Key Ideas

• Be aware of the wide range of additional needs. There are many conditions and situations that mean a child or young person has additional needs - not all of which might be visible. Discover what constitutes additional needs. You may also have people in your congregation with expertise who can help you learn.
• Welcome everyone - church is a place where everyone should be welcome. This means we may need to adapt what we do, or learn new ways to be and learn. Talk to parents and carers, and to the child or young person, to discover what support will help.
• Put in place what you can. No one will expect you to become an expert overnight or have all the resources, but often there are things we can do which make a big difference, such as providing a visual timetable, offering a scribe, adapting a game, or allowing access to a den or safe space if a child needs time out.
• Access training and information. Organisations such as Growing Hope, Join the Dots Solutions, Through the Roof, and the Additional Needs Alliance can help churches include everyone.
• Access the Parenting for Faith additional needs topics: one for parents and carers and another for churches.