Every child |

No. Segregation is separation without rights or review. This campaign calls for a rights-based specialised pathway for a small cohort of children who are currently excluded from all care settings.

Mainstream services are already doing more, often without adequate staffing, training, or funding. The Inclusion Support Program is not designed to support sustained high-ratio care for children with profound needs.

Both the United Workers Union (UWU) and the Queensland Teachers’ Union (QTU) have raised serious concerns about:

• educator burnout,
• occupational violence,
• unsafe ratios,
• significant child safety issues, and
• the emotional toll of unsupported inclusion.

This campaign aligns with their call for properly resourced, safe, and sustainable inclusion.

Unregulated or rights-free specialist care is outdated. Rights-based specialised pathways with family choice, oversight, and transition planning are recognised internationally as reasonable adjustments for children with complex needs.

The UNCRC says all children have the right to education, development, safety, and participation and that decisions must be made in their best interests. It does not require children to be placed in settings where they are unsafe or excluded in practice.

A small cohort — but one that is growing as specialist services close and complexity increases. These children are currently the most excluded from the ECEC system.

Families leave the workforce, educators burn out, services refuse enrolments, and children miss out on early learning altogether. This is exclusion and it is preventable.

A universal system that includes:

• properly funded mainstream inclusion that helps all children thrive;
• a defined, rights-based specialised care pathway for children with profound needs;
• workforce protections and training;
• regular review and transition planning.

Inclusion must mean every child has somewhere safe to go, with the support they need to belong and thrive.