Play for Wales issue 31

Issue 31

Play for Wales Play news and briefing from the national organisation for play

Spring 2010

www.playwales.org.uk

PLAY – are we up to the measure?

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Play for Wales Spring 2010 EDITORIAL

Contents Editorial

page

2

News

3-5

It’s Our Place Too

6-9

People Make Play Report

10-11

Workforce Development

12-13

Events and Membership

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Play for Wales is published by Play Wales three times a year.

Contact the Editor at: Play Wales, Baltic House, Mount Stuart Square, Cardiff CF10 5FH Telephone: 029 2048 6050 E-mail: info@playwales.org.uk Registered Charity No. 1068926 ISSN: 1755 9243 The views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of Play Wales.

We reserve the right to edit for publication. We do not endorse any of the products or events advertised in or with this publication.

This publication is printed on paper produced from sustainable forests.

Designed and printed by Carrick Tel: 01443 843 520 E-mail: sales@carrickdp.co.uk

Editorial Our new Welsh legal Measure placing a duty on local authorities to audit and secure sufficient play opportunities for children offers us a unique opportunity - the potential to change the environment for children and young people in Wales.

Huw Lewis, AM, the new Deputy Minister for Children has said that he is looking for innovation. But the Measure comes with a risk; the risk that we fail children by restricting ourselves to old ways of thinking and doing. The ‘same old same old’ that has brought us to where we are today – where children are becoming less and less visible, more and more cooped up inside, less confident to be outside in their own communities. It doesn’t happen everywhere in Wales or for every child, but where it occurs, the Measure, and the way it is implemented, has the potential to help to change this pattern for the better.

During the last century or so we have provided for children’s playing outside as if all that was needed was a destination, with a manufactured fenced play area, often too far away for children to walk to independently.

Whilst the playground has a role to play it does not fully meet children’s wideranging play needs – it can only be one in a range of choices that open up opportunities for the kind of diverse play behaviour that we know contributes to children’s resilience and health – their ability to survive and thrive.

Children’s play can be seen as a journey: it starts when they wake up, it continues as they leave their house, given sufficient freedom children play their way through their community and through their day, and if there is a final destination at the end of the day, it is back home and so to bed. It doesn’t just happen in certain places and at certain times – it is an integral part of children’s lives.

As a society we need to take a hard look at how we view children and their presence in public open space.

Children tell is in their own words that for a variety of reasons they often feel neither safe nor welcome outside – this significantly reduces their opportunity for playing. The National Assembly Children and Young People’s Committee has been gathering evidence for their inquiry into safe places to play and hang out, we look forward to learning from and acting upon their findings. We hope that the recommendations of the inquiry will inform the Regulations and Guidance that will give the detail of the duty on local authorities.

The Measure talks about ‘sufficiency’, so, what is enough? Surely the very least is an environment where children feel free to roam, playing their way through their community, playing with what comes to hand, and with whoever turns up. This could come about if we change the way we view all public open space; if we started seeing it not just for adults but for children too.

And how do we assess sufficiency?

The Measure also places a duty in respect of children’s participation.

Surely this is the perfect example of where we can engage with children – if we want to know what is sufficient play opportunity, we ask them what is enough. Our Children’s Commissioner hopes that in 5 years’ time, those 1000’s of children that have talked to him about not being able to play out, will have seen a real change in their freedom.

If we get this right, the increased visibility of children playing throughout our communities, and their stories, will show the success of our work to provide sufficiency. Children will tell us and children will show us.

Mike Greenaway Director, Play Wales

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed to this magazine – we couldn’t do it without you. This issue of Play for Wales, as well as previous issues, is available to download from our website news section at www.playwales.org.uk

Play for Wales Spring 2010 NEWS

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Safe Places to Play and Hang Out inquiry Abigail Phillips, Clerk to the Children and Young People Committee of the National Assembly for Wales, tells us about their inquiry into safe places for children and young people to play and hang out. uring the summer of 2009, the Children and Young People Committee of the National Assembly for Wales ran the ‘it’s all about you’ project which asked children and young people the question ‘what matters to you?’

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Over 2700 answers were received. Unsurprisingly, the project showed that play provision is one of the most common issues concerning children and young people in Wales today.

The Welsh Assembly Government’s 2006 play policy implementation plan recognised that ‘the impact of modern society on children’s lives has significantly restricted their opportunity to play freely and has resulted in a poverty of play opportunities in the general environment.’ In December 2009, as a direct result of responses to the ‘it’s all about you’ project, the Children and Young People Committee launched its inquiry into the provision of safe places to play and hang out.

The Committee has actively sought the opinions of children and young people throughout the inquiry. On day one of the consultation, the Committee Chair - Helen Mary Jones, Assembly Member for Llanelli – met with 40 children from Llwynhendy. The children were keen to offer ideas for improvements that could be made to enable them to access safe play opportunities. Other Committee members have arranged to meet with groups of children and young people across Wales and the Assembly’s Outreach and Education Officers have been working hard with school children and youth group members to enable them to present their views to

the Committee. Over 500 children and young people have completed questionnaires issued by the Committee and stakeholders, organisations and individuals have submitted written evidence. Several hours of oral evidence have been taken already, but the inquiry is ongoing.

