2013 Melbourne
2013 Reimagining Inclusion Conference is Hosted by
Major Sponsor
WELCOME
Welcome to the Reimagining Inclusion Conference
This conference provides a unique opportunity to focus on the inclusion of children with disabilities and developmental delays. It does so in the context of broader changes in Early Childhood Education and Care.
The introduction of the Early Years Learning Framework and the National Quality Framework have raised the expectations about the experiences of children in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) settings. These expectations include common outcomes and full participation for all children, including those with disabilities. This conference will explore what the implications are for children with disabilities: what we know already and what more we need to do to ensure best outcomes and full participation for these children.
The inclusion of children with disabilities has its own set of challenges. These include the attitudes and expectations of educators, parents and early childhood disability services. Early Childhood programs may have limited experience in the diverse needs of children with disabilities. The provision of professional support to educators on the children with disabilities is still evolving. Additional resources may be required to make participation possible.
This conference brings together for the first time the range of stakeholders who impact on the inclusion of children with disabilities. These include parents, educators, inclusion support professionals, early childhood intervention practitioners, training bodies and universities, and government policy makers. In Australia there is currently a tapestry of work being undertaken to support children with disabilities in ECEC. One of the emerging opportunities is how to align all these interests.
We will also hear about a similar journey in the USA and be informed by the research and developments occurring there. That journey also faces the challenge of engaging with multiple stakeholders and finding new ways to support access and participation.
We hope you find the program stimulating and thought provoking. There are opportunities for discussion and debate. Anyone with an interest in this area recognises that there is much to be done. We hope this conference helps you reimaging how you might continue your own efforts to improve the inclusion of children with disabilities.
John Forster
CEO, Noah’s Ark
Tim Moore
Senior Research Fellow
Centre for Community Child Health, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne.
Conference Program - Day 1
8:00am
Registration Opens
9:30am
Welcome to Conference
9:45am
Dr Tim Moore
Senior Research Fellow, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute
Making the early years inclusive: How can we respond to all childrens’ need
for meaningful participation?
10:15am
Lorraine Rodrigues
Principal Consultant, InclusivEDA parent’s perspectives on inclusion
10:35am
Morning tea
11:00am
Dr Virginia Buysse
Senior Scientist, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Reimagining Inclusion: Just follow the Yellow Brick Road
12.00pm
Discussion
12.30pm
Lunch
1:15pm
Dr Patricia Snyder
Professor and David Lawrence Jr. Endowed Chair in Early Childhood Studies, University of Florida
Reimagining Evidence-Based Inclusive Practices: Intentional Teaching
Through Embedded Instruction
2:15pm
Discussion
2:45pm
Summary and Inclusion Now Story
3:00pm
Close
Conference Program - Day 2
9:30am
Welcome back
9:45am
Australian panel: Perspectives on inclusion today
Dr. Sonia Sharp
Deputy Secretary, Early Childhood Development and School Education, DEECD, Victoria
Associate Professor Susan Walker
Faculty of Education, Early Childhood, Queensland University of Technology
Leanne Gibbs
CEO, Community Child Care Cooperative, NSW
10:45am
Morning tea and Discussion
11:45am
Dr Pam Winton
Senior Scientist and Director of Outreach, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, and Research Professor School of Education, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Imagining to Implementing: An Action Agenda
12:15pm
Discussion
12:45pm
Lunch
1:30pm
Australian panel: Looking to the future
Samantha Page
CEO, Early Childhood Australia
Denise Luscombe
National President, ECIA
Suzanne Northcott
Branch Manager, Early Childhood Workforce Branch
2:30pm
Conference Wrap Up and Inclusion Now Story
“By encouraging the
development of meaningful
relationships between children
with and without disabilities
during the early years, a
foundation for constructing an
inclusive community throughout
the life span is established.”
Conference Keynote Speakers
Dr Virginia Buysse
Senior Scientist, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States
Dr Buysse co-directs a program of research on Recognition & Response (R&R), a model of tiered instruction (Response to Intervention) for children enrolled in early care and education programs with funding from the U.S. Department of Education. Virginia served on the Early Childhood Care and Education Workforce committee sponsored by the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine and is past president of the Division for Early Childhood (DEC).
Dr Patricia Snyder
Professor and David Lawrence Jr. Endowed Chair in Early Childhood Studies, University of Florida, United States
Dr Snyder is the principal investigator for an embedded instruction research project for preschool practitioners known as Embedded Instruction for Early Learning and co-principal investigator for an embedded instruction research project for early intervention home visiting known as Embedded Practices and Intervention with Caregivers (EPIC). Both projects are funded by the Institute of Education Sciences in the US Department of Education.
