First Edition. July 2006
Dedication
My heartfelt congratulations go to all the organisations and individuals
involved in developing the Stevenage Play Policy and Play Strategy.
For too long, play facilities and strategies for children and young
people have been devised by adults in positions of authority, who
have provided what they think is best for children and young people.
The Play Policy and Play Strategy has been developed in consultation
with the children of Stevenage, and their families, so finally their rights
and needs are being taken into account. This is a marvelous
achievement, and is to be celebrated.
In the past, it has often been difficult for children to access free play
facilities. The five year plan contained in the Play Strategy will ensure
that all of the town’s children have equal access to free play. Play is
vital to a child’s healthy development, and it is also important that
there are a wide variety of play opportunities available, including open
access play centres, toddler groups, parks and open spaces and
holiday play schemes. The Play Policy and Play Strategy provides
this, and will help the children of Stevenage gain the memorable play
experiences they deserve.
Barbara Follett
Member of Parliament for Stevenage
Page 2
Dedication
STEVENAGE PLAY POLICY
We want our children to reminisce, when they are adults, about
the good times they had playing whilst growing up in Stevenage.
We want our children to experience the joy and thrill of playing, to
take risks in their play within secure boundaries and to realise and
discover their innate potential.
Play Policy statement
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
The Council should spend more money on play to make the world
a better place.
Child’s comment during consultation on the Play Policy
Page 3
Contents
Executive summary
5
Summary of commitment statements
8
Introduction
11
Glossary of terms
12
Stevenage’s commitments to play
1.
The right to play
18
2.
Benefits of Play
20
3.
Access to play opportunities
23
4.
Play spaces
26
5.
Good quality play opportunities
29
6.
Working together
32
7.
Dialogue and engagement
35
Appendix one: Bibliography
Contents
37
Executive summary
In Stevenage, we are committed to the well being and healthy
development of our children. We recognise that children need a range
of opportunities to grow and fulfil their potential and that play is an
essential ingredient in that development. We have developed a play
policy that outlines our recognition and our commitment to this, most
vital, process for children.
Stevenage’s Play Policy encapsulates our vision for play for children
in Stevenage. It recognises the fundamental importance of the play
process in children’s lives and the duty of adults to ensure that
children are provided with access to the best possible play
opportunities whilst growing up in Stevenage.
Stevenage’s policy for children’s play was developed through
consultations with children, parents and carers, and service providers
in the voluntary and statutory sectors. Our policy reflects the
aspirations of all those consulted and has drawn on the growing
evidence of the importance of play for children.
The policy is therefore owned by the people of Stevenage and held in
trust by the Play Action Network. Stevenage Borough Council will
provide the lead in ensuring the Policy commitments are implemented
through the Play Strategy and Action Plan.
Stevenage is committed to:
●
all children’s right to play (The right to play)
●
understanding and promoting the benefits of play (The benefits of
play)
●
ensuring all children have access to play opportunities (Access to
play opportunities)
●
ensuring that the creation and design of play spaces are relevant to
children’s play needs (Play spaces)
●
providing good quality play opportunities (Good quality play
opportunities)
●
working in partnership (Working together)
●
engaging with all those affected by play or providing for play
(Dialogue and engagement)
1.
The right to play
Our first policy commitment is to recognise and implement
every child’s right to play. Article 31 of the United Nations
Convention on the Rights of the Child identifies this very right.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is the
most universally recognised human rights treaty and puts
Executive summary
Page 5
children at the centre stage in the quest for human rights. We
will advocate for and defend children’s right to play.
2.
The benefits of play
The importance of play in children’s development has been
researched extensively. We know that through play children
develop their social, physical, intellectual, creative, and
emotional skills. Play is children’s natural medium for exploring
and understanding the world around them and their own inner
world. Researchers Patrick Bateson and Paul Martin describe
Play as “scaffolding” for children’s development. In our Policy
for Play we recognise that play is a process of intrinsic worth
and that good quality play opportunities also help children’s
development. Play is not only good for children; it can also help
to increase community cohesion. Community involvement in the
delivery of play opportunities can create rich opportunities for
adults to get training, make new friends, build the social capital
in a neighbourhood and get jobs. We will raise awareness of the
important contribution play makes to children’s lives and
community development.
3.
