support need, family communication matter, record, or participation concern is unclear, seek guidance before proceeding.

Useful Resources

NERPSA Inclusion and Equity

Current NERPSA policy connected to inclusive practice and participation.

Open policy

NERPSA Interactions with Children

Current NERPSA policy for respectful and safe interactions with children.

Open policy

NERPSA Child Safe Environment

Current NERPSA child safe environment and wellbeing policy.

Open policy

NERPSA Code of Conduct

Current NERPSA Code of Conduct Policy.

Open policy

ACECQA Inclusive Environments

Guidance connected to inclusive environments, diversity, and participation in education and care.

Open resource

VEYLDF Equity And Diversity

Victorian practice guidance connected to equity, diversity, and inclusive early childhood practice.

Open resource

Victorian Gender Equality Strategy

Victorian information about challenging gender norms, biases, and stereotypes from early life.

Open resource

NERPSA policies

Current NERPSA service policies and procedures.

Open policies
Required Induction Activity

Think About Inclusion In Everyday Practice

Choose one routine, transition, or part of the program where a child may need extra support to participate meaningfully.

Think about:

  • what the child may be communicating;
  • what barrier may be making participation harder;
  • what strength, interest, relationship, or family knowledge could help;
  • what adjustment could support participation, safety, dignity, or belonging;
  • who you would speak with if you needed guidance.

Optional Extension Activities

These extension activities are optional. They are designed to help you think more deeply about participation, barriers, communication, and adjustment in everyday practice.

Adjust The Conditions For Participation

Consider how you could adjust the environment, communication, timing, group size, routine, materials, choices, or support so the child can participate more safely, confidently, and meaningfully.

Use Plans, Procedures, And Guidance

Inclusion does not rely on guessing alone. Ask early, use current plans and procedures, and seek guidance when a child may need additional support or adjustment.

Reframe Behaviour As Communication

Choose a moment when a child’s behaviour could easily be misunderstood. Reframe the behaviour as communication.

Look Under The Behaviour

Think about what the child may be telling you about access, sensory needs, communication, belonging, fatigue, trauma, skill development, relationships, or the environment.

Inclusion Is Part Of Quality And Child Safety

Inclusive practice is built through relationships, respectful communication, family partnership, accessible environments, thoughtful planning, active supervision, strengths-based thinking, and early support when barriers affect participation.