Inclusive Play Case Studies

KIDS has collected case studies from around England, showcasing diverse examples of inclusive practice in play and leisure settings.

Children play on a slideThese good practice examples describe how some organisations have used imaginative ways to meet the requirements of disabled children and young people.

These case studies have been collected from across England and from a diverse range of settings, organisations and local authorities who have worked to include children with a variety of impairments.

Each child and family is unique and will live in a unique community with access to different services. These examples show just some of the ways that disabled children and young people can be included.

The case studies share top tips from each setting as well as answering the following questions:
1) Why is this setting an example of excellent inclusive practice?
2) How has the change towards becoming more inclusive been supported and developed?
3) What positive impacts/benefits has this change had on the inclusion of disabled children/young people and their families?
4) What have been the challenges you have faced to embedding inclusive attitudes and practice? How have these challenges been overcome?
5) Are there any elements you would have done differently?
6) How will you sustain and further improve inclusion in the setting?


DASH provides several inclusive playschemes throughout the school holidays for disabled and non-disabled children. Each child is placed on a scheme depending on their age and their individual requirements and promotes a free play structure, with some structured activities also provided.
Read about DASH's work in Darlington: DASH case studyDASH case study

 

Active Impact is a social enterprise constituted as a community interest company supporting a range of voluntary and community agencies to offer a wide variety of short breaks. The Of Course We Can! programme is central to this offer – a mix of exciting residential weekends and unusual non-residential activity groups of half a dozen 5-hour days.
Read about Of Course We Can! and the work they do in Gloucestershire: OCWC case studyOCWC case study

 

RAPP is a supported inclusive mobile play project. It travels across 200 square miles providing play opportunities in villages and hamlets where there is no sustainable childcare or play facilities, visiting a different venue every day of the school holidays.  A past winner of the 'Partners in Excellence' Award for Promoting Children’s Well-being.
Read about RAPP and their work in Hampshire: RAPP case studyRAPP case study

 

The Aspire sessions have been set up for disabled children, their siblings and friends who are not confident enough to attend mainstream sessions to participate in sport, play and arts activities. They are run in  5 local leisure centre settings spread geographically around the East Riding.
Read about Aspire and their work in East Yorkshire: ERYC case studyERYC case study

 

Community Arts Network (CAN) is a not for profit community interest company running a range of activities including inclusive after school clubs and Arts Play Holiday clubs, a youth club and short breaks scheme and training for adults.

Read about CAN's work in Devon: CAN case studyCAN case study

 

If you know of any good practice examples and would like to share them, please contact coe@kids.org.uk

 

 

Image © Sabrina Aaronovitch