Members’ Quarterly l March 2017 www.playengland.org.uk/ www.facebook.com/playengland/ www.playengland.org.uk/ www.facebook.com/playengland/ Members' Quarterly l March 2017

The Government has announced it is consulting with employers on whether to develop a new Playwork apprenticeship qualification called the Trailblazer Apprenticeship.

It is important that organisations that employ playworkers respond to the consultation to show that there is support for the new Playwork apprenticeship.

So if your organisation employs playworkers, please help by completing the consultation.

The new apprenticeship won’t have the restrictions on age that previous apprenticeships have had, so it will be an important way for us to take on new staff and get them trained and qualified.

The future of playwork qualificationsPlease can you support the new Playwork apprenticeship qualification by taking a few minutes to fill in the consultation.

https://consult.education.gov.uk/apprenticeships/eoifeb2017/consultation/intro/

The survey seeks views on:

l whether you support the development of the proposed Apprenticeship Standards;

l whether you think the proposed Apprenticeship Standards would typically take at least 12 months of training to develop the skills, knowledge and behaviours required for that occupation (required as part of the criteria);

Defending children’s right to play has never been more important. Play associations and organisations are vital to this campaign.

Play England is a small organisation, but campaigning together, we can have a far greater impact.

If you are not already a member, please join. We know how tough it is financially for playworkers and the sector, so membership is now free.

Join on-line at our website: http://www.playengland.org.uk/get-involved/join-us/

l whether these Standards are similar to, or duplicate, existing Standards.

Consultation closes on Friday 10 March.

The announcement follows the withdrawal of playwork qualifications at the end of last year, when it was discovered that the CACHE Level 2 Award and Certificate in Playwork and the Level 3 Award in Playwork had been closed to new registrations, as had the CACHE Level 4 Award and Certificate in Playwork. Registration for a City and Guilds Level 2 Diploma in Playwork closed on 31st December 2016. The final date for registering for a Level 3 and Level 5 Diploma in Playwork with City and Guilds is 30 November 2017.

In January Play England issued a statement to draw attention to the withdrawal of the qualifications, to raise questions about the impact on the sector and start a discussion about the development of future playwork qualifications.

Play England and the Playwork Foundation are hosting a special roundtable discussion at the National Playwork Conference in Eastbourne. Please join us!

Hosted by Play England and Playwork Foundation. Facilitated by Lesli Godfrey, senior lecturer in Playwork, Leeds Beckett University and Play England Trustee

Tuesday 11.45am

Dining Room, Mansion Lions Hotel

SPECIAL RoUNdTABLE: Future of playwork qualifications

65

Commitment and planninga. Management and staff are familiar with local playwith other play providers.b. We have a plan for making links with key people and

agencies in the area, or elsewhere, to ensure we have the play.

c. We have a plan for how we will sustain our funding by

influencing other agendas.

a.strategies for children and young people, made contact

and other local forums for children and young people’s

providers.

b. We have made links with play and other agencies so as

to have an overview of how children’s play is supported in make the case for children’s play.c. We work with play and other service managers,

commissioning, funding and other agencies to develop and

implement our sustainable funding plan.Reviewa. We annually review how our provision fits in with the

wider context and how we have influenced area-play and

other relevant strategies.b. We look at what difference our links with other c. We use the results to improve our service delivery and

sustain our funding.

The bigger picture — Assessment

date Nearly metdate Fully met

date

47

THE STANDARDWe manage our resources in line with our aims and values to support

children’s play. We have a clearly defined project management

structure and systems that help us manage every aspect of our sustainability of our service.This standard is about making sure that you use your human, physical and

is responsible and how they are accountable, and are clear about shared

arrangements, for example, when a manager or team member is on leave or

otherwise absent.You need systems to manage your tangible assets such as money, premises,

demonstrate that your physical resources are well used to support children’s

Your planning should cover all aspects of premises and site security;

equipment; insurance, inventories and secure storage of equipment materials

place to deal with unforeseen circumstances.A quality play provider has project management systems that are clear to

efficiency, reliability and sustainability of the service in support of children’s

play.

QUALITY AREA 7Project and resource management

QUALITY IN PLAYStandards, assessment indicatorsand evidence — a manual

MEMBERS’ QUARTERLY MARCH 2017

Play today

Play England is delighted to be launching the latest edition of Quality in Play.

Tried and tested in practice by hundreds of play and childcare providers for over 20 years, we’re launching this fifth edition of Quality in Play quality assurance system and framework for service development.

Quality in Play (QiP) is developed by playwork practitioners to support supervised play and childcare provision for school-aged children.

For play providers the challenge is to demonstrate quality and value for money whilst creating and maintaining excellent staffed play environments. QiP is, first and foremost, about helping providers to achieve this, and being able to demonstrate it. QiP takes providers through a clear and systematic process, assessing every aspect of quality play provision.

Play England also offers a QiP assessment – a critical friend visit and report from an experienced assessor who can provide independent confirmation that quality standards are being evidenced, along with recommendations and advice for future development.

QiP accreditation is nationally recognised as a credible and authoritative indicator of excellence in play provision.

So, why use Quality in Play?

Funders and comm-issioners increasingly want to see that systems are in place to assure them that a quality service is delivered for children and families – and that their money will be used effectively. QiP can be used by play providers to evidence quality to a wide range of stakeholders, including grant funders, commissioners and regulators. It also helps organisations to improve their management to meet children’s play needs, with a focus on the playing child at the centre of the service. It is tailored for play providers and bespoke for their needs.

