We are currently facing the inescapable international challenge of building inclusive educational environments (Goal 4 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development) in response to a fundamental human right. Research on this issue must contribute to the development of this right and do so based on the most current recommendations regarding the methodological approach to be adopted to contribute to this end. This project intends to contribute to this purpose through four premises:

1. Based on existing knowledge and in accordance with international recommendations (European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education, 2024; UNESCO, 2017), it is strategic to strengthen schools by contributing to their improvement so that they are able to construct, with equity, the presence, learning, and participation of all their students.
2. To pay attention to students who face situations of special vulnerability to educational and social exclusion processes (UNESCO, 2020).
3. To deepen social participation as an axis of analysis and change, making progress in its implementation in the school and classroom as a fundamental dimension of educational inclusion (Ainscow, et al., 2006).
4. Family participation is essential in promoting inclusion in schools, as research has shown (Camelo et al., 2023). The family-school alliance facilitates the success of all students in inclusive schools (Epstein et al., 2018). The family constitutes a key support agent both in promoting student learning and their social participation in school, that is, their involvement in positive interpersonal experiences that contribute to their socio-emotional well-being (Simón and Barrios, 2019). The role of the family in promoting student social participation is precisely the subject of the research presented here. Therefore, schools that seek to be more inclusive aim to involve families and develop collaboration strategies.

Regarding the importance of this work for the European context, it is important to highlight that many European countries have been promoting initiatives for years aimed at involving families in situations of psychosocial risk (see, for example, Council of Europe, 2006). Furthermore, focusing on families and promoting their involvement by granting them a central role in improving schools to become more inclusive has been identified as one of the necessary actions to mobilize countries around this human right. See, for example, the documents prepared by the European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education (2022) or UNESCO's proposals (2000).

Considering the above, this study aims to answer the following research questions:

a) How do families evaluate the school's concern for their children's social participation?

b) What do families know about their children's social well-being in school (feeling part of, forming part of, and taking part in)?

c) What role do school-related factors (family-school relationship and educational stage) and family-related factors (perception of empowerment; having a child with SEN) play in the importance they place on their children's social participation in school and in their involvement in this process?

A quantitative study was conducted with families from schools with a high percentage of students in situations of psychosocial risk. Data were collected through questionnaires, and the results provide relevant theoretical and practical contributions.

A total of 300 families from four regular schools (two primary and two secondary) participated. All these schools enroll a high percentage of students in situations of special vulnerability (low socioeconomic status and specific educational support needs). The information was collected using: • Questionnaire on the power of alliances with families (Simón et al., 2022). This is a scale adapted from The Power of Partnerships Family Survey (National PTA Standards for Family-School Partnerships, 2009). This scale evaluates the relationship/participation between families and school and consists of 16 items, scored with a Likert scale based on the extent of agreement with the statements presented (1 = totally agree, 5 = totally disagree). • Questionnaire on perception of family empowerment. This is a scale adapted from Gehlbach (2020). It consists of eight items, scored with a Likert scale (1 = totally agree, 5 = totally disagree). • Questionnaire on the value attributed to school. This is a scale adapted from Gehlbach (2020). It consists of eight items, scored with a Likert scale (1 = totally agree, 5 = totally disagree). • Questionnaire on the perception of children's social participation in school. This scale was developed ad hoc by the research team based on previous studies on this construct (Barrios et al., 2023). It consists of ten items, scored with a Likert scale (1 = totally agree, 5 = totally disagree). These items assess the importance and knowledge that families have regarding their children's experiences in school in the following dimensions: feeling part of, forming part of, and taking part in. • Sociodemographic data protocol. This protocol consists of questions describing participants, including caregivers (age, gender, education level, etc.) and their children (grade level, presence of SEN, etc.). Families who volunteered to participate completed the questionnaire in paper format. The questionnaires were anonymous, ensuring confidentiality. This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the university to which the first author belongs. Descriptive analyses were performed for the items and total scores of the different questionnaires. To study the relationships between variables, ANOVAs with two fully randomized factors were conducted. Additionally, linear regression analysis was performed to examine the influence of family and school variables on the importance that families place on social participation and their knowledge about their children's social well-being in school.

First, the results show that families whose children attend schools with a high percentage of students in vulnerable situations have differing opinions on the value they assign to school, depending on factors such as educational stage and whether their children have SEN. Families positively value the school's concern for their children's social well-being. However, these factors again vary depending on variables related to their children, such as having SEN. Likewise, this perception is linked to the alliance built between the school and families. The family-school alliance emerges as a central aspect that, regardless of the children's situation, is connected to key variables in the study, such as the importance and knowledge of their children's social participation in school. Families' perceptions of their children's social adjustment are linked to this alliance, as well as to the value they place on education and their sense of family empowerment. These results advance knowledge regarding the factors involved in social participation, a central dimension of inclusive education. Additionally, they provide relevant contributions to practice, guiding school improvement processes in which families play a central role. * This study is part of the project Towards Universal Design for Social Participation: a multiple case study on implementing and improving social participation from an inclusive perspective, funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation (Knowledge Generation Projects - State Plan 2021-2023) , with reference number PID2021-124951OB-I00

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