When taking evidence, the Committee will consider many issues, including; the barriers faced by specific groups; issues relevant to existing provision; the cost of accessing provision; transport; traffic and road safety; planning policy and perceptions of anti social behaviour. With such a wide ranging remit, the Committee has not set itself an easy task.

However, with the regulations relating to the new Children and Families (Wales) Measure expected soon, the inquiry comes at a critical time for the play agenda in Wales.

The Committee’s report and recommendations are expected to be published during the summer recess. The Welsh Government will then respond within around six weeks and the issues will be debated in a Plenary debate shortly after.

For updates on the progress of the inquiry and a copy of the report when published, please see www.assembly.org Play Wales has provided written and oral evidence as part of the inquiry. We have received positive feedback about our evidence from Assembly Members, Committee Clerks and other organisations involved in children’s play. The written evidence submitted is available to download from the homepage of our website: www.playwales.org.uk

Sufficient Play Opportunities?

On 10 February 2010 the Children and Families (Wales) Meaure received Royal Assent. The Measure places a duty on local authorities to audit and secure sufficient play opportunities for children in Wales.

Speaking at our ‘Sufficient Play Opportunities for Children: What is good enough’ seminar in Cardiff the Deputy Minister for Children, Huw Lewis AM, explained the impact of the Measure on play provision and what will happen next. Here are quotes taken from the transcript of his speech.

‘This will place a duty on each Local Authority to: • carry out an assessment of the sufficiency of play opportunities in their area, in terms of quality and quantity, and: • secure provision of and access to sufficient play opportunities for children, with consideration to their age and ability • make arrangements to ensure the participation of children in decisions of the Authority which affect them ‘This duty reflects the Assembly Government’s commitment to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and in particular to Article 31.1 which states that “State Parties recognise the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts”.

‘Of course we understand that any duty has to be seen in the context of the resources that are available, but this should not prevent local authorities from coming up with creative ways to promote children’s play.

So what are the next steps in this process?

‘Over the next 12 months the Welsh Assembly will set down standards and regulations, and will provide guidance to Local Authorities on fulfilling their duty to provide sufficient play opportunities for children and young people in their area.

‘This will involve working with all Local Authorities; with Voluntary Organisations concerned with play; with other Welsh Assembly Departments and Regulatory bodies in areas that affect children’s ability to access play opportunities; and of course parents; and most importantly children and young people themselves.

‘The purpose of this work will be to establish realistic expectations and effective processes to achieve the best outcomes for children.’

Find more information about the Measure at: www.assemblywales.org/bus-home/bus-legislation/bus-legmeasures/business-legislation-measures-cf.htm

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Play for Wales Spring 2010 NEWS

SkillsActive Playwork Learning and Skills Strategy Consultation

killsActive has launched a consultation on its UK strategy for playwork, education, training and qualifications Playwork Learning and Skills Strategy 20112016 – and is urging the playwork sector to get involved.

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It follows SkillsActive’s first playwork strategy Quality Training, Quality Play (QTQP), which is founded on the principle of Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, recognising play as a right and being fundamental to children’s quality of life.

Deadline for consultation responses: 9 April 2010

For further information and to complete the electronic English version of the questionnaire visit: www.skillsactive.com/resources/consultati ons-have-your-say/playwork-strategy/ The consultation questionnaire and further information is also available in Welsh on Play Wales’ website: www.playwales.org.uk/news.asp?id=977

First Play Priority Areas

in Wrexham The first ‘Play Priority Areas’ in Wrexham have been launched on the Plas Madoc estate.

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he aim of the play priority signs is to identify appropriate areas within a community where children are safe and actively encouraged to play.

We are all familiar with No Ball Games signs but rather than sending out this negative message the Play Priority Areas can help to support play whilst at the same time helping to move children away from less appropriate areas, where play can often be confused with anti-social behaviour.

The response to the consultation with local residents received positive feedback. Comments such as, ‘This is what the street needs,’ and, ‘Fantastic idea, about time,’ enabled Plas Madoc Communities First to progress with the projects.

Claire Griffiths, Play and Early Years Participation Officer of Plas Madoc Communities First says, ‘We aim to uphold the child’s

right to play and welcome children playing in their streets. To recognise this we plan to display Play Priority Area signs in some of the streets where children actively play. They will be an encouraging sight for all children and young people, giving them a green-light to play in areas where they will be welcomed’.

Find out more about Play Priority Area signs, which have been produced by London Play at www.londonplay.org.uk - perhaps if there is sufficient demand in Wales we will soon have our own bilingual version.

A Noisy Noise ...

Media attention has recently focused on Berlin’s local Government and their decision to amend a law to allow children to be noisy.

In Berlin alone, hundreds of complaints are made each year about noise levels in kindergartens and children's playgrounds.

Some day-care facilities have even been forced to close after local residents have gone to court in search of a quiet life.

The BBC online report says:

Axel Strohbusch (Department of Noise Protection) said it was ‘the first time we have it written in law that we have to consider the rights of children to shout and make noise while they are growing up and this must be considered by all the neighbours’.

Children in the German capital Berlin are to be exempt from strict laws on noise pollution. An amendment to the city's law now makes it ‘fundamentally and socially tolerable’ for members of the younger generation to make a racket.

