Play for Wales issue 35 by Play Wales

Issue 35 Autumn 2011

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

Wales: a play friendly place? www.playwales.org.uk

Play for Wales Autumn 2011 Editorial

Editorial

Contents News

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Right to Play Awards

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We are delighted at the success of our nomination for the International Play Association Right to Play Award on behalf of all those of us who are working to make Wales a play friendly place. So we have enclosed a copy of the Award for all our Wales readers – we hope that you are proud of yourselves.

General Comment Makes a Noise For Play

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IPA 2011

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Professional Development

Membership

First Minister for Wales, Carwyn Jones AM accepted the Award on behalf of us all, he says: ‘I was delighted to accept the ‘International Play Association Right to Play Award’ on behalf of Wales. The award is for every person and organisation that works to make our country an excellent place for children to play. I should like to thank Play Wales for nominating Wales and sincerely thank the judging panel. The fact that this is the first time the prestigious international award has been made to a whole country is a great honour.

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 Email: info@playwales.org.uk Registered Charity No. 1068926 ISSN: 1755 9243 The views expressed in this magazine 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 by: Cheeky Monkey Creative Printed by: Zenith Media

Thank You 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

In Wales we have made great efforts to work together to create a society that respects children; respects their right to play and provides child friendly and play rich communities. I’d like to thank all the organisations and people whose energy and commitment has contributed to Wales winning this award. Our Local Authorities and Town and Community Councils provide a wide range of play opportunities for children in their local area. There are numerous children and play organisations, like Play Wales, that conduct research and provide specialist information, advice and networking opportunities that inform and support our aims for play. We also have committed communities, parents, families and volunteers who work together to make sure our children have many opportunities to play. Importantly, we listen to our children and young people who are full of imagination and spirit and are more than happy to tell us what they want from playing.’ Unfortunately there is still much to be done here in terms of upholding children’s right to play and there are still actions being made in Wales that shame us. For instance

a recent Borough Council’s consultation is asking for comments on a potential by-law that would effectively impose a blanket ban on anyone over the age of 12 from using play areas and anyone using skates or skateboards in anywhere other than designated areas ... Play Wales was alerted to this by one of its members and has in turn alerted key agencies and other members to stand up against this move. Playing and hanging out is not just about a destination; it is about the journey through and around the environment and the community. We need to change the environment throughout our communities to create a play friendly Wales; and this requires supporting positive attitudes to children and young people’s play. Together we can make a difference – individually it is much more difficult. Membership of Play Wales is up for renewal – help us to help playing children. Mike Greenaway, Director Play Wales

Play for Wales Autumn 2011 NEWS

News

Red Tape Challenge

Health and Safety HSE list of ‘10 most ‘Better a broken bone bizarre health and safety bans’ than a broken spirit’ As the national charity promoting good practice in all play provision, Play Wales believes that the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 (in the way it has been applied) is unfit for purpose in terms of children’s play. We continue to work with key stakeholders in the UK Play Safety Forum* to promote risk benefit analysis (see the Play England publication Managing Risk in Play Provision: implementation guide) and to make our case with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and others. As such we were recently involved in a UK meeting with other partners, including the Welsh Government, to help inform the drafting of a High Level Statement by HSE. It is hoped that a High Level Statement will help clarify the Law’s operation and the expectations of HSE and dispel myths.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published a list of the ‘10 most bizarre health bans or restrictions spotted in media coverage’ over the last year. The list includes: children no longer allowed to take part in a sack race at sports day; schoolyard football games banned – unless the ball is made of sponge; kite flying on a popular tourist beach; and stopping pupils from using playground monkey bars unsupervised. The HSE says: ‘ Health and safety legislation exists to protect people from real risks at, or connected with, work. But it can be hard to see this from some of the stories that are reported.’ The full list is available at: www.hse.gov.uk/news/bizarre-bans/index.htm

* The UK Play Safety Forum is hosted by Play England – find out more at www.playengland.org.uk

The new Red Tape Challenge website provides the opportunity for members of the public to comment on Health and Safety regulations as part of the UK coalition Government’s drive for a common sense approach to health and safety. The website is designed to promote open discussion of ways in which the aims of existing regulation can be fulfilled in the least burdensome way possible, and to allow people to comment on how HSE regulations might be simplified. The suggestions will be considered by the HSE as part of the Government’s longer-term commitment to regulatory reform. Please visit: www.redtapechallenge. cabinetoffice.gov.uk Also see Lord Young’s review of health and safety – Common Sense Common Safety, which makes recommendations for improving the way health and safety regulation is applied and tackling the compensation culture. www.number10.gov.uk/wpcontent/ uploads/402906_CommonSense_ acc.pdf

Why ‘better a broken bone than a broken spirit’? It’s a controversial campaign message drawn from a comment made by Lady Allen of Hurtwood who was a strong and forthright advocate for children. She worked with UNESCO and UNICEF on international projects. Her campaigning led to the passing of the Children’s Act in Britain (1948) and to the establishment of some of the first staffed adventure playgrounds for disabled and non-disabled children. Lady Allen’s observations of playing children led her to believe that children have an urge and a need to create challenge and uncertainty as part of their play – a belief that is now backed by scientific research. She knew the benefits to children’s ‘spirit’ of opportunities to

create and control risky situations in a ‘safe enough’ context and that this potential benefit must be weighed up against the likelihood of their coming to serious harm. Given the evidence of her lifetime’s work to safeguard children, we are sure that (just like us) she was not advocating that we deliberately or negligently cause children to break their bones!