Our aim for this edition is to make QiP more accessible. So, for the first time, Play England’s board of trustees have decided to make the Quality in Play manual free to download from our website.

Play England looks forward to working with play providers as we continue on this next stage of the QiP journey.

So, whether starting out, or well-established, working in the voluntary public or private sectors, we hope that QiP will be an

Quality in Play latest edition launchedNicola Butler, Chair of Trustees

essential tool for every play and childcare provider.

Finally, we’d like to thank all the hundreds of people who have played a part in the development of QiP over the years. In particular, I’d like to thank Mick Conway for all his work and enthusiastic support in helping launch this latest edition.

#natplayconf workshop

Wednesday 8 March12.00 – 13.00pm Mansion Lions Hotel

Quality in Play: getting startedwith Mick Conway

Members’ Quarterly l March 2017 www.playengland.org.uk/ www.facebook.com/playengland/ www.playengland.org.uk/ www.facebook.com/playengland/ Members' Quarterly l March 2017

Challenging intoleranceChildren’s right to school breaks are also under attack from increasing intolerance to children playing out.

Chair of Trustees Nicola Butler, defended children’s right to play out at break times on BBC Radio’s ‘Jeremy Vine Show’. Residents had petitioned Kensington and Chelsea council, describing the sound of children playing out as an ‘obnoxious cacophony’.

‘It is really important for children’s mental health to have that fun and freedom,’ she argued. ‘Children playing out in public, in playgrounds, parks and streets is a sign of a healthy community.’

Nicola was also interviewed on BBC Radio Mark Forrest Show, broadcast across 200 local radio stations, explaining the importance of play in young children’s development.

Child-friendly citiesdesigning child-friendly cities is vital to children’s right to play. In February, Sam Williams, Landscape Architect for Arup, was our guest blogger on the issue. ‘Cities might connect us to the wider world through art, diversity and culture, but something as simple as how many cars pass down a street each day will decide whether a child has friends they can visit locally or not... A city where the young can move around freely is one where people of all ages meet, make friends and form the bonds needed to support both their own wellbeing and that of the community.’

Read his full blog here:

http://www.playengland.org.uk/child-friendly-cities-benefit-us-all/

Play England promoted Street Play at the ‘Child in the City’ conference. The project’s evaluation report is published this summer.

Innovative training on design, installation and maintenance of safer and challenging play areas

PRoGRAMME

09:00 - 09:30 Registration

09:30 – 09:45 Welcome, introductions to Erasmus Partners l Nicola Butler, Play England Chair of Trustees.l AIJU, Spain: Introduction to the SAFERPLAY project, Encarna Alemañ l University of Alicante, Spain, Pedro Pernías l Institut fur lebenslanges Lernen, Germany, Katrin Fröhlich l Hrast, Croatia

09:45 – 10:05 Children’s perspectives — formal and informal play spaces, by Mirjana Petrik, Faculty of architecture, CTU, Czech Republic

10:05 – 10:25 Play Design: are standards a creativity killer or a helpful tool? by Helena Menezes, RiskVision, Portugal

10:25 – 10:45 Discussion, Play Design in Europe – challenges and opportunitiesChair: Nicola Butler, Play England Chair of Trustees

Wednesday 8 March FREE woRKSHoPMansions Lions Hotel, Grand Parade, Eastbourne, BN21 3YS. For further information or to register for the event, please contact info@playengland.net.

MULTIPLIER EVENT: SAFERPLAY OPEN COURSE

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

CAMPAIGNING FOR CHILDREN’S RIGHT TO PLAYBan cars not childrenIn January, London’s pollution ‘black’ alerts put children’s break time at risk.

The alerts prompted calls for all schools to be fitted with carbon monoxide monitors so that headteachers can decide whether children can play outside.

Play England believes that traffic exclusion zones are the way to tackle the problem of air pollution, not banning children from playing outside.

Some cities — such as Glasgow and Edinburgh — have responded by addressing the root cause of the pollution and introduced traffic bans outside schools.

Children’s play time provides an essential space for them to socialise and enjoy physical activity. Research shows that children take around a

third of their recommended daily amount of physical activity during school break times.

The Guardian published Play England’s letter urging London to follow the lead of cities like Edinburgh.

Read the letter here:

http://bit.ly/2k2hz4w

our guest blogger, Marguerite Hunter Blair, Chief Executive of Play Scotland, said community pressure from parents and charities encouraged East Lothian, Glasgow and Edinburgh to introduce pilot schemes.

‘Car free zones around schools offer a broader range of benefits for children: more space to play, cycle, walk and scoot; less exhaust fumes; less congestion; better outcomes for our children and young people.’

Read her full blog here:

http://bit.ly/2mJKjh7

Monday 6 March 6pm -7.30pm Play England AGMGuest speaker Mike Greenaway, Director, Play Wales

Followed by drinks & networking The Ballroom, Mansions Lions Hotel

Tuesday 7 March, 11.45am Playwork qualifications — Special roundtable Hosted by Play England and Playwork Foundation.Dining Room, Mansion Lions Hotel

Wednesday 8 March 10.45 – 11.45am Design for Play: 10 years on in the UK, successes and challenges

Aileen Shackell, (Aileen Shackell Associates) lead author of Design for Play, Play England 2008)

12.00 – 13.00pm Quality in Play: getting startedMick Conway, on behalf of Play England

Play England at the National Playwork Conference 2017