The long-standing principle of inclusion in Norwegian education policy, dating back to the introduction of unified schooling more than one hundred years ago, was strengthened in legislation from 1975, which provided for adapted education within the framework of the local school for all children, and has been reinforced by the Salamanca Declaration (1994) (Faldet et al., 2022). Despite this, many students lack access to meaningful participation, belonging, and mastery in accordance with the criteria of inclusive practice (Barneombudet, 2017), the completion rate of upper secondary education is cause for concern (Reegård & Rogstad, 2016), and researchers have identified significant challenges related to the support system established to support those who are struggling in school (Nordahl, 2018). To address these issues, PPT (Eductional and psychological counselling service) has been granted a central role by law both as an expert body for decisions on special education and as a support service for competence and organizational development in kindergartens and schools. In response, several strategies have been developed since the turn of the millennium, primarily focusing on the enhancement of PPT and their collaboration with kindergartens and schools, research has focused on the development of ordinary pedagogical practices in order to prevent the need for special education, while also improving the connection between ordinary and special education (Andrews et al., 2018; Hustad & Fylling, 2012). To this end, there has been support provided to various municipal school development initiatives in collaboration with research environments, where PPT has participated to varying degrees. For instance, the SUKIP project (Cooperation on the Development of Competence for Inclusive Practice) is an innovation project funded, in part, by the Research Council of Norway, and is being carried out between 2019-2022 in collaboration with PPT, as well as a kindergarten and school in two different municipalities (Mjøs et al., 2023 - in press). The aim of the SUKIP project is to develop and investigate a new infrastructure for collaboration between the PPT and the kindergarten/school, which is suitable for the desired competence and organizational development.

This project was conducted using a case study approach (Yin, 2014), whereby researchers and practitioners collaborated (Ainscow et al., 2004) and the practice field itself prioritized and designed the innovations; a total of four cases. This process falls in line with the new national strategy for local competence development in the education sector, known as the Competence Boost for special pedagogy and inclusive practice (Utdanningsdirektoratet, 2021).

Based on the White paper titled “Early intervention and inclusive community in kindergarten, school and after-school care”, the strategy has been implemented with the primary focus on the general education offer in kindergarten and school as responsible for a more inclusive practice, requiring cooperation from the "team around the children and pupils". Drawing from the data of the SUKIP project and the educational policy guidelines, this study will explore the research question: how can PPT serve as a central agent to the further development of an inclusive practice in kindergarten and school, and what seems to promote or inhibit such a role?

Overall, the research methods used in this study are based on a combination of qualitative approaches using different sources. The data collection from the SUKIP project include audio recordings of collaborative meetings, interviews with key actors, documents from the two municipalities. The data analysis consists of inductive coding and organization of the data, followed by a deductive analysis in which the data is compared to theory in order to gain a deeper understanding of the innovation processes and dynamics. Finally, the results will be discussed and compared to existing research to draw conclusions. A thematic analysis was conducted that focused on who participates, what is discussed, how the cooperation is conducted, and the connection between the meetings and cooperation outside the meetings. The theoretical framework for the observations was based on both organizational learning and collective competence development (Irgens, 2016; Roald, 2012) and on inclusion with an emphasis on participation (Florian & Black-Hawkins, 2011). The analysis of the data material began by examining each case individually, followed by abstraction to identify the common characteristics of the four cases in relation to the municipal and local context. The findings highlighted various factors that seemed to affect the extent to which the PPT had been provided and had assumed the role of an inclusion agent. This will then be discussed in the light of other research and statistics that provide additional insight into the topic (Fasting & Breilid, 2020; Kolnes & Midthassel, 2021; Moen & Szulevicz, 2022). Questions related to the justification for the PPT to be a central agent in the work to develop inclusive practices in kindergarten and school primarily concern normative issues and cannot be answered by empirical evidence. This is discussed in light of national education policy guidelines, which are based on international conventions and obligations (UN, 1989, 1993, 2022). Additionally, these questions must be considered within the context of ongoing changes in the Norwegian special education support system, which PPT is part of (Fossestøl & Lyng, 2022; Mjøs & Moen, 2018).