Until now, only church bells, emergency sirens, snow ploughs and tractors have fallen outside the stringent rules on excessive noise in Germany.

Germany's organisation for child protection told AFP news agency it welcomed the move, saying: ‘We live in a city and children should be allowed to play and make noise.’ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8520941.stm

Play for Wales Spring 2010 NEWS

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UNCRC action plan and toolkit On the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Welsh Assembly Government launched an action plan that sets out the steps it plans to take to make children and young people's rights a reality over the next five years.

The Action Plan, Getting it Right, which has been published in response to the Concluding Observations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child 2008, sets out 90 key actions across a wide range of policy areas.

The actions include developing a new play policy and providing more opportunities for children and young people to engage in music, arts and sport. http://new.wales.gov.uk/topics/childrenyoungpeople/publications/gettingitright2 009/?lang=en Also, to raise awareness about children's rights the Welsh Assembly Government has developed a workshop toolkit. The toolkit is a stand alone resource that can be used with children and young people, professionals and parents. www.uncrcletsgetitright.co.uk/toolkit.aspx

Sustrans DIY streets The Sustrans DIY streets project is demonstrating affordable but innovative approaches to street design, taking inspiration from home zones and similar approaches.

In partnership with local authorities Sustrans have helped local communities design low-cost changes that have made their streets safer and more attractive.

Preliminary results from the end of project research has found that the residents find their streets are more sociable and they are more likely to let their children play out.

Full evaluation results will be available on the Sustrans website soon. www.sustrans.org.uk

Information Service evaluation Angharad and Gill (and our Information Service Advisory Group) wish to thank all of those who have completed and returned our Information Service Evaluation questionnaire. Your feedback is greatly appreciated and it will help us improve and shape how we communicate with you in future.

If you haven’t been included in the evaluation so far and wish to provide your feedback, the questionnaire is available to download from the Information section of our website or please contact Angharad for a printed copy: angharad@playwales.org.uk or call 029 2048 6050.

Diolch yn fawr iawn.

Playday 2010 Not just one day a year – every day of children’s lives.

This year’s Playday takes place on Wednesday 4 August 2010.

‘Our Place’ What’s behind it?

We believe that children can and should be able to play every day almost everywhere that they spend their time ... because their playing is important to them and to every one of us, and this is their place too.

We hope you will join us in promoting playing children as key partners in the life of Wales – visible, valued and provided for in every place they could spend time or travel through - from their own doorstep to the top of Snowdon, Offa’s Dyke to a Barry Island bus stop.

Playing is one of the most important aspects of children and young people’s lives. We are calling for communities across Wales to stand up for (and with) children - working together to change attitudes and environments so that Wales truly welcomes playing children. This year’s Playday theme gives us an opportunity to foster relationships across our communities and start to change the environments where we live so that children can truly believe it’s ‘our place too!’

Play Wales and Playday Each year Play Wales takes part in the Playday steering group - together with the other three UK national organisations for children’s play – we also co-ordinate the media campaign in Wales and publish bilingual briefings and tips that support the Playday message.

For more information on Playday please visit www.playday.org.uk

Thanks to Rhodri Upon his retirement Rt Hon Rhodri Morgan AM said that the development and implementation of the Foundation Phase for Wales was his greatest achievement while serving as First Minister.

On behalf of the Play Wales team Marianne, Gill and Kathy presented the former First Minister with one of our original cartoons – a colourful beach scene.

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Play for Wales Spring 2010 IT’S OUR PLACE TOO

It’s our place too Royal Assent for the Children and Families Measure means that those of us in Wales who have an interest in children’s play have started to consider what might be meant by auditing and providing sufficient play opportunities within local authority areas. Dr Jan Van Gils joined us at our recent seminar, Sufficient Play Opportunities for Children; what is good enough? to share his many years of research and experience and his insights into children: play, society and planning. Here is his contribution to our considerations: We are here In our society today, we have special provision for children, for instance, special books, TV channels, games, spaces for playing – and on the whole this is a good thing. However, this special provision also means that children and young people are becoming segregated from the rest of society, we see them less and less on our streets – our research says that half as many children are playing out today as played out in the 1980’s.

drawings – I don’t tell them what to draw - it’s not expensive but it makes a difference.

Our street The street where I live is not special, there are cars parked on either side, but the very important thing about our street is that traffic goes very slowly. Local drivers are aware that there may be children playing here, and of course, the children and young people have developed a warning system if a car approaches. The older ones look out for the little ones and when a car comes the street is cleared of children as well as the play equipment they have brought or built for themselves.

Over the years gradually the numbers of children playing out in our street has grown, alongside a growing appreciation that this space is children’s place too. Parents have become more comfortable with the idea of their children playing out. The approaches we have used are inexpensive; about helping to change attitudes over a long period of time through sustained community building rather than making a big financial investment. Much of the improvement has been made through observing what already takes place and gently building on it.

It is important to influence attitudes towards playing children before we make physical environmental changes – this way we bring people with us and we make organic sustainable changes with the support of many rather than few.