Access to play opportunities
Research shows that children’s opportunities for free play and
creative expression through play is diminishing because of fears
for children’s safety, either through fear of “stranger danger” or
accident caused primarily by traffic. All children need good
quality play opportunities to thrive and flourish. We are mindful
that a number of barriers might prevent children from accessing
play provision such as: financial, physical, emotional, social or
psychological. We will identify and address factors that prevent
children from accessing this important resource for their
development and encourage communities to offer facilities and
opportunities through local and inclusive provision.
4.
Play spaces
Children should have access to a range of outdoor play
environments that are within easy reach, stimulating and built
on good design principles. Stevenage already has a number of
playgrounds ranging from our “visit” parks and playgrounds for
all the family to local playgrounds within an housing estate. We
understand the critical importance of appropriate location, good
design and accessibility in developing our play spaces. We will
work in partnership with other providers, community members,
children and young people to ensure all our play spaces are
designed to meet children’s need for places and spaces that
provoke the imagination, allow for thrill and create a sense of
identity.
Page 6
Executive summary
5.
Good quality play opportunities
We want to not only increase the quantity of play opportunities
for children but we also want to pay proper attention to the
quality of children’s play experiences and the delivery of play
provision. Through appropriate design of play spaces, training
and quality assurance schemes we will be able to raise the
standards for the delivery of play opportunities. We will raise
awareness of the importance of play to a wider audience,
particularly to those who impact on children’s play, either
directly or indirectly, through seminars, conferences, and visits
to other play provisions. This will ensure we are working to raise
the standards at every possible level.
6.
Working together
In Stevenage we value working in partnership to achieve our
aims. We believe partnerships in play, between direct and
indirect providers of play provision, will strengthen opportunities
and resources to implement the policy commitments. Working
with service providers and community members will enable us
to provide a coherent service that is efficient, effective and
continues to develop. We will be proactive in developing our
partnerships and together we will monitor and review our Policy
for Play and the Play strategy to make sure they are on course.
We will work together to keep an eye on new trends and
emerging needs. and ensure that all play opportunities are
relevant to children’s play.
7.
Dialogue and engagement
In developing play opportunities for children, it is vital that we
consult those who will be affected by them. We recognise that
consultations with service providers, children, young people and
their parents and carers, as well as other community members
will enhance our services and ensure they are relevant at all
times. We are committed to holding on-going dialogue with
local communities, children and young people and service
providers in the voluntary, statutory and private sectors. Good
practice requires that we inform people we consult about the
results of our consultations. We will ensure this is done and so
encourage everyone’s active participation.
We want to create Stevenage as a memorable place for children to
play, a place where children can look back and recall their play
times as thrilling, deeply satisfying and a wonderful learning
experience. Our commitments in the Play Policy will be a positive
step towards our vision for play.
Executive summary
Page 7
Summary of commitment
statements
1.
Right to play (Page 18)
All partners will:
2.
●
recognise that children have a right to play and will advocate
for and defend this right
●
ensure that action is taken to implement and promote
children’s right to play.
The benefits of play (Page 20)
All partners will:
3.
●
recognise that play is a process of intrinsic worth
●
recognise that good quality play opportunities enhance
children’s development
●
recognise that play builds and strengthens communities
●
promote the value of play to parents, carers, the wider
community, service providers and decision makers
●
gather and publish evidence of benefits to children, their
parents, carers and communities resulting from improving
play opportunities.
Access to play opportunities (Page 23)
All partners will:
Page 8
●
identify and address factors that exclude children from
accessing play opportunities
●
ensure that all children will have access to good quality play
opportunities
●
continue their commitment to the principle of supervised,
open access and free provision
●
ensure play provision, including outdoor and fixed equipment
playgrounds, is accessible to all children
●
increase access to good quality play by supporting and
enabling community-led play provision.
Summary of commitment statements
4.
Play spaces (Page 26)
All partners will:
5.
●
recognise, provide and safeguard a range of play spaces and
play places for children
●
promote the importance of creating rich outdoor
environments which enable children to play
●
work strategically, operationally and collectively to create a
safe network of play spaces from immediate local play areas
to wider neighbourhood facilities
●
recognise the value of children’s play spaces created by
them in their play process
●
be guided, in the planning and design of play spaces, by
children’s need to play, the different ways in which they play
and by their need to take risks whilst also feeling secure
●
plan and design inspiring, localised play spaces that offer
stimulation, provoke imagination and create a sense of
identity
●
work strategically, operationally and collectively to create a
safe network of play spaces from immediate local play areas
to wider neighbourhood facilities.