If you dare join the campaign we will soon have a new stock of ‘better a broken bone than a broken spirit’ t-shirts. If you are interested please contact Michelle (029 2048 6050 or mail@playwales.org.uk)

Play for Wales Autumn 2011 NEWS

Sustrans’ Free Range Kids campaign Thirty years ago 80% of seven and eight year olds walked or cycled to school on their own; now that figure is reversed. Today 80% of children of a similar age are accompanied by an adult, increasingly in a car. This means fewer opportunities for children to gradually build their confidence and skills so as to be able to be independently mobile around our communities. Walking or riding the route to and from school is ideal for socialising with other children and young people – becoming familiar with local places and people, and having adventures along the way. Being confident enough to navigate roads and traffic is crucial to children and young people’s developing independence. Research from Bristol University has found that children who are able to get around without an adult are more physically active compared to children who are supervised. But results of a poll carried out by YouGov on behalf of Sustrans show that 25% of parents cite speed of traffic as the main concern when thinking about 10 year old children getting around on their own, which could be limiting the opportunities for playing with friends outside. Sustrans’ new Free Range Kids campaign aims to reverse the trend, by releasing children from their front doors, getting them travelling independently and actively, on bikes and on foot. Dr Angie Page, Reader in Physical Activity and Public Health, University of Bristol says: ‘Our research measures how young

Sustainable Funding Cymru The Wales Third Sector Funding Portal is a one-stop shop for funding advice and opportunities. The funding portal, hosted by WCVA’s Sustainable Funding Cymru, contains a range of research resources for funding, earning income, where to go for help and exploring opportunities to diversify your funding mix. Funding Portal provides access to a searchable database of UK funding opportunities, advice and support on raising funds and tips on how to diversify funding. The website provides practical advice and guidance to organisations that

people use their neighbourhoods for getting around and there is strong evidence to show the important role local streets play ... Children are five times more active outdoors than indoors and (when outdoors) children spend the majority of their time on the streets. Those children who regularly walk or cycle spend more time outdoors [24 per cent] compared to those driven by car [16 per cent]. So we need to ensure our streets are safer for children to travel independently.’ Sustrans is campaigning for investment in safe routes to make walking and cycling the norm for children’s local journeys, particularly to and from school. Sustrans is also calling for the default speed limit to become 20mph where people live, shop and work – a change that has been shown to have massive potential to make streets safer and reduce accidents involving children. Play Wales is a partner in this campaign – in September we took part in a Radio Wales programme on the subject of children walking to school and from October we will be regular bloggers on the Free Range Kids website. Join the debate and add Welsh voices or add your name to the Free Range Kids pledge, at www.sustrans.org.uk/freerangekids

want to develop an entrepreneurial outlook to funding in order to achieve long-term financial sustainability. A new addition, launched in September, is the Funders Zone which offers voluntary and community organisations the opportunity to improve the quality of applications to funders and maximise their chances of success. Resources in the Funders Zone aim to reduce the number of ineligible funding applications. Research from the Directory of Social Change (2010) reported that over one-third of all applications to charitable grantmakers were ineligible – over 361,000 went in the bin! www.sustainablefundingcymru.org.uk

Children and Families (Wales) Measure In the last issue of Play for Wales we reported on progress on the regulations and guidance that will accompany the duty to secure sufficient play opportunities as part of the Children and Families (Wales) Measure 2010. This is what has happened since then … The Deputy Minister for Children and Social Services Gwenda Thomas AM has agreed that officials can instruct legal services to begin to scope a commencement order and consider the content of draft regulations for the play opportunities section of the Measure. Since the enactment of the Measure the Welsh Government has engaged with children; parents; play organisations and other stakeholders to develop a view of what constitutes sufficient play opportunities, and what needs to be covered in the duties placed on Local Authorities to achieve this. This includes the physical environment and the attitudes of both adults and children to play. This has helped the Welsh Government to produce the draft documentation which is being developed across policy areas and with external stakeholders and which will form the basis of the duty. A formal consultation will take place prior to the implementation of the duty. For more information about the Measure visit: http://wales. gov.uk/legislation/programme/ previouslegislation/assemblymeasures/ childrenandfamilies/?lang=en

Social networking You can now follow Play Wales on Twitter and Facebook

twitter.com/PlayWales twitter.com/ChwaraeCymru

on.fb.me/PlayWales on.fb.me/ChwaraeCymru

Play for Wales Autumn 2011 NEWS

American Journal of Play The American Journal of Play, an interdisciplinary quarterly academic journal published by The Strong Museum of Play, New York, is now available to download free. The American Journal of Play aims to increase awareness and understanding of the role of play in learning and human development and the ways in which play illuminates cultural history. The Spring 2011 issue is based on the theme of free play. Articles include ‘Why parents should stop overprotecting kids and let them play’ (interview with Lenore Skenazy and Hara Estroff Marano), and two articles by guest editor Peter Gray (Research Professor of Psychology at Boston University): ‘The special value of children’s age mixed play’ and ‘The decline of play and the rise of psychopathology in children and adults’.

BBC Children in Need funding The BBC Children in Need General Grants Programme is open to organisations working with children and young people aged 18 and under. Your organisation and project must be UK based and needs to be a charity or other not-for-profit organsiation.

Play in Primary Schools: Head to Head conference 29 November 2011, Bristol www.playengland.org.uk Eurochild – tackling child poverty through supporting and strengthening families 30 November – 2 December 2011, Cardiff www.eurochild.org 10th Playwork Conference 6 – 7 March 2012, Winter Gardens, Eastbourne www.playworkconferences.org.uk International Council for Children’s Play (ICCP) Tallinn 2012 Providing Play: Applications for policy and practice from research 18 – 19 June 2012 Tallinn, Estonia www.iccp-play.org/ conferencetallinn2012.htm Child in the City 2012 26 – 28 September 2012 Zagreb, Croatia www.childinthecity.com

Next deadlines: 15 October 2011 and 15 Janaury 2012. www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey

UNICEF Child Wellbeing Report Following UNICEF’s Report Card 7: An overview of child well-being in rich countries (2007) which listed the UK at the bottom of the league* of child well-being UNICEF UK commissioned Ipsos MORI and Dr Agnes Nairn to explore some of the reasons behind the statistics by comparing children’s experiences in the UK with those of children in Spain and Sweden.

www.journalofplay.org

EVENTS

The programme has two strands: small grants of up to £10,000 per year for up to three years or main grants over £10,000 per year for up to three years.

