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The purpose of this paper is to serve as a commentary on the work reported by Hilary Johnson and her colleagues, which used partnership working as a lever for developing community inclusion for people with complex communication needs.

The commentary uses the wider literature on social inclusion as well as narrative from current policy in England on the development of “Transforming Care Partnerships” to explore some of the issues raised by the research.

The conclusion is that physical integration is only the starting point for a vision where people with the most complex needs live the “included life” which evolves by developing partnership working and reciprocal relationships between people with and without disabilities.

This paper attempts to highlight relevant key research in the area of social integration as a way of reviewing the likely impact of recent policy on the lives of people with intellectual disabilities and the most complex needs.

People with learning disabilities are one of the most marginalised groups in European society, rarely recognised as full citizens with equal rights. The European action research programme STEPS focuses on structures, instruments and methods to combat discrimination against people with learning disabilities and aims at full participation and free access to material, cultural and social resources. Partnerships between providers, social welfare administrations, universities and groups of people with learning disabilities in five European countries are defining the project. From England, the Tizard Centre, Parkside NHS Trust, and Kensington and Chelsea Social Services are partner members in the network, and the overall project is financed by the EU community action programme to combat discrimination.