Focus on play
September 2017
Families First programme
Families First is a Welsh Government programme for designing integrated support for families. Its principal focus is on supporting families through interventions at the preventative and protective stages. In October 2016 Welsh Government announced that the Families First programme should develop services which address identified gaps in service provision for parents and young people. Welsh Government is also keen to link the work of the programme clearly with the prevention of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and mitigation of the impact for children and young people who are living in difficult circumstances. A Play Wales reviewi of statutory Play Sufficiency Assessments suggests that there is a gap in access to staffed playwork provision across most parts of Wales. Previously, Families First funding has been used to support play development work and staffed playwork provision across Wales and there is a need to make a strong case that playwork continues to be funded through this funding stream. Playwork has a clear contribution to make to the Families First programme in the coming years by funding universal services that children and families in the most need can access without stigma and gain the support of highly trained playwork staff working in quality, community based play provision. ‘Playwork is a highly skilled profession that enriches and enhances children’s play. It takes place where adults support children’s play but it is not driven by prescribed education or care outcomes.’ii There is strong evidence that staffed playwork provision contributes to stronger, more play friendly communities having wide reaching impacts on children, young people and adultsiii iv. Playing is how children build social networks and
create positive attachments to people and places in their community. Also, playing contributes to children’s resourcefulness, defined as their ability to navigate to, and draw upon, physical and emotional resources in times of need. Playworkers support these mechanisms by providing time, space and permission for playing in a range of environments in children’s local communities. Children have a right to play, as recognised in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Whilst this is increasingly recognised, there is still a need to highlight how playing and staffed playwork provision can positively impact on children and families. ‘[The project has had a] massive impact, this is by far the most successful project we have supported. In all areas there was no play provision at all and the sessions have allowed children and families to benefit from them. The families look forward to seeing the van turn up on the estate. Children are much happier and healthier.’ External stakeholder Here, we explore how staffed playwork provision responds to the direction of the Families First programme.
Parenting support Staffed playwork provision is often available when families need it most (afterschool, during school holidays, evenings and weekends) filling
in gaps when other services are unavailable. Staffed playwork provision offers informal respite for both parents and children – particularly during school holidays. It gives an opportunity for both children and adults to extend their social and peer networks – which contributes to increased resilience.
Community based play provision appeals to families who most benefit from early preventative services, as there is no formal referral system. Most staffed playwork provision is offered free at the point of access.
Many of the problems that parents say they find a challenge, for instance managing aspects of children’s behaviour, can be addressed by improving children’s access to staffed playwork provision that meets their needs. Parents working at or attending staffed play provision have an opportunity to observe their children’s play, and to speak with playworkers who can make sense of play behaviour. As a result parents feel more confident and better able to manage their children’s play needs away from the staffed playwork provision.
Quality staffed playwork provision takes place in diverse settings – projects start by researching the characteristics and needs of the local community and the spaces where children and young people are most likely to want to gather, and provide an environment that is tailored to the needs of local children and young people.
Playing together is important for family bonding – staffed playwork provision can help parents relax enough to play with their children and gather ideas for low cost or no cost play opportunities. Many parents are concerned about letting their child play out; staffed playwork provision provides parents with the opportunity to allow their children to play freely away from the home in an environment overseen by trained adults.
‘It has engendered a sense of equality with adults for children. Adults who were previously marginalised have been encouraged by their children’s participation and it has increased their own confidence and participation in their local community. It has been fundamental to children’s individual development and to strengthening community cooperation.’ External stakeholder ‘Parents have also praised the role the playworkers have played in pulling the community together with the shared goal of improving play opportunities, referring to them as “the glue that holds it all together.” The parents also identified how important it was to have adults whose only role is to be “there for the children”. Playworkers refer to this role as “acting as advocates when engaging with adult-led agendas”.’