The research findings and recommendations to the UK Government are published in Children’s Well-being in the UK, Sweden and Spain: The Role of Inequality and Materialism. In terms of children’s well-being almost every one of the 250 eight to 13 year olds interviewed in all three countries mentioned that ‘time with those they love (friends, family and even pets); creative or sporting activities; being outdoors and having fun … it was people and not things that made them happy’. The children interviewed ‘enjoyed taking part in activities outside their home and school, with outdoor activities given particular importance’. The report cites the cuts to UK play and youth services as a particular concern for children and young people from lower-income families in particular ‘who are disproportionately more likely to suffer from a reduction in publicly funded activities, negatively affecting their current well-being as well as their goals and aspirations for the future’. UNICEF highlights a worrying trend: that UK children spend less time engaging in outdoor activities than their Swedish and Spanish peers. Playing outdoors is beneficial for children’s self-reliance, emotional and physical resilience, and their sense of inclusion

and participation in their own community remains unchanged. If children do it less, they are losing out. Children consistently say that having plenty of things to do outside is fundamental for their wellbeing. If we want to boost child wellbeing, the focus of services should be on strengthening social bonds and the quality and accessibility of outdoor space, rather than reinforcing the notion that parents aren’t spending enough time with their children. Among the report’s recommendations UNICEF UK ‘calls on the UK Government to require local authorities to assess the impact of public spending decisions on children to ensure local budgets allow investment in play facilities and free leisure activities for both children and families’. The full report, report summary and children’s version are available to download at: www.unicef.org.uk/Latest/News/ Research-shows-UK-children-caughtin-materialistic-trap * The league consists of twenty one developed countries.

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Play for Wales Autumn 2011 RIGHT TO PLAY AWARD

Wales Wins International Award IPA Right to Play Awards were also awarded to the following projects: Hazelwood Park Play Space – WAX Design (South Australia) www.rmpl.com.au/hazelwood-parkplayspace.html Spice – Scottish Play in Creative English (São Paulo, Brasil) http://spicekids.com.br/ The Treehouse Project – Islington Play Association (London, England) www.islingtonplay.org.uk

The First Minister for Wales, Carwyn Jones AM, received the International Play Association (IPA) Right to Play Award when he opened the 18th IPA conference in Cardiff on 4 July 2011. He accepted the Award on behalf of all those people in Wales who are working to make our country a better place for playing children. The Award is made to innovative projects around the world that support children’s right to play - it is made every three years at the world conference. Wales is the first country ever to receive the Right to Play Award.

play friendly place. So the Right to Play Award is also made in recognition of the work of all those across Wales who actively support the need and right of all children and young people to play in their own way.

The Award is being made in recognition of the progress Welsh Government has made in legislating to uphold children’s rights – and particularly their right to play. Wales was the first country in the world to have a national play policy and this has led the way to, or complemented:

Play Wales’ Director Mike Greenaway says, ‘Children face more and more barriers when it comes to finding good places and time for playing and yet they tell us that having time, space and freedom to play with their friends is one of the most important aspects of their lives. The benefits in terms of their wellbeing is enormous, and yet we see fewer and fewer children playing out in our communities.

•B IG Lottery Child’s Play programme funding to set up organisations across Wales to support local initiatives that promote and provide for quality play opportunities for children. For the first time, Wales has a play organisation in every region, from Gwynedd to Gwent. •T he Foundation Phase education strategy for 3 – 7 year olds, whose introduction will be completed across Wales this year, which promotes a play based curriculum for our very young ones. •G roundbreaking legislation that places a duty on local authorities to provide sufficiently for playing children (Children and Families (Wales) Measure 2010). Play Wales submitted the application for the Right to Play Award on behalf of all those people who are working to make Wales a

‘We particularly want to celebrate the effort of local voluntary groups, local authority workers, decision makers and volunteers who campaign for better play areas, who fight to retain play services in the face of cuts, who run play services or after school play clubs, or who simply make sure that they collaborate with children when they plan their service. This award is as much for the Grandma who sticks up for the children and young people playing on the green outside her house, as it is for the politicians who are building a legal framework that we hope will support our children and young people to meet their inbuilt need to play.’

Promotion of Adventure Playground Activities Throughout Japan (Japan) Contact: Noriko Kajiki norikajiki@suma.kobe-wu.ac.jp Make Space for Children: Let’s create a playful world (The Netherlands) Contact: Wilmar Vlaskamp Wimlar@OBB-Ingenieurs.nl Free2Play – Midlothian Association of Play (Midlothian, Scotland) www.map-midlothian.org.uk Advocating for a child’s right to play: from the classroom into the community (New Jersey, USA) Contact: Karen Hutchison – Hutchison@rowan.edu

Wales – A Play Friendly Place on Facebook Play Wales has created a Facebook page for Wales – A Play Friendly Place to help build a network of support for play across Wales. Make sure you’re a fan by ‘liking’ the page. Also use it to post your opinions, photos and local activity, and gain inspiration. Update us with what’s happening locally which is either protecting or prohibiting children and young people’s right to play. Wales – A Play Friendly Place is a Play Wales campaign that communities can use to establish their own local campaigns for children’s play and be part of a national movement at the same time. http://on.fb.me/playfriendlyplace

