ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the meaning of terms such as inclusion, social exclusion, and participation, and develops a framework for evaluating the effectiveness of 'inclusive' policies. It reviews a political context for policy-making and considers how inclusion is about social processes as well as outcomes. The possibility of using the idea in connection with the way in which people learn a language or to read; in relation to the different life experiences of Travelling families or same-sex parents and their children; and as a tool to help them develop their professional research and reflective practices, shows that 'inclusion' is an idea with multiple uses and purposes. Away from the immediate world of Early Years practice, in terms of social policy, the notion of 'inclusion' has come increasingly to be defined and understood by reference to other, more quantifiable factors.