Support for young people
Successful staffed play provision operates to the Playwork Principles (the professional and ethical framework for playwork), with an emphasis on freely chosen, self-directed play and children’s self-determination. It is a bespoke service different from most of those traditionally offered to children and young people. In some cases staffed playwork provision is filling a gap created by the closure of youth provision due to funding cuts. Staffed playwork provision provides a service for children and young people up to, and even over, the age of 14 and can be a crucial part of children’s transition to youth services. Furthermore, where year-round staffed playwork provision is well established in a community there are often positive opportunities for young people to move into volunteering roles within play settings which contributes to their skills and knowledge. Researchv strongly suggests that older children value the important and on-going roles that play providers have in their lives; a ‘play philosophy’ which values individual choice, expression and development in a supportive setting. There are external environmental and/or personal biological factors that impede some children from playing. Such children are supported to play in an environment where there are trained playworkers who know how to intervene, where necessary to facilitate playing. This extends the advantages of playing to children and young people who might not ordinarily benefit.
How playing contributes to resilience and the prevention of ACEs A key finding from evidence is that children’s play ‘provides a primary behaviour for developing resilience, thereby making a significant contribution to children’s wellbeing’vi. This evidence suggests that play contributes to developing resilience through a number of interrelated systems including:
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Feel that they have a sense of control in their world
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Feel connected to others and their community
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Experience a range of emotions including frustration, determination, achievement, disappointment and confidence, and through practice, can learn how to manage these feelings
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Develop imagination and creativity
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Emotional regulation
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Pleasure and enjoyment of promotion of positive feeling
Make sense of and ‘work through’ difficult and distressing aspects of their lives
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The stress response system and the ability to respond to uncertainty
Socialise with their friends and negotiate with others on their own terms.
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Creativity and the ability to make new and different connections
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Learning
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Attachment to people and placevii
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Problem solving.
The generally accepted social, physical and cognitive benefits of play help make the case that playing is an important element in helping to build resilience. Having enough time, space and permission to play helps children to: •
Develop a sense of self sufficiency and independence
Good staffed playwork provision has traditionally provided a space in which children can develop for themselves to meet their needs and wishes and where the space can grow with children; space that reflects children’s play needs and space that they grow attached to. Where children are traumatised by adverse childhood experiences the playwork approach supports the playing out and re-creation of difficult experiences in a sensitive and non-judgmental way. Playing has an impact on how children’s genetic make up is expressed, and on the physical and chemical development of the brain. This in turn positively influences the child’s ability to survive
and thrive. Children who have developed a playful innovative response to their environments may adapt to these in flexible ways, displaying resilience. Regular active physical play helps prevent disease and relieves depression and anxiety. Playing is strongly linked to creativity – it involves lateral thinking, imagination and problem solving – all of which enable children to be resourceful and resilient.
Conclusion Growing up in adverse circumstances can potentially have a huge impact on both the physical and mental development of individual children. Interventionist programmes can be useful in minimising some of the damaging impact of adverse experiences; however, they must be complemented by a focus on supporting children to be active participants in building their own resilience and resourcefulness.
We know that every aspect of children’s lives is influenced by their urge to play, and that the kind of self-directed, self determined playing offered by quality play provision increases children’s opportunities to build their own resilience. Staffed playwork provision increases the ability of children and young people to support their own wellbeing and aids parents in understanding and coping with their children’s development. Play is central to a healthy child’s life, and provision for play should be central to any framework that informs programmes on how best to support children and families.
References i
Play Wales (2016) State of Play 2016 (unpublished)
SkillsActive (2005) cited in Welsh Government (2014) Wales - a Play Friendly Country. Cardiff: Crown copyright
ii
iii Lester, S. and Russell, W. (2008) Play for a Change: Play, Policy and Practice: A review of contemporary perspectives. London: National Children’s Bureau for Play England
The Means (2016) An analysis of the economic impact of Playwork in Wrexham. Cardiff: Wales Council for Voluntary Action. Available online: www.c1stsupport.wales/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/ Analysis-of-the-economic-impact-of-playwork-inWrexham-final.pdf
iv
Beunderman, J. (2010) People Make Play: The impact of staffed play provision on children, families and communities. London: National Children’s Bureau
v
Play for a Change: Play, Policy and Practice: A review of contemporary perspectives
vi
Masten, A. and Obradovic, J. (2006) ‘Competence and resilience in Development’ Annals of the New York Academy of Science, 1094: 13-27. Cited in Play for a Change: Play, Policy and Practice: A review of contemporary perspectives vii
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