Play for Wales Autumn 2011 RIGHT TO PLAY AWARD

Play provision and development update Here is a brief round-up of some of the play provision and development news around the country. COMMUNITY PLAY PROJECT Play Right has been awarded funding from the BIG Lottery People and Places programme to deliver a three year community play project in Penlan, Swansea. The project aims to develop renewed local support for children and young people to be able to play out in their community. The project will offer five inclusive open access play sessions per week, support local lunchtime supervisors, run two ‘Not in education, employment or training’ (NEET) engagement projects annually and develop a children’s forum linking into the Communities First Partnership. The project will be supported by the Friends of Play in Penlan group – set up through this project to advocate for children and young people’s right to play. DEVELOPING NEW PLAY SPACES Tri-County Play Association (Merthyr Tydfil, Blaenau Gwent and Caerphilly) has been awarded funding from the Heads of the Valley Programme Grant (under the authority of the Minister for Housing, Regeneration and Heritage within the Welsh Government) on behalf of a project team made up of the Tri-County Play Association, Chwarae Plant (Rhondda Cynon Taff and Bridgend) and 3 Counties Play Association (Monmouthshire, Newport and Torfaen).

The Play and Playable Spaces project will develop two innovative bespoke outdoor playable spaces alongside (or leading to) existing community space. These playable spaces will provide spaces where children of all ages and abilities can play together and socialise with their friends. The areas will include natural elements that will also complement the built environment. Play Wales, in association with PLAYLINK, has been commissioned to co-ordinate the project and to take responsibility for elements of the project, in particular, the co-ordination of the design and build of the playable spaces. TRAINING DELIVERY Chwarae Plant has been awarded funding from the BIG Lottery People and Places Programme to deliver the ‘Quality in Play’ project in Rhondda Cynon Taff and Bridgend. To deliver the three-year project, Chwarae Plant has appointed a Playwork Training Development Officer. The project is delivering Level 2 and Level 3 playwork qualifications, and Level 2 qualifications through the medium of Welsh. It is also developing a programme of Continuing Professional Development, which features training in play awareness, playwork skills, play in schools and inclusion. FUNDING INCREASE In July 2011 Torfaen Children and Young People’s Partnership Board agreed that Torfaen Play Service would receive an additional

Our Foundation Phase Walk into Cogan Nursery School in the Vale of Glamorgan and all your senses tell you this is a good place for children. As soon as you open the front door a happy babble of voices chuckles into your ear. Every room is divided into small child-sized places for playing; some children are busy on their own and others are doing things together. This isn’t an affluent area; there is a broad mix of children from different backgrounds – some of whom speak English as a second language. Adults and children talk to each other as fellow members of a buzzing creative community. In the afternoon, please remember not to leave your bag in the Headteacher’s office – because this is a room where children are

welcome to enter after lunch and your bag could become one of the ‘props’ for playing ‘offices’. Outside - bikes, trikes and scooters, play houses, gardens, small play (it might be tiny dinosaurs in the sandpit today) and water play, and a construction site with a scaled down cement mixer and ‘bricks’. A teacher might be stationed on a grassy bank, anchoring the narrow end of a boat sail scrounged from the local marina. The sail acts as a makeshift slide today (it might be something else tomorrow) and children slip and roll down into the playground. A little Forest School area has been made in a wilder part of the grounds – with a ring of logs around a little fire pit. Cogan Nursery School was one of the places we were proud

£100,000 per year through the Families First Initiative to provide inclusive play opportunities throughout the county. The additional funding will ensure the continuation of the following: providing play opportunities to children and young people with complex and challenging needs, and social and emotional needs, young carers, looked after children, play opportunities delivered through the medium of Welsh and regular play opportunities delivered to the Gypsy and Traveller Community. FAMILIES FIRST PHASE 2 PIONEER As part of North West Wales Families First Phase 2 pioneer all three partner Counties (Conwy, Gwynedd and Ynys Môn) are looking at a range of projects that trial innovative approaches to tackling child poverty. Funding has been allocated to Conwy Play Development, a partnership between Conwy Voluntary Services Council and the Local Authority’s Active and Creative Lifestyles Department, targeted at providing open access play opportunities for disabled children. The funding has already been put to good use to support inclusion through the provision of extra playworkers for the Council run summer playschemes as well as ensuring adequate resources for a series of twelve communitybased play events over the summer. The project will also fund a six month secondment to work closely with the Volunteer Centre to recruit and train volunteer mentors who can support inclusion within mainstream play and leisure provision.

to invite international delegates to visit as part of the International Play Association World Conference 2011. We would like to thank the staff and children for being so welcoming. In its September 2011 report, Estyn, the Inspecorate for Education and Training in Wales says: The impact of the Foundation Phase on the wellbeing of children has been positive and, in a majority of schools, five to six-yearolds achieve well. The wellbeing of many children benefits from the implementation of the Foundation Phase. Generally, the benefits are in children’s increased motivation and enjoyment of learning. Active learning approaches and the use of the outdoor learning environment are helping boys to be more engaged in their learning.

Play for Wales Autumn 2011 RIGHT TO PLAY AWARD

Signs that Caerphilly children can play outdoors In many communities children are confronted with signs saying ‘no ball games’ or other official notices banning them from playing, but in Caerphilly county borough new signs are being erected to encourage children and young people to play outdoors. The second phase of the installation of ‘Please Play Here’ signs has been completed in ten areas selected by the children of Caerphilly’s Junior Forum. The Forum is an ongoing mechanism for children to be involved in decision-making at county-wide level and is made up of 132 seven to eleven year olds from 59 primary schools throughout the county borough.

Local consultation took place with children and the local Communities First Partnerships as to where the signage would be most beneficial to the whole community. For the latest batch of signs the Junior Forum helped to write a bid for money and held a competition for children to design the signs. ‘The Please Play Here signs are designed to show children the specific areas where they can play safely, as well as to make it clear to residents that children are entitled to play within their communities, reducing perceptions of ‘Anti-Social’ behaviour,’ said Councillor Phil Bevan, Caerphilly

council’s cabinet member for education and leisure. ‘It is vital that playing continues to be promoted as a way for children to stay active and socialise within their communities’. This latest project follows the installation of eight signs installed in 2010 through the Gwent Association of Voluntary Action (GAVO) Play Team. Both projects were funded by Caerphilly Children and Young People’s Partnership and contribute to achieving the outcomes within the local Play Strategy.

