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