Inclusive play - Pat Petrie

Inclusive Play is a practical guide for providers and practitioners. It is based on research conducted in 32 out-of-school services in 14 local authorities. The policy background to the book is the Disability Discrimination Act and the Department of Health Quality Protects programme. Inclusive Play starts from an understanding that disabled children should have access to mainstream out-of-school play and childcare services. As well as reporting children's and parents' views, the book identifies the organisational support necessary for inclusive provision, covering funding, staffing, premises and transport. It looks at the part played by voluntary sector advocacy groups and what local authorities can do. There is also a chapter on good practice - and some of the potential pitfalls - in the following areas: referrals, brothers and sisters, monitoring and reviewing, challenging behaviour, play and safety, medicines, lifting and carrying, toileting and outings. The book concludes with the main challenges for developing inclusive play: the demand for affordable services and the development of training and support for inclusive practice. Inclusivity is about fostering a mind set, claiming social, physical and psychological accessibility for all children and fostering inclusive thinking among providers, staff, children, parents and, not least, local government departments.