Play Ranger Project Play Ranger Project co-ordinator Gareth Parry tells us about their new North West Wales scheme

and community development staff so that, if the community is willing, they can sustain provision beyond the life of our project. Volunteers are vital and will be trained in playwork to ensure sustainability and the legacy of the project.

Our Play Ranger Project works across Ynys Môn, Gwynedd and Conwy - supporting children to play outdoors freely, actively and safely. Play Rangers also provide opportunities where children can create risks and challenges as they are playing.

As part of our work, we provide resources including recycled and scrap materials, timber, tools, ropes, clothes, toys, tarpaulin, tepees and shelters, and encourage use of the natural environment and elements.

This kind of project is completely new in this area of Wales – we provide a free, bilingual service where qualified and experienced playworkers work in parks and open spaces within local communities, supporting and encouraging children to play freely outdoors and reclaim places to play. We are funded through BIG Lottery’s Child’s Play programme and managed by North West Wales Play Forum (NWWPF). Our teams of play rangers work year-round and visit a community for up to six months, including over holidays.

We hope our work helps to build children and young people’s confidence and sense of ownership of public space – one of the key elements is that they build relationships with others including adults within the community.

Evaluating the project’s impact on community attitudes towards play is vital in assessing the legacy of the project. The Play Rangers teams, supported by the project co-ordinator, work with local play

The response from children has been very positive. Here is what they say:

‘If there wasn’t play rangers we would be bored at home watching telly.’

‘It’s cool… because I get to play with a wheelbarrow and tyres and everything!’

Parents have responded positively to the project, many stating that it has caused them to reminisce on their own childhood play experiences.

‘ I want play rangers every day!’

www.nwwplayforum.org.uk

Play for Wales Autumn 2011 GENERAL COMMENT

Update - A General Comment on Article 31 Valerie Fronczek, IPA Vice President tells us what’s next: Play for Wales readers will be aware that the International Play Association’s (IPA) request for a General Comment on Article 31 was officially approved by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child in February 2011. A General Comment is an official statement adopted by the Committee that details the meaning of an aspect of the Convention that seems to require further interpretation or emphasis. Upon completion it is sent to the 192 nations (States Parties) who have ratified the UN Convention. IPA has been invited to take a lead role in the organisation of the development of the General Comment on Article 31. The twentypage statement will address all components of the Article – rest and leisure, play and recreation, culture and the arts. Article 31 tends to be neglected and IPA hopes to position it more centrally within the fuller context of the UN Convention, illustrating how the right to play is indivisible from other Articles (such as those on participation, health or inclusion) and also to emphasise the role of freely chosen play. The UN Focal Group will have members from Uganda, Korea, Syrian Arab Republic, Saudi Arabia and Thailand. Lothar Krappman (Germany), a former member of the UN Committee and strong supporter of the General Comment on Article 31, will also be involved in its development – we were able to meet with him at the IPA world conference in Wales. The development of a structure to accommodate input from a wide range of fields as well as global views is very important. A working group will be established to work closely with the UN Focal Group.

Keep up with news on the General Comment during 2012 at www.ipaworld.org Play Wales is represented on the Board of IPA and that of the IPA England, Wales and Northern Ireland branch. We do this because we believe that a clear definition of Article 31 can potentially strengthen the position of those who work on behalf of playing children in Wales – and therefore benefit all our children. Join the International Play Association, England Wales and Northern Ireland branch and lend your support. Find out more at www.ipa-ewni.org.uk

Play for Wales Autumn 2011 MAKE A NOISE FOR PLAY

Make a Noise for Play Five hundred school children aged 3 – 11 years and 500 international delegates from the International Play Association World Conference at City Hall descended on Sophia Gardens on 6 July to make a big noise to raise awareness of children’s right and need to play. A procession of delegates (from every continent on Earth except Antarctica) left City Hall, Cardiff and followed stilt walkers and a great Earth ball to Sophia Gardens – blowing whistles and waving flags.

Playing appeals to all children – and regular active play appeals to both sporty and non-sporty types – adding to fitness.

In the meantime play projects that had travelled from every corner of Wales (and a couple from England) were installed in Sophia Gardens with 500 invited school children. They offered all kinds of play activities – from water play to massive moveable inflatable objects, from a cardboard den village, to a teepee full of small Welsh harps, from clay pot creation to building musical instruments from junk. Some children were ‘slack lining’ on a bungee rope slung horizontally between two trees. Baden Powell School performed a new song written especially for the occasion by Cardiff Music Services.

Play for Wales Autumn 2011 MAKE A NOISE FOR PLAY

Who was there? Children (all VIP’s in their own right – with VIP wristbands!) from schools in Cardiff and Rhondda Cynon Taff, the Lord Mayor of Cardiff, Penarth Town Crier, the Children’s Commissioner for Wales, the President of the International Play Association and a representative of the United Nations Children and Young People’s Committee. What is the message? Playing is essential and important to children. We must not disregard it. Playing contributes positively to all children’s health and wellbeing – it is proven to enhance their ability to survive and thrive in today’s world. Playing appeals to all children – and regular active play appeals to both sporty and nonsporty types – adding to fitness.

All children and young people around the world have a right to time to play in their own way, in safe enough places, with their friends. This right stands for all our children, whether they are disabled or non-disabled, from marginalised or minority groups or majority populations, whatever culture or religion or economic background they belong to. In the UK, the barriers to playing out grow bigger every day – they not only include lack of good space close to where children live, and the domination of the car and of a ‘health and safety’ culture, but also, crucially, our attitudes towards playing children. We all need to work to make the place where we live a friendlier place for playing children, and to encourage them and support them. It doesn’t just happen. Making a noise about it is just one way to make our world change for the better.

