Our Manifesto for Play…
Making Play an Election 2016
Priority
Jacqueline O’Loughlin
PlayBoard NI Chief Executive Officer
Why a Manifesto for Play?
• Time of significant change at policy
level:
– Transfer of responsibility for Play and
children’s issues to Dept. of Education
– Children’s Service Co-operation Bill and
merging Children and Young People’s
Strategy highlight Play as central pillars
• Children continue to face significant
barriers to fulfilling their natural
instinct to play.
Formal and Informal Education
We ask that play be prioritised during both curricular and non-curricular
time, in formal and informal education:
• Mandated time for play during the school day.
• Playwork training for all staff whom have supervisory responsibilities in school
recess periods.
• Recognition and appreciation of the importance of play within and beyond the
curriculum.
• Establishing quality criteria for play as part of the ETI Inspection framework.
• Full utilisation of the school estates for community use.
• Embedding children's voices and an ethos of participation in all schools and wider
children and young people's services i.e. Early years and youth services.
Health and Wellbeing
We ask that play be embedded within the Public Health
commissioning framework to maximise the health and
wellbeing outcomes associated with play:
•
Increasing awareness of the benefits of play across society.
•
Providing guidance on how best to enable and facilitate active play within
communities and within the home.
•
Providing play services and opportunities that allow children to test; explore and
challenge their capabilities whilst developing risk management skills, resilience
and self-reliance.
•
Supporting parents, carers and community groups to encourage children to play
more on their streets and in their communities.
Open & Recreational Space,
Parks & Public Spaces
We ask that play be embedded within the emerging
community planning structure through:
•
Ensuring adequate provision for play in new residential developments and
enhancing professionals understanding of play and how to plan, design and
manage it within the public realm.
•
Ensuring that children with disabilities are always included and integrated in
play.
•
Giving children and young people a voice on how they want to play and a say
in the design of play facilities.
•
Supporting the development of natural play areas and initiatives designed to
enable older children to play out and engage in recreational activities.
Wider Child/Social Policy Agenda
We ask all political parties and MLAs to drive the play agenda,
ensuring Executive commitments are fulfilled:
•
Using the Children’s Services Cooperation Act to prioritise and deliver outcomes
for play within regional and local government.
•
Ensuring Play & Leisure is a high level outcome within the emerging Children
and Young People’s strategy and a firm commitment in the Programme for
Government.
•
Ensuring the lead department for the Children and Young People’s strategy is
fully engaged & supportive in delivering outcomes for Play.
•
Fulfilling resource commitments and ensuring that all commitments are fulfilled
to provide innovative and novel play and leisure opportunities.
Supporting our Manifesto