There is a trend towards children and young people being less visible in public spaces and I have some suggestions as to how we can begin to reverse it. We need to support children to signal to other members of their community that they are here and that their presence is legitimate and to be welcomed: • I suggest to children (if they want to) to display their drawings in their front window, just to show ‘we are here’ and to show passers-by their works of art • I encourage people who are organising community events to include images of children in their posters and publicity and to design their publicity to appeal to children

© Sustrans

• I encourage public outdoor exhibitions of children’s artwork – it can be simple, just pictures collected together on a boundary wall that others walk past • I encourage children to make chalk drawings on pavements and streets With these non-aggressive signs we can start to send a message ‘children are here’. None of these suggestions is sustainable long term, the drawings disappear, but then this gives the opportunity to make more and different ones.

These things don’t happen on their own, we need to facilitate them. In the street where I live, I give the children chalk for their

Mobility and reclaiming the street It is important that we use the streets to walk, not just so that children are seen in the neighbourhood but so they become accustomed to walking and familiar with their neighbourhood – for instance a trip or swimming lesson could be arranged within walking distance and avoid using transport. We all need

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© Sustrans

Play for Wales Spring 2010 IT’S OUR PLACE TOO

to attend to this – mums and dads, schoolteachers, sports coaches, people running children’s clubs and play provision.

Here I have a picture of children at a playground and they have parked their bikes on the street – why not? This is children’s street, it’s not just for car drivers. Car drivers are allowed to park their vehicles – why can’t children do this too? These kinds of approaches may seem naïve but they are small, cheap, simple and effective. But children need support to do it.

Play streets In Holland and Belgium we have introduced play streets; some streets are closed to traffic for up to three weeks during the school holidays and they have a special sign on their lamp posts. We have to gain the support of at least half the residents in the street in order to be granted permission from the local authority. This means that neighbours talk to neighbours about children playing out, they lobby each other.

For a few weeks these become streets for playing children – there isn’t always special provision here for their play, but there is freedom for children to bring their own play things and ideas to the space.

Initially (10 – 20 years ago) there was opposition from those who thought that if children were encouraged to play in the street there was a danger they might do it all year round, but then, this was the intention. Some of us opposed the play streets because we thought there should be special space made for children’s play, but we realised that this wasn’t always practical or possible in every street. Play streets is a simple, inexpensive solution.

Gradually the play streets initiative is beginning to embed the idea that children can and should play in the street, in neighbourhoods. Play streets start to create a sense that the street is for everyone, not just the people who park their cars there - but it is a slow process, results start to show only after four to five years.

Street parties Twice a year our street has a party outside – once in summer and once in winter. Children and adults plan it together and work together to make it happen. Our street parties create an ambience and an opportunity for people to become familiar with each other and for the children and young people to see the adults in a different light. The children like to help out – perhaps in ways that may not normally be popular with them at home - but in a different context chores become fun and they can truly participate and make their own contribution.

We learn the names of the children – this is very important – I can’t say hello properly, or tick someone off for doing something foolish in the street, or start to know someone, if I don’t know his or her name.

Once again this approach is positive to playing children, the street starts to belong to all the residents, not just the car owners, but we need to be patient, it takes time.

In my street young people sit on the pavement with their feet in the road, just chatting. This is good for our street. It is unrecognised participation – they are reclaiming the street from cars.

A gentle approach None of these approaches needs to be forced, we can make a difference to our neighbourhoods just by starting at our front door step. Give children and young people room to be. Give them a choice and a chance to be involved in their community, value their contribution, let them help. Start with little things.

Planning One of the problems with our planned environment is that it is not integrated; the many functions of public space tend not to be linked up or planned to meet everyone’s needs. Public space is designed by different architects, or planners, or

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Play for Wales Spring 2010 IT’S OUR PLACE TOO

engineers; each has a different approach and a different remit.

If you want to make changes in favour of children’s play and their mobility, make a master plan for the neighbourhood map all the public space in terms of access and mobility, links between places, designated places for playing, all the places where children play, green spaces, recreation, sport, schools, shops ... but start by mapping play space as the first step and later include all the other functions. Such a map can be used as evidence to persuade local decision-makers and politicians to make changes. Then make a plan – how can spaces be better linked up? How can children make their own way from place to place safely? It can be used as a blueprint for a long term approach.

As part of the mapping, make an inventory of the play opportunities in the neighbourhood – ask children to help, but be aware that some play places are special and secret to them. Evaluate the whole neighbourhood in terms of its potential for play and accessibility for children of different ages with diverse needs.

Through observation it is possible to research the presence (or lack) of different age groups, girls and boys, disabled children, and children from different cultural backgrounds. This gives us a good idea of whether spaces are good enough for play – for example, many formal play areas are used very little or by only one age group for a short period of time each day. All this information is useful – it is no good including a play opportunity in a sufficiency audit if nobody uses it.

Given the population characteristics of the area, who might be expected to be in each public space or on each route?

An initial count of who is where can be a good benchmark and then successive observations can help evaluate the effectiveness of the actions taken and inform adaptations.

Action A neighbourhood cannot be changed over night; a plan of action can take at least 20 years to accomplish. Start with short term cheap improvements and plan more expensive structural improvements in the long term. Aim to make sustainable long term changes in favour of playing children – we are not looking at creating short term or one off attractions – we are looking at making it possible for children to play in everyday ways every day throughout their day for years and years to come.