Playing contributes positively to all children’s health and wellbeing – it is proven to enhance their ability to survive and thrive in today’s world.

Play for Wales Autumn 2011 IPA 2011

Perspective from further afield We asked three delegates that attended the IPA 2011 conference to tell us what coming to Wales meant to them ...

Tovah P. Klein Inspired by hundreds of people committed to making play the centerpiece of children’s lives ... How could I not be? On a whim, I submitted a proposal to contribute to the 50th Anniversary conference of the International Play Association in Cardiff, Wales. And it was accepted. ‘A conference committed to play? What a great idea!’ I thought. So off I went, with my oldest child (a newly minted teen). I came back renewed and inspired. Why? Nearly 500 people together who believe that play is vital to sustaining healthy childhoods and the future of humanity. No talk of ‘Is play a good thing?’ no need to prove that play helps children. No discussion of ‘should children play?’ The shared starting point was that children must play and that the continued assault on opportunities to play was detrimental in profound ways. What children were losing by not being able to play was hurting entire societies - whether due to lack of safe places, time for, or devaluing play. Another inspiration - hearing a wide range of speakers, in large and small ways, note that their work (in biology, education, architecture, risk management, psychology) was going against the grain ... I am not alone. Yet here, we wanted to hear what they had to say; we all knew the value of the work and were eager to learn what they knew. Visiting - a school where children build fires and play in the rain, and are in touch with nature, regardless of the weather; preschoolers who whittle sticks and built a fire to roast their marshmallows. This would never be accepted in American schools. It reminded me of the pleasure my own children have camping deep in the woods. Finding wood, building and then stoking the fire are highlights of camping. Here, urban preschoolers of all backgrounds were experiencing this pleasure while learning to respect and take care of nature and its elements.

The Make a Noise for Play Festival - filled with challenges, and though supervised, children followed their own direction; where children and adults played; took risks; and conquered self-defined challenges on ropes and improvised swings and in the mud. I even managed a few steps on an elastic slack-line! It renewed my faith that when people come together, committed to play, committed to children, there is power in our numbers and our ideas. That we have to keep pushing ahead for what we know in our hearts and our minds children so desperately need. And finally – I was inspired by exploring every old arcade of Cardiff, including the violinmaker’s workshop, with my son. Memorable. Tovah P. Klein, Ph.D., Director, Barnard Center for Toddler Development; Psychology Professor, Barnard College, New York, NY.

Brian Ashley This is one of the best IPA conferences I have attended. As an original member of IPA I always want conferences to demonstrate that IPA was formed to develop active playwork and to support playworkers. The Cardiff conference was pre-eminent in achieving this aim - it was set in the centre of an active network of practical playwork that was already stimulating thriving play activity at ground level in Wales. The whole conference was based in the beautiful and historic City Hall, thus demonstrating that supporting play was a community commitment. The First Minister for Wales gave examples of how the government works to support playing children, the Chairperson of Play Wales referred to her early beginnings in playwork after training as a youth and community worker. This distinguished this conference as not just another about children and play as a subject of advocacy or study, but as a basis for community development.

This is one of the best IPA conferences I have attended. As an original member of IPA I always want conferences to demonstrate that IPA was formed to develop active playwork and to support playworkers.

IPA conferences have the advantage of the meeting of old friends - which establishes a friendly and informal atmosphere. From the beginning, a positive atmosphere and a supportive context was provided by the many local Welsh workers and their engagement. From my reading of the submitted abstracts and a personal ‘tasting’ of the programme they succeeded in creating a blend of exciting new ideas and descriptions of sound practice. Brian Ashley lectured in youth and community work at Swansea University and now lives in Sweden. He has been a member of the International Play Association since it started in 1961.

Theresa Lu The conference certainly echoed the belief in the child’s right to play, which translated into advocacy through the sharing of knowledge, expertise, ideas, practice, resources, and in the presentations by delegates from around the globe. The Make a Noise for Play Festival was a spectacular and memorable event as children and adults joined in to explore, experiment, and construct engaging play experiences. Visits to Cogan Nursery School and Re-create Play Resource Centre provided the contextual experiences and made it possible for delegates to interact and share with each other. Much was learnt – the learning is now in the process of being transformed into practice, and many friends were made from all over the world. The conference affirmed the empowerment of play, and the organisers and supportive staff should be applauded for the success of this great playful experience. Theresa Lu, Head of Programme: Early Childhood Education, School of Human Development & Social Services, SIM University, Singapore

Play for Wales Autumn 2011 IPA 2011

Conference Gifts Lowri Brown (16) and Mali Esson (9) were among twenty children and young people who helped the IPA conference run smoothly. Here Lowri tells us about her experience: An array of gifts was displayed at the side of the stage in City Hall. Vivid purple and white orchids caught my eye as soon as I entered. Mali and I listened to IPA’s President welcome everyone and introduce Carwyn Jones, the First Minister for Wales. Everyone listened carefully to him accept the Right to Play Award for Wales and as his speech came to an end Mali and I got ready to go onto the stage. Carwyn Jones’ gift was a portrait of him drawn by the Play Wales cartoonist. We thanked him for coming to the conference and he was very pleased to receive the gift. At first I was nervous doing this job, but everyone we presented a gift to on stage was very appreciative.

delegates recognised me and thanked me for our work on and off the stage. I enjoyed my role and being able to sit and listen to what speakers had to say. It was a fulfilling job every speaker had something different and

interesting to talk about. I’m glad I volunteered at the conference with Play Wales because I got to see many amazing people, and had a really good time.