●
plan and design play spaces which allow for children’s need
to take risks and feel secure.
Good quality play opportunities (Page 29)
All partners will:
●
recognise their responsibilities as key providers of good play
opportunities
●
allow for risk taking in the design and delivery of good quality
play opportunities
●
ensure that staff and volunteers involved in the delivery of
play opportunities have training, knowledge and support to
carry out the duties and responsibilities expected of them in
their different roles
●
develop and deliver playwork awareness training for all those
who have regular contact with children when they are playing
●
work towards achieving the standards of appropriate quality
assurance schemes
●
deliver quality services informed by good practice locally,
regionally, nationally and internationally.
Summary of commitment statements
Page 9
6.
Working together (Page 32)
All partners will:
7.
●
work together proactively, strategically and operationally to
provide a coherent, good quality and imaginative play service
for all children
●
work together to monitor, review, develop and implement the
play policy and the play strategy
●
work together to support the delivery of play opportunities by
local community members
●
work together to identify existing and emerging needs for
children’s play
●
work together strategically and operationally to continue to
develop the quality, quantity and range of play opportunities
for children.
Dialogue and engagement (Page 35)
All partners will:
Page 10
●
hold on going dialogue with local communities, children and
relevant voluntary, statutory and private sector providers
about developments in play
●
inform stakeholders of any actions and decisions resulting
from the dialogue
●
actively seek stakeholders’ engagement and involvement in
developments in play
Summary of commitment statements
Introduction
Stevenage’s Play Policy encapsulates our vision for play for children
in Stevenage. It recognises the fundamental importance of the play
process in children’s lives and the duty of adults to ensure that
children are provided with access to the best possible play
opportunities whilst growing up in Stevenage.
The Play Policy understands that play manifests itself in a myriad of
forms and in a multitude of places: play can be indoors, outdoors,
alone, with others, with adults present or with other children. Above
all, we understand that play is a process owned by children for their
own sake.
The Play Policy is our commitment to children in Stevenage that we
take play seriously and so we take them seriously.
Within the body of the Policy document are the specific commitments
we have made to ensure our vision for play is achieved.
The policy was developed through a range of consultations with
children, parents and carers and service providers over a period of
seven months. In addition, national and county initiatives were
considered as were findings from national research and surveys. The
policy reflects the aspirations of everyone consulted.
The outcomes of the consultations and our own research, are the
seven commitment statements to play. We believe these
commitments reflect good practice, raise and maintain standards,
increase understanding of play and encourage innovation and
imagination in how we provide play opportunities. The implementation
of the commitments will ensure children are able to access a range of
inspiring and challenging play opportunities that help them recognise
and reach their potential.
Introduction
Page 11
Glossary of terms
Young people can find themselves excluded from discussions
by the jargon and complex language that they encounter. In
particular the different meaning ascribed to the same word by
different agencies is utterly confusing e.g. ‘play’, ‘carer’, and
‘support services’. Local authorities should actively monitor
their use of language to ensure that it is clear, concise and
easily understood.
Developing a Strategy for Children in Need in Wales
The Local Government Role, 1998
In drawing up this play strategy, we have used words and phrases in
line with their usual agreed definitions and understood meanings within
the field of playwork. We recognise that other disciplines may use the
same terms with a different meaning, so for the purposes of a shared
understanding of this document, we outline our use of words as
follows.
Partners
This refers to all those who directly and indirectly impact on children’s
play opportunities. This consists of:
●
Stevenage Borough Council’s services – Play Service, Parks,
Landscape, Planners, Highways, Sports Development etc.
●
other public services such as the Children’s Fund, the Early Years
Development and Childcare Partnerships, Children’s Schools and
Families and Sure Start
●
schools
●
voluntary organisations such as Play Forums, Pre-school Learning
Alliance, CVS, Uniformed groups and voluntary children’s groups
●
private agencies
Children
In line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the term
child is used in this policy to refer to anyone under the age of
eighteen. The meaning of the phrase young people will be evident by
its context.
Page 12
Glossary of terms
Play
Refers to freely chosen, self-directed and intrinsically motivated
behaviour, which actively engages the child, regardless of the context
in which it takes place:
Play is an innate drive and is essential for human development.
It is manifested as behaviour that is freely chosen, personally
directed and intrinsically motivated. The value of play derives
from the play process itself, not from any extrinsic goal, reward
or end product. Play is often spontaneous and unpredictable.