Diversity When planning we need to make sure there are diverse play opportunities and public spaces so that children have choices to meet their changing needs. I have identified four play characteristics that we can use to make sure that children and young people’s needs are met (I know that there are many different types of play but this is a useful shorthand):

Range The master plan needs to encompass what is available at different distances from the front doorstep.

We need to take into account the mobility and independent travel capabilities of different children. For instance every town ought to have a skateboarding facility, but it needn’t be at the end of every street because few little children need special places for skateboarding and older children tend to be able to access it from a distance. Every town should also have access to water play, and a staffed adventure playground (where children can change the play opportunities and find surprises). These specialist play opportunities are not necessary at a very local level, but all families need possibilities for playing out daily very close to home as well as opportunities to share a ‘day out’ that offers a special play opportunity.

• Receptive play – people observing, dreaming, soaking up the environment, reading, reflecting • Social play – people interacting, negotiating, laughing, meeting, arguing • Movement play – people running, chasing, skipping, tumbling, climbing • Creative play – people dancing, singing, drawing, building and making

Any play opportunity offered at the town or regional level should be well connected in terms of public transport, cycling and walking routes.

Play for Wales Spring 2010 IT’S OUR PLACE TOO DIY One very important play possibility that needs to be taken into account is the space to make dens. One Dutch researcher from the last century said that children have to make dens, just as explorers place flags to mark territory - the rest of the built world is made by adults – dens say ‘this is ours’ and ‘we are here’.

For instance I know of a BMX track made by children. They did most of the work themselves, but when they found they didn’t have enough expertise to realise their ambitions, they enlisted the help of the local authority who arranged for a worker with a mechanical digger to help them. This kind of approach supports children’s true participation, recognises and rewards their efforts to provide for themselves – and proves economical as well (the local authority has met a play need with very little expenditure, a manufactured BMX track would cost much more).

Sometimes we don’t need to make any intervention at all – leave a good strong climbing tree to be climbed on – it costs very little.

Mobility plan As part of our master plan we need to incorporate routes and links between places. Children and young people don’t just play at a destination, they play and interact along the journey.

We can make routes more interesting by being imaginative – for instance the bollards used to prevent cars parking on pavements could (and often do) present a ‘stepping stone’ or ‘leapfrog’ opportunity – with a little lateral thinking, invitations to play can be incorporated at no extra expense.

Schools in particular need a mobility plan – what are the safe routes for walking to school? What are the safe routes for cyclists? But most importantly we need to do this from

children’s perspective – routes that appear safe to adults may not be safe for children and may also be very boring and unattractive.

Once each school’s mobility plan is combined with those of schools in the surrounding area, it is possible to form a network that is useful for the whole community.

Meeting up Meeting places are very important for everyone. Young people in particular need and ask for places to join up with their peers. Our research suggests that they are not just ‘hanging around’ but that sophisticated conversations take place (about others, music, fashion, sport, activities) where young people are developing their own terms of reference and exploring values. We parents and teachers can’t contribute to this – we are old fashioned! This very important interaction among young people is something that takes place away from adults and it significantly adds to their social and emotional resilience. We need to respect this and provide for outdoor meeting places for young people.

A neighbourhood for all Our master plan needs to aim for a landscape where all the people in the community feel fine – where age groups are not segregated and where there is enough room for everyone to live together. Children and young people cannot be seen or provided for in isolation from the rest of their community – the only sustainable or workable approach to sufficiency of play opportunities is a holistic one.

Dr Jan Van Gils is the Director of the Research Centre for Childhood and Society in Belgium. He is the founder and President of the European Child Friendly Cities Network, President of the International Council for Children’s Play and the former President of the International Play Association.

Find out more about the European Child Friendly Cities Network at www.childfriendlycities.org Find out more about the International Council for Children’s Play at www.iccp-play.org

Conference report Our ‘Sufficient Play Opportunities for Children: What is good enough?’ seminar in February offered interesting and informative presentations by Wendy Russell and Stuart Lester (who are both senior lecturers at the University of Gloucestershire and authors of Play for a Change – Play Policy and Practice: a review of contemporary perspectives); David Hawker, Director General of the Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skiils (DCELLS); and Keith Towler the Children’s Commissioner for Wales.

The conference report will be available to download on the Play Wales website by Easter.

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Play for Wales Spring 2010 PEOPLE MAKE PLAY REPORT

People Make Play People Make Play: The impact of staffed play provision on children, families and communities is a new report published by Play England and based on research by the independent think tank and research institute Demos.

Summary The report says staffed play services, built around the children’s own ideas about how they want to play, make a significant difference to children, parents and neighbourhoods. Such provision can be integral to the broader network of support for children and families to live better lives and belong to a thriving community. Investment in the skills and commitment of dedicated staff and volunteers can provide some of the best opportunities for the children most in need.

Here are key passages from the Executive Summary: People Make Play provides a range of qualitative perspectives on the role and potential impact of good quality, staffed, local play provision in the lives of children and young people, their parents and the wider community. The research focused on play provision for children aged between 8 and 13 years, and on staffed provision alone: the study did not look at unsupervised provision.

The research draws on recent literature reviews about the importance of play to children’s lives, and is based on six indepth case studies of good quality, free, staffed play provision across England.