Other young volunteers had the same great chance as Mali and me, and when I was walking around the conference many of the

Joe’s conference report

Joe Rowley (16) was a young reporter at the IPA conference. Here is his article. This week Cardiff hosts the 50th anniversary world conference of the International Play Association. This conference, which takes place every three years, sees delegates from all over the world come to Cardiff to share their ideas and work regarding play. Carwyn Jones, the First Minister for Wales, spoke at the opening ceremony where he said he was ‘confident that children and young people in all of our countries will benefit and have more opportunities to play because of the discussions and sharing of ideas that will take place during this week’. During a speech where he made many references to the Welsh Government’s work in previous years for the advancement of play in Wales, the First Minister highlighted Wales’ ‘strong belief in children’s rights’. It is this unified belief that has earned Wales the 6th Triennial IPA Right to Play Award. This award was created to recognise play projects that implement Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

A Right to Play Award was won by ‘Wales – A Play Friendly Place’ and this is the first time that a whole country has won the award. The First Minister said this award is a great indication of the astounding advancements Play Wales has made since it’s founding in 1999. In just 12 years Play Wales has played an active role in drafting the national Play Policy in 2002 and the Welsh Assembly Play Policy Implementation Plan in 2006. Play Wales has now grown to become one of the UK’s leading play organisations. Despite this being a brilliant achievement for Wales as a country, staff from Play Wales felt that this is no time for complacency. They are hoping that the Right to Play Award is used as a benchmark to help play in Wales advance even further. Wales has won the award, and deservedly so, but it is important to remember that this does not mean that the status of play in Wales is perfect. There is still a lot of work going on to further

improve opportunities, environments and attitudes towards play and there are some areas in Wales that vitally need help. During his presentation in the opening ceremony, Children’s Commissioner for Wales Keith Towler echoed these views in a motivating speech that really indicated his strong beliefs regarding children’s play. The Children’s Commissioner referred to some of his recent meetings with children and stated that many ask ‘is it illegal to play football on the street?’ showing us that there is still work to be done and progress to be made in Wales. He also reiterated the fact that the play sector still requires governmental funding despite winning the Right to Play Award, in order to ensure that access to play can be improved in all areas of Wales. Keith Towler made it clear that when the provision of enough play opportunities becomes a legal duty, he will be making sure that the play sector is doing all it can to make sure it is responding to the duty.

Play for Wales Autumn 2011 IPA 2011

Play, Play, and Play Some More: Let Children Be the Animals They Have the Right to Be My learning curve was vertical as a relative outsider who was there to talk about what we can learn about human play from what we know about nonhuman animal (animal) play. After all, we humans are big-brained mammals, born helpless and requiring extensive adult care, who learn a variety of survival skills through different sorts of play. Much of what applies to the social development of nonhuman mammals applies to us.

Animal behaviour expert Professor Marc Bekoff writes about his experiences and the insights he gained as a keynote speaker at the IPA 2011 conference in Cardiff. ‘Better a broken bone than a broken spirit’ I just had the pleasure of attending an incredible conference in Wales called Playing into the Future - surviving and thriving. The major theme of this international gathering concerned the importance of play for children and how we can create a future where play is valued and where every country and neighbourhood upholds every child’s right for freedom and a safe enough environment for playing (as they should). Boundless inspiration came from about 500 delegates from 37 nations, including impoverished places where children don’t play because they’re seriously ill, because their parents, families, or communities can’t afford to allow them to play because the children have to work, or because there aren’t any safe places to play. However, it is clear that play is also severely curtailed in affluent areas throughout the world. I was simply astounded that an organisation such as Play Wales and these sorts of conferences are even necessary - so that kids can be kids.

The study of play behaviour in animals tells us a lot about what human children need. Basically, we can learn the various reasons why animals play (why it has evolved and develops as it does) including social development and socialisation, physical exercise,cognitive development, and also for learning social skills concerning fairness and cooperation. For instance, the basic rules for fair play between animals also apply to humans, namely: ask first, be honest, follow the rules, and admit you’re wrong. When the rules of play are violated, and when fairness breaks down, so does play. Playing may also be important as ‘training for the unexpected’. Based on an extensive review of available literature, my colleagues Marek Spinka, Ruth Newberry, and I propose that play functions to increase the versatility of movements and to recover from sudden shocks such as the loss of balance and falling over, and to enhance the ability of animals to cope emotionally with unexpected stressful situations. To obtain this ‘training for the unexpected’ we suggest that animals actively seek and create unexpected situations in play and actively put themselves into disadvantageous positions and situations. Thus, play is comprised of sequences in which players switch rapidly between well-controlled movements similar to those used in ‘serious’ behaviour and movements that result in temporary loss of control. In discussions at the conference in Wales, I also made the point that there are far too many of us humans and, in animals living in high densities where resources (for example, food and shelter) are limited, play usually decreases or drops out altogether. Mothers

(or other care-givers) in densely populated areas may stop their kids from playing to save energy compared to those living in stress free environments where play continues. While the imposition of these restrictions seems reasonable the extreme (some might say ludicrous) limits on play in human children are found not only in poor neighbourhoods and countries but also in places where there are ample resources. As I listened to paper after paper I also found myself worrying about the long-term effects of a non-playing generation(s): Can it be overcome? Will there be enough momentum so that different developmental pathways in which there is less play become patterns that evolve over time? How did it come to be that we don’t let children be children? What right do we have to rob children of their childhood? There are many reasons why children need to play, just as young animals need to play. We need free-ranging kids. They must be allowed to get dirty and learn to take risks and negotiate social relationships that might be complicated, unexpected, or unpredictable. I love the slogan of Play Wales, ‘Better a broken bone than a broken spirit’, attributed to Lady Allen of Hurtwood. We should all embrace it with all our heart. As psychologist William Crain forcefully argues, we need to let children reclaim their childhood and let children be children. Let’s ‘rewild’ the children of the world. Let them play and let them have their childhood. Of course, adults also need to play more but that’s another story.

