Count Me In: A practical guide to supporting your child to participate in local community activities.

As parents, we all want our children to feel like they belong and are a part of their local community. For children with disability, this sense of belonging is essential, yet it can also be challenging to achieve. 

This is where Count Me In comes in.

Count Me In is a comprehensive guide, co-designed with parents, to empower you to support your child’s meaningful participation in activities within your local community. We understand the challenges you may face, and we’re here to help you overcome them.

What You’ll Find in Count Me In:

• Inspiring stories: Discover the power of participation and inclusion through real-life examples of families and children who have found success and joy in their communities.
• Practical guidance: A roadmap to assist you in supporting your child’s participation based on their unique interests, strengths, and support needs.
• Lived experience: Learn from the insights and tips of experienced families about finding suitable activities, initiating contact, overcoming challenges, and setting your child up for success.
• Valuable resources: Access to a wealth of helpful tools and templates, as well as links to additional support services and organisations.

How to Use the Guide

You can choose to follow the guide from start to finish, working through the steps and using the tools provided, or you can directly navigate to the relevant section that you need. The guide also includes various examples and stories to help you understand how to apply the tools and information provided to support your child.

Digital Toolkit

Our digital toolkit is designed to be used together with the Count Me In guide. It offers a range of tools, editable templates, and links to helpful resources. You can use the blank templates included in the toolkit to record your ideas, thoughts, and reflections as you go through the guide.

Acknowledgement

Kindred has developed this resource in partnership with families of children with disability.

We would like to acknowledge and thank these families for sharing their collective wisdom,  which made this resource possible. As well as our funding partners. Mable, a tech platform where people with disability, and their families, can connect with independent support workers in their community. And the Australian Government of Social Services, visit www.dss.gov.au.