Key findings Physical settings The presence of playworkers or play rangers provides safety and increases the confidence of children to play freely, as well as increasing the range of play opportunities within the space provided. To children and parents this provides a marked contrast with the wider public realm, which all too often fails to provide the same safety and diversity of opportunity.

Children’s stories ... while they love well-designed playgrounds and attractive, spacious play areas, it is the staff – the ‘software’ – rather than the ‘hardware’ of play equipment that, for them, really makes the difference. (Children) enjoy the freedom to play in their own way that playworkers and play rangers give them, but what also shines through is the confidence that they derive from supportive, responsible adults: to play games, take risks,

‘This timely report illustrates the vital role adults have, not in the actual play of children, but in the provision of the physical and social space that it needs.’

Adrian Voce, Play England

test boundaries and socialise with others in a way that is not always possible at home, on the street, at school or in unsupervised playgrounds.

Staffed play provision often takes place where children may have difficult and complex lives, and where the wider public realm is generally inhospitable to them. Providing a place to roam free, a safe haven in a hostile world, these sites have real value as places where children can be themselves, have unique and cherished experiences, bond with their peers and associate with older and younger children.

Children’s active involvement in designing, making decisions and then, literally, building, together with the staff, the kind of play-scapes that inspire them is evidence of a relationship that is more of a partnership than anything else. Equally important is the time afforded to them by a grown-up who wants nothing of them but for them to be themselves.

Play for Wales Spring 2010 PEOPLE MAKE PLAY REPORT Staff stories Within the Playwork Principles the role of the adult is to support and facilitate the play process in all its richness and complexity, rather than to direct or steer what children do. Playworkers help to shape both the physical and the social environment to offer all children the fullest possibility to play ... striking a balance between allowing full expression through play and cultivating an atmosphere of safety, tolerance and mutual respect, intervening carefully only where necessary to ensure that the sites are inclusive to all.

Within the case studies, playworkers see their work not as isolated from neighbourhoods and communities but as connected to the wider context of their locality. They increasingly work beyond the boundaries of their site to explore and expand play opportunities, thereby changing the culture and possibilities within the public realm at large. In this respect, play providers are at the forefront of public services innovation.

Making a difference in children’s lives Children mention many elements of ‘learning’ ... to be inventive, confident and social. They talk about their experience in terms of trajectories of progress: about overcoming initial difficulties, whether social or physical, about taking new risks and sharing stories with others. There is a huge range of life skills and attitudes that children say they obtain as part of this process: from caring, sharing and being kind, to standing up for oneself or asking for help. These experiences, it would seem, can change children’s perception of their neighbourhood, transforming it into a trusted place in which they feel welcome, know their peers and others, and consider themselves at home.

Parents’ stories Parents and carers are frequently big supporters of staffed play provision. Across the case studies, they have been eager to share powerful stories of how it has changed the lives of their children, of themselves as parents, and how it has benefitted their neighbourhoods as places to live. They recognise that staffed play provision is a crucial ingredient of their children’s lives – an integral experience that their children would otherwise sorely miss.

They are also keenly aware of the mix of learning, socialising and health benefits that children gain from playing, but primarily emphasise how their children gain precious and unique experiences when play is allowed to take place for its own sake.

But these sites make a difference in parents’ lives too. They bring parents into contact with other parents and facilitate the creation of informal social bonds and support networks – crucial lifelines in deprived neighbourhoods and for parents in need. In fact, parents feel that play provision can transform their communities, by cutting across social divides, bringing neighbours into contact with each other and creating a greater sense of community.

Support is often expressed through volunteering, which in turn can be beneficial to parents, who learn valuable skills.

Play provision can increase local social capital where it is needed most. Because of all this, many parents feel that the value of these play settings, as expressed by what their children tell them or what they experience themselves, can be equal to or higher

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than many services for which they have to pay – including childcare, school trips or sports activities. In some cases, the presence of good quality play provision has even served as a deciding factor in whether to move to or stay in a neighbourhood.

Institutional links A wide range of institutional links are evident in the daily practice of successful play providers. Local schools, children’s services, parks staff, family support workers, libraries, police and elected members are just some examples found of play professionals having regular contact with a wider network of support for children and families.

Because play provision is often in areas of high deprivation, and because its ethos of enabling self-directed, freely chosen activity makes it more accessible to children otherwise at risk of exclusion, it can often build important bridges between the statutory children’s services and so called hard-to-reach children and families.

There are plenty of examples here of the way staffed play settings are increasingly seen as a vital element of the multi-agency, integrated services approach that is central to sustained, improved outcomes for children.

Firstly, far from simple recreational space, staffed play provision is effectively a holistic service to children and young people.

Informal counselling, mentoring and coaching along with advice on drugs, sex and staying safe are all part and parcel of the playworker’s role, together with the all important sign-posting and referral to statutory services, including local safeguarding boards.

They can also be a gateway to sports, arts and other cultural opportunities. In this way staffed play provision can be seen to fill a vital gap for the middle years, between statutory early education and youth provision.

Secondly, these places are touch points for children and young people’s engagement with their physical and social environments.

Being places they elect – rather than being referred or compelled – to attend, they serve to enhance children’s sense of place and community.