The article is published with the author’s permission and was originally published on Marc’s blog on the Psychology Today website: www.psychologytoday.com/ blog/animal-emotions See Marc’s keynote presentation on the IPA 2011 website and other talks and films on YouTube

Play for Wales Autumn 2011 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

P3 – Progress on pukka play training Tillie Mobbs, our Assistant Director (Workforce Development) answers some questions ... Q: The Playwork: Principles into Practice (P3) Level 2 qualification has been on the list of approved qualifications for some time now. How is it going? A: We have delivered 12 courses over the summer in North and South Wales, and there are more booked. The first Manpower Project is going ahead in Bridgend – classroom assistants are undertaking the P3 Award qualification together with other courses such as first aid and manual handling. They are offered work placements with play rangers working across Bridgend and Rhondda Cynon Taff. The first college to work with us on P3 delivery is Ystrad Mynach: learners can undertake a course where they progress through to the P3 Diploma at Level 2 combined with Forest Schools and some early years training. There was international interest in P3 from delegates at the IPA world conference – they see it as much more fit for purpose than training currently available in their countries - so we are exploring exporting our Welsh play training wizardry to Brazil and the Netherlands. Q: Great news, finally Play Wales is able to start developing the next stage – P3 Level 3 – who is involved? A: Richard Trew is back on board as our Project Officer for Qualifications, he was a major contributor to the success of the Level 2 courses and materials. The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) is a key partner, and SkillsActive awarded the contract to Play Wales, they are overseeing the project. Other vital contributors are: Tanny Stobart, a creative training and education specialist, who has a long record of developing playwork qualifications (and she says this is the best she has ever been involved in);

Di Murray, whose expertise in delivering inclusive play opportunities will be invaluable for a qualification that is rooted in inclusive practice;

Our network of P3 trainers means that employers don’t need to rely on Further Education colleges for Level 3 training and can arrange courses to suit their own needs.

Jackie Kilvington, a playwork consultant and talented writer;

Evidence from the places where Level 2 P3 playwork is practiced - the testimonies of children, parents, playworkers and employers - says that the P3 difference can be seen in the quality of the experience of playing children.

Ali Wood, who is an expert in playwork qualification design and assessment with a long history of promoting good practice in safeguarding children; and Dr Fraser Brown of Leeds Metropolitan University who is technical editor of the materials – ensuring that all the play and playwork theory is up to the mark. His publications include: Foundations of Playwork (2008, with Chris Taylor); Children Without Play (2005); Playwork: Theory and Practice (2003); and School Playgrounds (1990). Q: What’s the plan for Level 3? A: We are currently consulting on the outline of the qualification and the expected learning outcomes – to make sure they meet the needs of people providing play opportunities for children in Wales. All being well, it will be on the framework by the end of December – this means it will be an approved qualification and the courses will be eligible for public funding. We are currently writing the course materials. Q: What difference will P3 Level 3 make in Wales? A: Playwork: Principles into Practice (P3) qualifications are the preferred option for many employers who deliver play opportunities in Wales. They choose P3 because it is uniquely founded upon children’s right to play, the Playwork Principles, advocacy, inclusion and up to date knowledge of the needs of playing children. While P3 qualifications cover everything that must be covered to promote best practice in working with children – the playing child comes first.

Find out more about why learners and employers choose Playwork: Principles into Practice qualifications at www.playwales.org.uk on the P3 pages. Talk to Tillie Mobbs about P3 qualifications (tillie@playwales.org.uk or 029 2048 6050)

P3 Level 3 development consultation To support the development of this new and exciting qualification we have conducted an employer consultation on the proposed structure for the new qualification using an online survey – thank you to all those who participated. The second part of the consultation process consists of two consultation events in October: Liberty Stadium, Swansea 19 October The Interchange, Old Colwyn 20 October The consultation events will also include the opportunity to take part in a ‘Inclusion and the Playwork Principles’ workshop facilitated by Di Murray, Playworks UK For more information and to book a space please contact Play Wales: 029 2048 6050 or mail@playwales.org.uk

Play for Wales Autumn 2011 MEMBERSHIP

Why join Play Wales? Playing is important to all children and important to all our communities. As the national charity for children’s play, Play Wales promotes all children and young people’s right to play and participate in their local community as part of their everyday lives - we work hard to make Wales a better place for playing. Find out more about our work at www.playwales.org.uk The more voices that call together with us to uphold children’s right to play, the louder we will be. By becoming a member of Play Wales you can add your voice and strengthen the call. In 2011 Play Wales secured the International Play Association Right to Play Award on behalf of all those who are working towards Wales becoming a playfriendly place. When Carwyn Jones, First Minister for Wales, accepted the Award he said: The fact that this is the first time the prestigious international award has been made to a whole country is a great honour. I’d like to thank all the organisations and people whose energy and commitment has contributed to Wales winning this award.

We will: • alert you to key consultations and seek your input to our responses • keep you informed of developments and new research • discount delegate places at Play Wales events and give you a special deal on Play Wales publications • give you access to free Criminal Records Bureau checks for staff working in regulated play provision

As a member you can: • join the movement to make Wales more play friendly

All members are asked to endorse:

• help inform our position and influence our work with government and other agencies

• the Playwork Principles, and

• strengthen our position when we are lobbying for change

• the Welsh Assembly Government Play Policy (both can be found on our website)

Associate membership for 2012 is open to all organisations and individuals living or working in Wales. International associate membership is open to any organisation or individual living or working outside Wales membership benefits are restricted because Wales is our registered area of charitable benefit.

• help us evaluate our effectiveness • nominate and be nominated to the Play Wales Board of Trustees

Join us by completing and returning a registration form available on our website: www.playwales.org.uk