Dr Pam Winton
Senior Scientist and Director of Outreach, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, and Research Professor School of Education, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States
Dr Winton is currently the director and principal investigator (PI) of CONNECT: The Center to Mobilize Early Childhood Knowledge, a national project focused on bringing an evidence-based practice approach to professional development. Pam has published and taught on family partnerships and collaboration in the context of inclusion.
Dr Tim Moore
Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Community Child Health, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne
Dr Moore has been involved in the development and delivery of early childhood intervention services for young children with developmental disabilities and their families for over 30 years. Tim’s research at the CCCH aims to support and empower communities to improve the health and well-being of children and their families. Located at the Royal Children’s Hospital, CCCH is a key research centre of the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, and an academic centre of the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Melbourne.
Lorraine Rodrigues
MEd., MSc., BSc., Grad Cert Disability Studies
Lorraine is a passionate advocate in the field of Inclusive Education. She has worked in the disability field for the last 15 years and has supported many families of children with a disability, to pursue an inclusive schooling. Her passion and inspiration is derived from none other than her own experiences of being a parent of a young person with a disability and pursuing an inclusive schooling for him. Lorraine is currently teaching at RMIT University and is Principal Consultant for InclusivED, a consultancy she has set up which is aimed at supporting, advocating and assisting parents to pursue inclusive schooling options.
Leanne Gibbs
Chief Executive Officer, Community Child Care Co-Operative, NSW
Leanne has over 25 years of experience within the early childhood sector and community services. This experience is supported by qualifications in education and public policy with a Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood), Post Graduate Diploma (Teaching Gifted and Talented Children) and a Master in Politics and Public Policy. Her roles have encompassed teacher and director of long day care and preschool programs, adviser and manager with local state and federal government and the former National Childcare Accreditation Council, teacher and lecturer within early education, management and leadership programs for TAFE and Macquarie University and manager of professional development programs for major providers.
Denise Luscombe
National President, Early Childhood Intervention Australia (ECIA)
Denise Luscombe is a Paediatric Physiotherapist who has worked in the field of paediatrics, disability and early childhood intervention (ECI) for nearly 27 years. She is currently National President of Early Childhood Intervention Australia and is passionate about the area of early childhood intervention and the ongoing development of the sector within a changing landscape.
Denise has completed postgraduate studies in Womens Health and Paedatrics. Denise has been the recipient of an Honorary Ray Young Scholarship and was an inaugural recipient of a Count Me In Scholarship which has enabled her to travel to the US, Canada and UK to investigate best practice in ECI. Denise has presented workshops interstate and internationally to ECI teams making the transition to a collaborative team/key worker model of service delivery.
Denise recently commenced her Professional Doctorate through the University of Western Sydney under the guidance of Dr. Christine Johnson: ‘Implementing evidence-based practices in Early Childhood Intervention.’
Suzanne Northcott
Branch Manager, Early Childhood Workforce Branch
Suzanne has made a substantial contribution to Australian Government policy
development in both the health and education spheres over the last two decades including the inaugural national mental health and national disability agreements. In 2008 she lead the Australian Government team responsible for negotiating the National Education Agreement and The Melbourne Declaration on the Educational Goals of Young Australians and in 2010 played an instrumental role in the introduction of the national curriculum. Suzanne’s current role involves managing the Australian Government’s initiatives to address workforce issues in the early childhood education and care sector, including the Inclusion and Professional Support Program.
- 2013 Reimagining Inclusion Conference -
Samantha Page
CEO, Early Childhood Australia
Sam holds a Masters Degree in Management and a Bachelors Degree in Psychology and has worked in the non-government sector for 20 years across roles encompassing executive management, management consulting, social policy analysis, advocacy and the delivery of human services. She brings extensive experience in the development and implementation of sector development projects funded by Federal and State Government agencies. She has overseen workforce development and scholarship programs, training initiatives as well as consultation and evaluation projects that have involved working effectively across government and non-government partners to support effective service delivery. Sam also serves on the Board of the Australian Institute of Health & Welfare and the Australian Council of Social Service as well as being a member of the ACT Child & Young Person Death Review Committee.
Dr Sonia Sharp
Deputy Secretary, Early Childhood Development and School Education, DEECD, Victoria
Prior to her appointment as Deputy Secretary, Dr Sonia Sharp was Executive Director for children, young people, families, lifelong learning and skills in Sheffield, UK. During her time there, Sonia was instrumental in significant service reform to build an integrated approach to education, social services, health and youth services in order to improve positive outcomes for children and youth. Sonia’s background is in teaching, research and educational psychology. She holds a Master degree and Doctorate in Education Psychology and the National Professional Qualification for Head Teachers. Sonia has published a number of books and articles and is known internationally for her work on tackling bullying in schools.
