Top tips: Playworking and coronavirus
Throughout Wales, playworkers are coming to terms with working in a different way to support children’s play. You may feel a sense of loss and grief, missing the children you work with and know. You may be worried about all the children who accessed your service. You’ve had little time to prepare and plan for this, but you will want to work out how you can support children during these uncertain times.
Here are some suggestions to help 1. Hold on to the Playwork Principles The Playwork Principles state that play is a biological, psychological and social necessity. Your role as a playworker should still be to reflect on the Playwork Principles to advocate for and support children to create spaces where they can play – even if you are no longer working face-to-face with them. The Playwork Principles are the ethical basis for our profession and are relevant, even when we are supporting children’s play in a different context.
3. Keep in touch with providers of services Find out what is happening in your area and proactively get in touch with the local authority or local provider to let them know how you can help. If you work directly with children, you may have real knowledge of who is most vulnerable in the communities in which you work. You are well placed to ensure that the right to play is recognised and remind people that we need to make sure it doesn’t get lost or over ridden with other priorities during times of uncertainty.
2. Advocate for play You can actively remind people in the community – parents and those still working with children – that during times of uncertainty, playing:
4. Think about resources Do a mental stock take. Do you have unused supplies or equipment that schools and other settings might find useful? Do you have resources that might help some children when they are spending time indoors? Things like pens, crayons, chalk, paper, card, scissors will encourage creativity or help with school tasks and will be a huge support to many children right now.
• helps to give children a feeling of normality and joy during an experience of loss, isolation and trauma • helps children to overcome emotional pain and regain control over their lives • helps children make meaning of what has happened to them, and enable them to experience fun and enjoyment • offers children an opportunity to explore their own creativity.
Keep in touch with families Many of you will have an active presence on social media. Parents are being bombarded with information about education related tasks and indoor activities. Now is a good time for
playworkers to advocate for children’s play by concentrating on play-centred messaging. Check out the Playful Childhoods website for inspiration and ready to use information. www.playfulchildhoods.wales 5. Take time for Continuing Professional Development All of Play Wales’ publications are freely available on our website and now is a good time to reacquaint yourselves with the wide range of toolkits, top tips and information sheets we have produced for the playwork sector. The News section on our website will also keep you up to date on all the latest developments.
6. Think about the future Have a read of the Access to play for Chidren in situations of crisis toolkit, which Play Wales co-authored with the International Play Association (www.ipaworld.org). We are sharing this with schools and childcare providers who are currently supporting the collaborative response to coronavirus. It will also be useful to address the damage that social and physical isolation is potentially causing. It will help us to support children to trust their neighbourhoods and access their favourite spaces when things begin to return to normal.
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