Presentation – CVC2026-601

Listening as inclusion: Co‑constructing emotionally safe spaces with children and practitioners

Jayne Carter, Ignite Education Ltd, United Kingdom

Background: Children’s sense of belonging is shaped not only by relationships with peers and adults but also by the emotional climate practitioners create. While inclusion is often framed as a structural or curricular issue, children’s own accounts highlight the importance of feeling listened to, safe, and emotionally held. This study explores how children’s perspectives on belonging can inform and transform practitioner learning cultures, particularly in early years settings where emotional labour and workforce pressures shape daily practice.

Aim: The study aimed to understand how children describe experiences of belonging and emotional safety, and how these insights can support practitioners to reflect on and strengthen inclusive practice. It also sought to explore how listening to children can act as a form of professional development that enhances practitioner confidence, identity, and retention.

Method: Using a participatory, child‑centred approach, children aged 3–6 contributed drawings, photographs, and conversational reflections about moments when they felt included or excluded. These artefacts were shared within practitioner learning groups who used structured reflective dialogue to explore implications for practice. Ethical approval was granted by an institutional review board, with full parental consent and child assent. Practitioner reflections were analysed thematically.

Results/findings: Children emphasised small relational gestures—being greeted warmly, having time to talk, being invited into play—as central to feeling included. Practitioners reported that engaging with children’s perspectives deepened their understanding of emotional safety and prompted shifts in communication, routines, and team culture. Many described renewed professional purpose and increased confidence in responding to children’s emotional needs.

Conclusion: Children’s voices offer powerful insights into what inclusion feels like in practice. When practitioners engage with these perspectives collaboratively, they strengthen both relational pedagogy and their own professional identity. Embedding children’s voices within professional learning cultures can support more inclusive environments and contribute to workforce well-being and retention.

Implications for children and families: You helped us understand what makes you feel safe and included. Your ideas show adults how to make your learning spaces kinder, calmer, and more welcoming.

Implications for practitioners: You can use children’s perspectives to deepen your reflective practice, strengthen relationships, and create emotionally safe, inclusive environments that support both children’s well-being and your own professional confidence.

Keywords: children’s voices, inclusion, belonging, professional learning, early childhood education

This presentation relates to the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: