Download - A New Play Strategy For Wrexham - working in partnership to uphold children’s right to play
A New Play Strategy For Wrexham - working in partnership to uphold children’s right to play
Mike Barclay – WCBC Play Development Coordinator
Its all about Values!
How we value childhood
How we value PLAY
If we value children we must also value play!
Professional and personal values
How we value children
The Issue – what is play?
Freely Chosen
Personally Directed
Intrinsically Motivated
Spontaneous, illogical and without purpose
What children do when left to their own devices
Children have a right to play
The Facts - benefits to children?
Physical development and fitness
Emotion regulation and social skills
New experiences and experiments
Resilience and coping skills
Critical to brain development
Therapy and stress release
Fun, friendship and happiness
“play is so critically important to all children in the development of their physical, social, mental, emotional and creative skills that society should seek every opportunity to support it and create an environment that fosters it”
WAG Play Policy 2002
Communities which look healthier
The Facts – benefits to wider society
Happier children who feel valued
Supports children to become competent adults
Communities which feel safer
Greater community cohesion
“The right to play is a child’s first claim on the community. Play is nature’s training for life. No community can infringe that right without doing deep and enduring harm to the minds and bodies of its citizens”
David Lloyd George (1925)
The Problem – Play Deprivation
Children have less freedom to play
Children play outside less often
Children have less space to play
Children have less time to play
Children deprived of essential experiences
The Causes of Play Deprivation
Re-development of playable space
Increase anxieties about children’s safety
The fear of litigation
Result: less tolerance for children’s play
Result: reduced value placed on play
Huge increases in traffic on our roads
The aim
Or… more children playing more often
“to increase the number of children and young people having regular access to a wide range of play opportunities within their own community”
Wrexham Play Strategy 2009 to 2013
The Solution
Shorter term:Compensate children for experiences lost
Longer term:Change the way society values play
New Play Strategy addresses both of these
MORE PLAY
Financial resources :1.5
Communities placing a greater value on play
Spaces which offer greater play value
Ensure quality :1.4
Participation :1.2Inclusion :1.3
Managed R
isks :5.1 3.2:
Sta
ffed
prov
isio
n4.
1: P
layw
ork
qual
ifica
tions
4.2: P
laywor
k CPD
4.3 Playwork approach
2.2: School playgrounds
2.1: Play & Education2.3: Access school grounds
3.3: Protect playable
space
3.3: Improved access
3.4 Reclaim
streetsInfrastructure for play :1.1
Plan for impacts :6.1
CYP Stra
tegic
Plannin
g :6.2
Rais
e pr
ofile
of p
lay
:3.1
Par
enta
l con
cern
s :5
.2
Compensatory Play Provision
More freedom to play
understandingQuality design
time sp
ace
independencetolerance
Conclusion
Where can you have an impact?
How can play support aspects of your work?
We are facing some big challenges
We will have to make some big changes
A partnership approach will be needed
We can make a real and lasting difference