Through play children experience their world and their
relationship with it.
Charter for Playwork Education and Qualification
Joint National Committee on Training for Playwork
..children are playing when they are doing what they want to
do, in the way they want to and for their own reasons. Play may
take place with or without other children and any adult
involvement is at the invitation of the child or children.
Play is different from organised sport, groups, clubs and
classes which are clearly defined by external rules and
definitions… as they are not personally directed and intrinsically
motivated (although they may be freely chosen).
Children and young people of all ages play. As they get older
the words they use to describe their activities change and they
tend to use terms which describe specific activities rather than
the generic term ‘play’… the term ‘play’ is used to include the
free-time activities of children and young people from five to 16
years old.
Making the Case for Play, 2002
Play Opportunities
Refers to situations and environments where children have freedom to
play - this can include areas or situations not designated for play,
indoors or outside, formal or informal, supervised or unsupervised,
constructed and natural environments.
Glossary of terms
Page 13
Play Provision
Refers to play opportunities in settings which have been specifically
designated or planned for by adults – usually in response to a lack or
erosion of ‘natural’ play opportunities – they can be indoor or outdoor,
staffed or unstaffed, with or without equipment, static or mobile, free
or charged for.
The government review on children’s play Getting Serious About Play
(2004), describes Play provision as:
…a space, facility or set of activities that aims to give children
the opportunity to play. In play provision, children decide for
themselves what they want to do, why they are doing it and
how they go about it (perhaps with a degree of adult support or
guidance). If they wish, they can stop what they are doing and
do something else. Good play provision offers children as much
choice, control and freedom as possible, within reasonable
boundaries.
Play space
Play space is defined spaces specifically designed for children to play
such as fixed equipment playgrounds, skateboard parks and play
areas in parks and open spaces.
Playwork
Playwork refers to those adults who provide and work in play and
childcare settings where their primary role is the creation and
protection of a space which children can play. In this space adults’
intervention in the children’s play process is by invitation or in order to
prevent significant harm.
Playwork is the participation of adults paid or unpaid, in the
provision of appropriate environments offering play
opportunities for children and young people in their out of
school time.
National Strategy for Playwork Education and Training,
December 1998
Play Wales (the voluntary sector body for Play in Wales) have
developed a set of eight principles for playwork which regarding the
role of the playworker, state:
●
Page 14
For playworkers, the play process takes precedence and
Glossary of terms
playworkers act as advocates for play when engaging with adult
led agendas.
●
The role of the playworker is to support all children and young
people in the creation of a space in which they can play.
●
The playworker's response to children and young people playing is
based on a sound up to date knowledge of the play process, and
reflective practice.
●
Playworkers recognise their own impact on the play space and
also the impact of children and young people’s play on the
playworker.
●
Playworkers choose an intervention style that enables children and
young people to extend their play. All playworker intervention must
balance risk with the developmental benefit and well being of
children.
Youth Work
This is a distinct discipline working with children and young people
from 11-25, with the emphasis on 13-19 year olds. In Transforming
Youth Work Green Paper, good youth work is identified as offering
quality support to young people, enabling their voices to be heard,
providing a rich diversity of personal and social development
opportunities and promoting intervention and prevention.
Early Years Work
Early Years’ work is work with children aged 0-8 in an early years
childcare or education setting. Work with younger children can be in a
variety of settings from playgroups, formal childcare settings, and
nurseries to initiatives such Sure Start programmes. An early years
setting may also involve play focused settings such as toddler groups
and playgroups.
Open Access Play Provision
PLAYLINK’S publication Open for Play (2003) defines open access
provision as:
Open access provision is defined as supervised provision which
allows children to come and go at will. It is designed
specifically to respond to the needs and wishes of children,
offering secure and stimulating places where they can play and
meet their friends in their leisure time.
Typically, open access provision is neighbourhood based, and
free at the point of entry, giving children a realistic opportunity
to drop in and out.
Glossary of terms
Page 15
Childcare
This differs from open access play provision by the fact that a
contract exists between the provider and parents/carers to ensure
that children attend for a defined period of time, during which the
provider is in loco parentis.
Community-led schemes
These are schemes, usually holiday playschemes, run by and for
small, local communities. Community members working on the
scheme may do so on a paid or voluntary basis. The funding for the
schemes may come from a variety of sources such as local and
national trusts and charities, lottery funding or local authorities.
