The ethical, democratic and social issues at stake when considering the inclusion of handicapped children in ordinary schools and health institutions are particularly strong. Progress in terms of rights has been made, but the results are mixed. The difficulties in coordinating the different professionals in the health and social networks, and in cooperating with the families, highlight the need for training. In calling upon the testimony of different professionals concerning the progress and failures in communication, this paper will promote the value of a philosophical and relational approach of the individual. The paper first seeks to understand and lay out the issues at stake in partnerships and health networks, as well as the hindrances represented by the usual social practices; it then puts forward the model of a relational understanding of the individual as a way of enabling the transformation of these practices in the direction of collective, coordinated action promoting mutual understanding and an adequate consideration for the Other: the child, but also the different professionals, and the parents, present or absent.