Dr Susan Walker
Faculty of Education, Early Childhood, Queensland University of Technology
Dr Sue Walker is an Associate Professor within the School of Early Childhood at QUT. Dr Walker teaches pre-service early childhood teachers in the area of development and diversity. Her research foci include epistemic beliefs and teachers’ practice; early childhood social development; child outcomes in relation to inclusive early childhood education programs; early intervention and the transition to school; teacher-student relationships; and the development of children’s moral values.
The Key Worker
Resources for Early Childhood Intervention Professionals The Key W orker R es our ces f or E ar ly Childho od I nt er vent ion P ro fessionals Barcode Barcode
A Key Worker is a person from an early childhood intervention service with whom the family will work, their ‘go to’ person as they begin to negotiate an unfamiliar environment, someone who knows the territory and can act as a guide. The Key Worker helps the family adjust to the situation, cut through the jargon, navigate services and make sense of new information. “The Key Worker” covers five areas of support offered to families:
• emotional support • information and advice • identifying and addressing needs • advocacy
• service coordination.
For each of these five areas of support, this resource provides an engaging and reader-friendly overview of current literature, linking it to the real-life experience of many families. There are also tipsheets for professionals and tools they can use for their own professional development and supervision. “The Key Worker” is a must-have guide for early childhood intervention professionals and other professionals providing family support.
www.ecii.org.au
ISBN 000 000 000 000 000 000
“...children’s first and most enduring educators are their families...”
The Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (2009)
Children learn most from those with whom they have the deepest relationships and those with whom they spend the most time – their families and carers. Recognition of this has changed the face of early childhood intervention over recent years. For early childhood intervention to support and strengthen the development of children with additional needs, it must do so through strong and positive relationships with their family.
Participating and
Belonging:
Inclusionin Practice
Inclusion Resources for Early Childhood Educators and Consultants
Participating and Belonging: Inclusion in Practice focuses on the inclusion of children with disabilities in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) Services. The practices recommended are appropriate for any child who needs extra support and are an extension of best practice in high quality programs. The resource provides educators, early childhood professionals, and children’s services consultants with information, skills and tools to ensure quality inclusive programs for children and families. The information is based on the latest research and literature, with the intention to promote a shared understanding of inclusion, which is essential if ECEC services are to meet the needs of all children, regardless of ability.
Participating and Belonging: Inclusion in Practice is a practical resource that incorporates sixteen inclusion practices which are organised into three categories; Inclusion Readiness, Resources to Support Inclusion and Program Practices that Support Inclusion.
Participating and Belonging: Inclusion in Practice includes:
• an overview of recent research and literature
• a two page tip sheet that provides a guide to best practice
• a checklist to guide educators and consultants in looking at current practices
• a DVD - Inclusion of Children with Disabilities: The Journey (running time 43min) that looks at the inclusion practices with real-life examples of inclusion in practice throughout ECEC services.
The Key Worker
Resource for Early Childhood Intervention
Professionals
The Key Worker is a must-have guide for Early Childhood
Intervention professionals and other professionals providing family support. It focuses on providing support to families who have a child with a disability or a developmental delay but can be applied to other professionals providing family support. The Key Worker helps the family adjust to the situation, cut through the jargon, navigate services and make sense of new information. The Key Worker covers five
areas of support offered to families: Emotional Support; Information and Advice; Identifying and Addressing Needs; Advocacy; and Service Coordination.
The Key Worker includes:
• an overview of recent research and literature that is linked to real-life experiences of many families
• a two page tip sheet that provides professionals with tools they can use for their own professional development and supervi-sion
• a checklist to guide educators and consultants in looking at current practices
• a DVD - The Key Worker (running time 28min) that covers the
five areas of support focusing on families throughout Victoria.
Early Childhood Inclusion and Intervention
Resources
The Key Worker 2012
By Stacey Alexander & John Forstersionals Published in 2012
RRP:$55
Participating and Belonging: Inclusion in Practice
By Alison Webster & John Forster Published in 2012
RRP:$80
Quick Guide $30
View or purchase our resources in the foyer or head to
www.ecii.org.au
.
Participating and Belonging: Inclusion in Practice
Inclusion Resource for Early Childhood
Educators and Consultants
“ I like it here
cause everyone
plays with me ”
Khalid, age 3
Inclusion now is a new resource
being
developed to host information and stories
about including all children
View and share an
Inclusion Now Story
video on your
conference USB!
Head to www.inclusionnow
.org.au
to view all our inclusion stories and
to share your story.
“ I like it here
cause everyone
plays with me ”
Khalid, age 3
Inclusion now is a new resource
being
developed to host information and stories
about including all children
View and share an
Inclusion Now Story
video on your
conference USB!
Head to www.inclusionnow
.org.au
to view all our inclusion stories and
to share your story.
Reimagining the inclusion of children
with disabilities in early childhood services.
www.reimagininginclusion.org.au
Reimagining Inclusion acknowledges the traditional owners of country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to them and