Public space
Ken Worpole in No particular place to go? defines public space as:
(The) continuous network of pavements, streets, amenity land,
parks, playing fields, town squares, forecourts and curtileges
(e.g. railway station forecourts or retail car parks) and other
paved open spaces, which children and young people use in
the course of their daily lives.
Social capital
There are a number of definitions of social capital. Two are offered
below:
Page 16
●
Social capital refers to the institutions, relationships, and norms
that shape the quality and quantity of a society's social
interactions... Social capital is not just the sum of the institutions
which underpin a society – it is the glue that holds them together.
(The World Bank 1999)
●
Social capital consists of the stock of active connections among
people: the trust, mutual understanding, and shared values and
behaviours that bind the members of human networks and
communities and make cooperative action possible. (Cohen and
Prusak 2001)
Glossary of terms
Stevenage’s commitments to play
1.
The right to play
18
2.
Benefits of Play
20
3.
Access to play opportunities
23
4.
Play spaces
26
5.
Good quality play opportunities
29
6.
Working together
32
7.
Dialogue and engagement
35
Stevenage’s commitments to play
Page 17
1.
The right to play
…to disregard the notion of rights is to disregard the
current political position of children as minorities;
children’s rights must be acknowledged and promoted if
we are to reconstruct how we think about them and
behave towards them in an emancipatory way. To leave
rights out of the equation leaves children as the objects
of adult behaviour…
From Children’s Services to Children’s Spaces, Peter
Moss and Pat Petrie
Commitment
We will weave our commitment to children’s right to play into
the fabric of Stevenage so that everyone understands and
engages with this right. The measure of our success will be to
see adults advocating for children’s play and children playing
freely without harm and prejudice.
All partners will:
●
recognise that children have a right to play and will
advocate for and defend this right
●
ensure that action is taken to implement and promote
children’s right to play.
1.1
Stevenage’s play policy is firmly rooted in the principle of every
child’s right to play. This right to play is recognised in the United
Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). The
UNCRC has almost universal ratification by the United Nations
Member states and is the most widely recognised human rights
treaty in history.
1.2
Article 31 of the Convention states:
Every child has the right to rest and leisure, to engage in
play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of
the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the
arts.
Member governments shall respect and promote the right
of the child to participate fully in cultural and artistic life
and shall encourage the provision of appropriate and
equal opportunities for cultural, artistic, recreational and
leisure activity.
Page 18
Stevenage’s commitments to play
1.3
Many adults can recall fondly of their play times and the sheer
enjoyment they found in their play. Many will have participated
in risky activities, challenges and imaginative play and in the
process made friends, gained confidence, agility, self esteem
and affirmed their innate abilities, and yet, adults are now
denying children these same opportunities primarily because of
fears for their safety and by increasing adult-led agendas and
interventions. Children’s opportunities to range freely in their
neighbourhood are decreasing and their opportunities to play
outside are seriously restricted because of cars and fear of
strangers. Some are prevented from playing by complaining
neighbours or the design and location of unsuitable play
spaces.
1.4
Article 4 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the
Child identifies the responsibility of member states to implement
the Articles within the Convention:
State Parties shall undertake all appropriate legislative,
administrative, and other measures for the
implementation of the rights recognised in the present
Convention.
1.5
Children need and deserve places and spaces for play and it is
our duty to recognise, defend and promote their right to play.
Stevenage’s commitments to play
Page 19
2.
Benefits of Play
At all ages play is undertaken for sheer pleasure and
enjoyment and engenders a cheerful attitude to life and
learning. This is surely sufficient reason on its own for
play to be valued.
Just playing? Janet R. Moyles
Commitment
It is clear from overwhelming evidence that play is good for
children, for families and for communities. We are committed
to, and take seriously, our commitment to ensuring children,
parents and carers, and communities gain the maximum
benefits from play.
All partners will:
●
recognise that play is a process of intrinsic worth
●
recognise that good quality play opportunities enhance
children’s development
●
recognise that play builds and strengthens communities
●
promote the value of play to parents, carers, the wider
community, service providers and decision makers
●
gather and publish evidence of benefits to children, their
parents, carers, and communities resulting from improving
play opportunities.
2.1
The importance of play for children and communities has been
widely researched and documented. Play is children’s
developmental medium and helps to promotes learning,
creativity and independence.