Finally, the huge added value of volunteers and voluntary management committees, the resourcefulness and self-sufficiency of the playwork ethos (adventure playgrounds and their scrap store suppliers were the original recyclers) and their refreshing lack of bureaucratic administrative tiers, make a significant economic case for this form of provision. Any cost-benefit analysis of the projects highlighted here would surely demonstrate high returns compared to the more established statutory services.

Policy partners’ responses The importance of play is increasingly being recognised by policymakers and public service stakeholders. This is for a mix of intrinsic and instrumental reasons: whilst first and foremost recognising children’s right to good play provision, these stakeholders also recognise the difference that play provision can make to other outcomes for children and their own professional objectives.

Conclusions What this research demonstrates is that some of the best opportunities for the children most in need do not come about from investment purely in the ‘hardware’ of sites and equipment, but through the understanding, skills and commitment of dedicated staff and volunteers. Playworkers and play rangers turn physical spaces into places of opportunity, imagination and belonging. For many children in many places, investing in hardware will never be enough. The best opportunities to play are shaped by people.

People Make Play can be downloaded for free on the Play England website and is available to purchase in printed form. www.playengland.org.uk

Play for Wales Spring 2010 WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

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P update 3

So far 2010 has been an exciting and challenging year for our Playwork: Principles into Practice (P3) level 2 qualification. Since January, 143 learners have enrolled (or are due to enrol) on courses across Wales – from Ceredigion to Caerphilly and Conwy to Rhondda Cynon Taff.

Getting online Over the past few months we have been piloting an online submission system that gives P3 learners the option to submit their work and to chat online and post messages about their courses. This system will soon be fully bilingual, but we can already support the submission of work in English and Welsh. Of course, the traditional paper option using the learner handbook is still available for both English and Welsh speaking learners.

Learners can take part through our Playwork Wales website at www.playworkwales.org.uk

New trainers We have a new group of P3 trainers ready to spread the delivery of P3 into Conwy, Gwynedd and Cardiff. We are grateful to Cardiff Children’s Play Services for providing a free venue for running the course and to all those who took part with so much physical and mental energy! Dafydd Myrddin Hughes from Gwynedd tells us all about it: ‘Having completed the P3 Award as a student a year ago and having felt the “WOW” factor then, I was expecting this course to be something different, something out of the box and possibly testing ... I was right. The course was outside the box in terms of the variety of learning methods and our involvement in all aspects of the course (which empowered us to comment freely, openly and honestly without the threat of being made to feel stupid). This created an effective and supportive learning environment.

‘I learnt a massive amount over the five days and left each day extremely tired, but it was a good happy tiredness because “it was worth it!” Above all I believe it has prepared me well for my first course as a trainer which, I’m pleased to say, will be delivered entirely through the medium of Welsh.’

Assessors’ training In March we ran the City & Guilds L20 – Support Competence in the Workplace course for those wishing to become assessors for playwork qualifications.

P3 on the qualifications framework P3 has recently had its registration extended until the end of the year by SkillsActive, the sector skills council, when it will come up for review along with all playwork qualifications in order to ensure that it meets national occupational standards.

activepassport™ for playwork activepassport™ is an online tool supporting career development for playworkers and other professionals involved in play provision. It provides a handy, verified, record of skills, learning and qualifications, including on-the job training, employment history and professional achievements.

• The activepassport™ is owned by you and it is transferable between employers, so it can form the basis of a personal development plan or help map and navigate your entire career path • By highlighting practical abilities, as well as any formal

laywork Wales, the National Centre for Playwork Education and Training, has become an Approved CACHE Centre for the delivery of CACHE level 3 Award, Certificate and Diploma in Playwork.

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We are hoping to draw down funding from the Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (DCELLS) through our contract with ITEC Training Solutions to support the delivery of CACHE level 3.

qualifications, the activepassport™ provides an easy way of showing prospective employers all your achievements • As well as recording your current training and qualifications you can also plan for ongoing CPD • Unlike a standard CV, this record takes the form of an easily accessible photo card and interactive online profile, capable of being updated at anytime • Getting an activepassport™ demonstrates a commitment to developing your skills and maximizing your potential • Reminds you when compulsory training is due to expire so that you can keep any essential training up to date.

For more information please contact workforce@playwales.org.uk or find out more at www.activepassport.co.uk

Playwork training review Colleagues may have been involved in research undertaken

by Melyn Consulting for the Welsh Assembly Government to review capacity and delivery of playwork training in Wales.

The review also covers the role of Playwork Wales, the national centre for playwork education and training.

Play for Wales Spring 2010 WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

CPD Strategy Potential in Playwork: A Continuing Professional Development Strategy for Play and Playwork in Wales 2009 is now available to download from Playwork Wales’ website: www.playworkwales.org.uk

Great recruitment tool A Career as a playworker? is Playwork Wales’ bilingual guide to playwork, a tool for employers who are recruiting or anyone who wants help to explain the playwork role to others.

The booklet has been updated to make it even more useful and reprinted (our first batch is all used up) so there are plenty available for summer 2010 recruitment.

Copies are available to purchase (to cover our costs) in the shop section on Play Wales’ website: www.playwales.org.uk

Playwork: A Quality Future t the recent Playwork Wales seminar in Builth we took the opportunity to work with colleagues from across Wales to build and plan for the playwork sector.