The findings from this study suggest that the realization of an effective collaboration between PPT and kindergarten/school with a view to inclusion is complex and requires a multi-level approach. Various factors will influence the collaboration, such as the relationship between the partners, the continuity in the collaboration, the mutual expectations that are created, and the infrastructure that is established. Furthermore, there is a need for coordinated management at both unit and municipal level, as well as an increased focus on PPT when it comes to organizational knowledge and process competence. These findings provide important insights into the complexity of realizing a successful collaboration between PPT and kindergarten/school, and can inform future initiatives to promote the development of inclusive practice. The data obtained from a case study cannot be used to draw clear conclusions regarding the collaboration between the PPT and kindergarten/school in Norwegian municipalities, as they are diverse. Nevertheless, we can assume that certain contextual qualities will help to foster the desired collaboration. This is linked to the Norwegian PPT's national political objectives and the associated educational policy implications. Therefore, this presentation will conclude by posing questions relating to the fundamental values of the Norwegian education system, and how research can be used to answer them. For instance: why should the Norwegian PPT be a key agent for developing inclusive practice in kindergarten and school, and how can educational policy facilitate this?

Ainscow, M., Booth, T. & Dyson, A. (2004). Understanding and developing inclusive practices in schools: a collaborative action research network. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 8(2), 125-139. Andrews, T., Lødding, B., Fylling, I. & Hustad, B.-C. (2018). Kompetanseutvikling i et mangfoldig landskap. Om virkninger av Strategi for etter- og videreutdanning i PP-tjenesten. NF-rapport nr. 7. Nordlandsforskning, Nord Universitet, NIFU. Barneombudet. (2017). Uten mål og mening. Elever med spesialundervisning i grunnskolen. Barneombudet. Bennich, M., Svensson, L. & Brulin, G. (2018). Interactive Research. I E. Gunnarsson, H. P. Hansen, B. S. Nielsen & N. Sriskandarajah (Red.), Action Research for Democracy. New Ideas and Perspectives from Scandinavia (27-38). Routledge. Faldet, A.-C., Knudsmoen, H. & Nes, K. (2022). Inkluderingsbegrepet under utvikling? En analyse av læreplanverkene L97, LK06 og LK20. Nordisk tidsskrift for pedagogikk og kritikk, (8), 171-188. Fasting, R. & Breilid, N. (2020). PP-tjenesten som inkluderingsagent: retorikk eller handling? Psykologi i kommunen, (3). Florian, L. & Black-Hawkins, K. (2011). Exploring inclusive pedagogy. British Educational Research Journal, 17(5), 813-828. Fossestøl, K. & Lyng, S. T. (2022). Ny infrastruktur for lokal kompetanseutvikling - tre viktige utfordringer. Bedre skole, (1), 63-67. Hustad, B.-C. & Fylling, I. (2012). Innovasjon gjennom samhandling. Sluttevaluering av Faglig løft for PPT. NF-rapport 16. Nordlandsforskning. Irgens, E. (2016). Skolen. Organisasjon og ledelse, kunnskap og læring. Fagbokforlaget. Kolnes, J. & Midthassel, U. V. (2021). Capturing students' needs through collaboration - exploring challenges expreienced by Norwegian educational-psychological advisers. European Journal of Special Needs Education., 1-13. Mjøs, M., Hillesøy, S., Ohna, S.-E. & Moen, V. (Red.). (2023 - in press). Utvikling av inkluderende praksis. Et innovasjonsprosjekt om samarbeid mellom barnehage/skole og PPT (open access). Cappelen Damm Akademisk. Mjøs, M. & Moen, V. (2018). Statped og PPT. Det gode didaktiske møtet i spennet mellom individ- og systemarbeid. Spesialpedagogikk, 83(3), 56-70. Moen, T. & Szulevicz, T. (2022). Norske og danske PP-rådgiveres opplevelse av "utenfrastyring": En kvalitativ studie. Psykologi i kommunen, (4). Nordahl, T. (2018). Inkluderende fellesskap for barn og unge. Ekspertgruppen for barn og unge med behov for særskilt tilrettelegging. Fagbokforlaget. Reegård, K. & Rogstad, J. (Red.). (2016). De frafalne. Om frafall i videregående opplæring - hvem er de, hva vil de og hva kan gjøres? Gyldendal akademisk. Roald, K. (2012). Kvalitetsvurdering som organisasjonslæring. Når skole og skoleeigar utviklar kunnskap. Fagbokforlaget. Utdanningsdirektoratet. (2021). Kompetanseløftet for spesialpedagogikk og inkluderende praksis. Yin, R. K. (2014). Case Study Research: design and methods. (5. utg.). SAGE.