2.2
In a recent study on obesity, Professor Roger Mackett identified
that play helps to reduce obesity. Through “tagging” children
with a small device that monitored children’s levels of physical
activity, he and his team were able to identify periods when
children were most active and therefore used up the most
calories. His findings showed that whilst the level of activity was
high during a physical education class, children burnt up more
calories in total through incidental play (such as playing when
going home from school) and focused play times. He states:
Letting children go out to play is one of the best things
that parents can do for their children’s health.
Page 20
Stevenage’s commitments to play
2.3
As well as increasing children’s good health and physical
development, play helps children to explore their internal world
and the world around them, to learn to be with others, take
risks and enjoy life. Tina Bruce, in her book Helping young
children to play identifies a number of positive benefits for
children when they play. She writes that play helps children to
develop their skills to plan, to explore their feelings and come to
terms with hurt or trauma, to have fun, to experiment with being
people they like or dislike and to learn about justice and
fairness. She describes play as a rich reservoir of resources: the
more children play, the more they will be able to call on their
play memories to help them during times of difficulties in
adulthood.
2.4
Play also benefits parents and communities. Best Play: What
play provision should do for children cites the study carried out
in Zurich about the effects of not providing good play
opportunities on the whole community:
A lack of good play opportunities can also have adverse
consequences on families and communities. The Zurich
research...found evidence that families of children who
were kept indoors had poorer local support networks and
consequently found it more difficult to, for, instance,
organise informal childcare. This supports the thesis that
community play opportunities form part of the “glue” that
brings communities and families together.
Best Play: What play provision should do for
children, 2000
2.5
Play is a powerful incentive that brings communities together.
Through providing play opportunities, community members
develop skills, confidence, employment prospects, reduce
conflict in their neighbourhood and build social capital. Play
helps communities to build a rich network of relationships which
can be called upon when in need.
2.6
The provision of appropriate recreational activities can help to
reduce social isolation experienced by some young people.
Further, the involvement of young people through volunteering
in children’s play settings supports community cohesion and
creates a sense of belonging and participation.
2.7
Studies have shown, as indeed has Stevenage’s own
experience, that promoting play during school break times
increases children’s concentration and reduces anti-social
behaviour.
Stevenage’s commitments to play
Page 21
2.8
The need to promote play is vital. Adults need to remember and
understand why play is important. This will ensure Stevenage is
always a place where children feel good about playing.
Nationally, the importance of play is being promoted through
the Every Child Matters: Change for Children and the five
outcomes identified by the Government. One of the indicators
for this outcome is:
All children and young people can access a range of
recreational activities, including play and voluntary
learning provision.
Page 22
Stevenage’s commitments to play
3.
Access to play opportunities
“The Council should spend more money on play to make
the world a better place. If someone was poor and upset
they could just come here (to the playcentre) and then
have a better life. There’s more stuff here than at home.
At home you do the same stuff 50 million times, here it’s
different every day”
Child’s comments during consultation about the
Stevenage play policy
Commitment
In Stevenage we are committed to identifying the barriers to
accessing play opportunities. We understand that these
barriers might not be apparent or obvious and that many are
hidden. We will listen carefully and with an open mind to
people who are on the margins of our society, particularly
children, and work with them to understand and remove
barriers that prevent them from taking advantage of all the
play opportunities Stevenage has to offer.
All partners will:
3.1
●
identify and address factors that exclude children from
accessing play opportunities
●
ensure that all children will have access to good quality
play opportunities
●
continue their commitment to the principle of supervised,
open access and free provision
●
ensure play provision, including outdoor and fixed
equipment playgrounds, is accessible to all children
●
increase access to good quality play by supporting and
enabling community-led play provision.
Article 2 of The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the
Child outlines each country’s duty to respect and promote
children’s rights without:
discrimination of any kind, irrespective of the child’s or
his or her parent’s or legal guardian’s race, colour, sex,
language, religion, political or other opinion, national,
ethnic or social origin, property, disability, birth or status.
Stevenage’s commitments to play
Page 23
and that each country:
shall take appropriate measures to ensure that the child is
protected against all forms of discrimination…
3.2
The term “accessible” is used in the policy in its broadest sense
to refer to every child’s right to access play opportunities and
the adults’ duty to ensure physical, institutional and attitudinal
barriers that prevent children from participating in play are
recognised and removed.
3.3
Research has shown that open access and free provision is one
of the most effective ways of ensuring children can access a
range of play opportunities. In Asian Children Play (2001),
Kapasi identifies open access play projects as the route for
Asian children from low income families for play. This is true of
most low income families.
