{"id":1309,"date":"2026-08-30T22:54:51","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T12:54:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/?p=1309"},"modified":"2026-08-30T22:54:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T12:54:51","slug":"cvc2026-601","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/cvc2026-601\/","title":{"rendered":"CVC2026-601 \u2013 Listening as inclusion: Co\u2011constructing emotionally safe spaces with children and practitioners"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"cvc-hero alignfull\">\n  <span class=\"cvc-chip\">Presentation \u2013 CVC2026-601<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\">Listening as inclusion: Co\u2011constructing emotionally safe spaces with children and practitioners<\/h1>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<div class=\"cvc-authors\">\n<p><strong>Jayne Carter, <\/strong>Ignite Education Ltd, United Kingdom<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<div class=\"ast-oembed-container \" style=\"height: 100%;\"><iframe title=\"CVC2026-601 Listening as inclusion: Co-constructing emotionally safe spaces with children and practi\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_HankKrLW6g?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<p><strong>Background:\u00a0<\/strong>Children\u2019s 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\u2019s own accounts highlight the importance of feeling listened to, safe, and emotionally held. This study explores how children\u2019s perspectives on belonging can inform and transform practitioner learning cultures, particularly in early years settings where emotional labour and workforce pressures shape daily practice.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Aim:<\/strong>\u00a0The 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.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Method:<\/strong>\u00a0Using a participatory, child\u2011centred approach, children aged 3\u20136 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.<strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Results\/findings<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong> Children emphasised small relational gestures\u2014being greeted warmly, having time to talk, being invited into play\u2014as central to feeling included. Practitioners reported that engaging with children\u2019s 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\u2019s emotional needs.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Conclusion:<\/strong>\u00a0Children\u2019s 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\u2019s voices within professional learning cultures can support more inclusive environments and contribute to workforce well-being and retention.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Implications for children\u00a0and families:<\/strong>\u00a0You 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.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Implications for practitioners:<\/strong>\u00a0You can use children\u2019s perspectives to deepen your reflective practice, strengthen relationships, and create emotionally safe, inclusive environments that support both children\u2019s well-being and your own professional confidence.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Keywords<\/strong>:\u00a0children\u2019s voices, inclusion, belonging, professional learning, early childhood education<\/p>\n<p><strong>This presentation relates to the following\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/sdgs.un.org\/goals\"><strong>United Nations Sustainable Development Goals<\/strong><\/a><strong>:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"cvc-sdgs\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sdgs.un.org\/goals\/goal3\">SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sdgs.un.org\/goals\/goal4\">SDG 4: Quality Education<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sdgs.un.org\/goals\/goal10\">SDG 10: Reduced Inequality<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sdgs.un.org\/goals\/goal17\">SDG 17:\u00a0Partnerships\u00a0to Achieve the Goals\u00a0<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jayne Carter, Ignite Education Ltd, United Kingdom<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[44,49,50,1],"tags":[45,46,47,48],"class_list":["post-1309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-childrens-communication","category-childrens-inclusion","category-childrens-services-workforce-and-policy","category-presentations","tag-sdg-03","tag-sdg-04","tag-sdg-10","tag-sdg-17"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1309","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1309"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1309\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1580,"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1309\/revisions\/1580"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}