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Good Communication – our pledge Communication is key to everyone’s work with and for children, so at Playwork Wales we have started to work on a Communications Strategy for our work and for all those with an interest in children’s play – but this isn’t to be a document that just sits on a shelf ...

People came together and got involved in forming a plan at our Workforce Seminar – and we were delighted to see the smiles on participant’s faces as we started to explain our early ideas for a shared Communication Pledge for Wales - so that we can all aid clear and effective communication within and outside our sector.

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It seems participants might have been dreading another long dusty official document and were relieved to find that this strategy is nothing of the sort. The idea is that we all sign up to the Pledge and use the symbols that are currently being designed to help identify information that needs to be shared with contacts and networks.

So watch this space for developments, and here is the draft we all worked on at the Seminar:

The Communication Pledge: We pledge to share … to actively pass on news or information of interest to others

We pledge to provide appropriate information … to give accurate, timely, accessible, succinct information in the right format (not always email!)

We pledge plain speaking …

We pledge to be honest …

playwork

We pledge to have integrity …

We pledge to keep current … to check and make sure information is still relevant and useful

We pledge to be interesting …

We pledge to tell … to take responsibility for giving information as well as receiving it Playwork Wales will be using all these pledges in our future communications.

For a start we pledge to update the Playwork Wales website regularly; make sure there are plenty of links; and make sure it is user-friendly. We will check it regularly and we will avoid jargon. We also encourage colleagues to feed us ideas and information for the website – so that we are all actively involved in making the pledge work and keeping the flow of information going.

Quality Training Quality Play workforce strategies – promoting a greater understanding of play and playwork across sectors.

At the Playwork: A Quality Future seminar we also consulted our colleagues in the sector on proposals for the future of playwork qualifications, education and training from 2011 onwards. This will feed into the SkillsActive consultation outlined in the news section. Four distinct messages came from our discussions:

2. There should be provision of processes to support improved playwork learning and skills – for example an element of playwork training might be mandatory for all children’s workforce development.

1. Play and the playwork approach should be included within integrated

3. We need to engage and inspire employers and practitioners to

prioritise workforce development – for example we might research the relationship between playworkers having full time positions and the delivery of quality playwork.

4. We need to increase the uptake of playwork qualifications - for example offer playwork qualifications in schools, work towards parity of pay and conditions for playworkers with youth workers, teachers, and other skilled workers.

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Play for Wales Spring 2010 EVENTS AND MEMBERSHIP

Events

Spirit of Adventure Play

20th International Play Therapy World Congress

5 – 6 May 2010 Holiday Inn, Cardiff

13 – 24 May 2010

This is Spirit’s tenth anniversary and it is still as popular as ever with everyone from beginner playworkers to managers. It covers both the practical and theoretical aspects of playwork as described in the Playwork Principles – and much more.

Marrakech www.playtherapy.org.uk/WorldCongress/WorldCongress 2010home.htm

25th ICCP World Play Conference Children's Play: New Goals for the Future 16 – 18 June 2010

This year we have invited George Broeseliske who leads a voluntary sector play organisation in Rotterdam to speak about adventure playgrounds as part of a range of community play provision in a ‘Child Friendly City’.

Lisbon www.fmh.utl.pt/25iccp/

We also have contributions from Stuart Lester, Perry Else, Eddie Nuttall, Ali Wood, Grant Lambie, Bristol Scrapstore Playpods, Jess Milne and many more, plus exciting practical workshops.

British Association of Play Therapists Annual Conference

Booking forms are available to download from our website: www.playwales.org.uk

25 - 26 June 2010 Birmingham www.bapt.info/conference.htm

Play Wales membership 2010

Playday 2010

To renew your membership, or to become a new member of Play Wales, please complete the membership registration form which is available to download from our website: www.playwales.org.uk

4 August 2010 www.playday.org.uk

Create Inspiring Playgrounds 29 September – 1 October 2010 Karlstad, Sweden http://ipaworld.org/category/news-andevents/conferences

5th Edition: Child in the City 2010 27 - 29 October 2010 Palazzo dei Congressi Florence, Italy www.childinthecity.com/page/1836

Funding Austin and Hope Pilkington Trust Grants of between £1,000 and £10,000 are available for projects in the following areas for 2010: children, youth, the elderly and medical research projects dealing with the ageing population.

Deadlines for application: 1 June and 1 November 2010. www.austin-hope-pilkington.org.uk/

Benefits for members living or working in Wales include: reduced conference and seminar fees; reduced rates for publications; free Criminal Records Bureau checks for staff working in regulated provision; previews of articles of interest and briefing sheets.

Benefits for members living or working outside Wales are: free poster; e-bulletins with events and funding news; previews of articles of interest and briefing sheets.

IPA membership – for an international perspective The International Play Association; promoting the child’s right to play (IPA) is an interdisciplinary organisation bringing together people from all professions which have an impact on opportunities for children’s play. Examples include: playwork; health; education; social work; early childhood; city planning; landscape design; social planning; architecture; community development; art; and research.

IPA England Wales and Northern Ireland (EWNI) branch welcomes new members and we encourage anyone who wants to raise the profile of children’s play and to make the most of next year’s IPA World Conference in Cardiff to join up.

Please email Bob Hughes, the Membership Secretary: playeducation@ntlworld.com Find out more about IPA’s international work at www.ipaworld.org