Families living in poverty could not afford to pay for
childcare and as more and more open access play
projects became fee-paying childcare schemes with
restricted number of places, Asian children, particularly
from low-income families, were denied play opportunities.
Page 24
3.4
Whilst fee-paying childcare schemes suit some families, the
availability of free, open access, supervised provision is
essential for those children whose families cannot afford to pay.
Offering free, open access and supervised play provision in
Stevenage continues to be an essential part of inclusive play
opportunities.
3.5
Whilst all children have a right to access play opportunities not
all children do. Factors that prevent children from taking up play
opportunities include poverty, racism, prejudice against
lifestyles, religious beliefs, social status, lack of transport and
disability. Other barriers include a lack of provision for different
ages of children and constant complaints from residents. The
complaints often lead to outdoor play facilities not being
developed, being located in unsuitable places or being
removed.
3.6
The role of the adult in ensuring children feel included and
accepted in both supervised and unsupervised play is essential
in creating play environments in which children feel free to be
themselves and to express themselves without hurting or
Stevenage’s commitments to play
abusing others. Adults need to be aware of the impact of
discrimination and stereotyping on groups of people. Services
that do not consider the needs of children from marginalised
sections of the community and are not inclusive. This failure will
lead to conflict and alienation.
3.7
Legislation such as the Disability Discrimination Act and the
Race Relations Amendment Act are designed to ensure service
providers act to remove barriers to the take up of services. The
relevant legislation can be used to ensure that play
opportunities meet national standards in indoor provision,
design of outdoor play spaces and installation of fixed
equipment playgrounds so disabled children and children from
less visible communities are able to use all services.
3.8
Community-led provision reaches children from marginalised
communities often more successfully than mainstream
providers. Community-led provision is enhanced in quality
through funding, support and training.
3.9
Inclusion benefits all children not just those from minority
sections of the community because:
When children play together, parents invariable talk
together and new community alliances are forged.
Inclusive play spaces can be the seedbeds from which
sustainable and inclusive communities grow. (Developing
Accessible Play Spaces)
Stevenage’s commitments to play
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4.
Play spaces
I made my escape as soon as I could and slipped down to
the river to find the old hiding place. The wilderness was
gone, the tree had been felled and a neat summer house
had been erected ‘to please the children”.
TS Eliot, The Family Reunion
Commitment
We will create inspirational and challenging play spaces for
children and balance children and young people’s need to play
with legitimate concerns of adults. We will not automatically
assume children playing constitutes a threat to adults but will
ensure Stevenage can be a place where children’s visibility is
encouraged and enjoyed.
All partners will:
4.1
●
recognise, provide and safeguard a range of play spaces and
play places for children
●
promote the importance of creating rich outdoor
environments which enable children to play
●
work strategically, operationally and collectively to create a
safe network of play spaces from immediate local play areas
to wider neighbourhood facilities
●
be guided, in the planning and design of play spaces, by
children’s need to play, the different ways in which they play
and by their need to take risks whilst also feeling secure
●
plan and design inspiring, localised play spaces that offer
stimulation, provoke imagination and create a sense of
identity
●
work strategically, operationally and collectively to create a
safe network of play spaces from immediate local play areas
to wider neighbourhood facilities.
The National Children’s Play Council carried out extensive
research into what children preferred to do after school and
during holiday times. They found that children liked to play
outdoors:
The Children’s Play Council research shows strongly that,
contrary to popular belief, children want more
opportunities for outdoor and physically-active pursuits.
Making the Case for Play, Cole-Hamilton, Harrop and
Street 2002
Page 26
Stevenage’s commitments to play
4.2
Stevenage has a good ratio of outdoor spaces to its population.
There is a need to protect and develop these spaces so that they
are suitable for everyone. Children themselves also create their
own play spaces and play environments which hold meaning for
them. They create dens, small rockeries, signs and hiding places
which are all part of the play process. These often pose no threat
to the environment or others and can add to the diversity within
an environment. However, we also recognise that sometimes the
play spaces created by children can be hazardous or even
offensive.
4.3
Children like to play out, that is clear from existing research and
publications such as More than Swings and Roundabouts (ColeHamilton, 2002). And, we also know that it is good for children to
play out. In More than Swings and Roundabouts, it states:
Outdoor play opens up a whole range of enjoyable
activities alone and with friends. It often involves healthy
physical activity, so it plays a part in reducing the longterm health consequences of a sedentary lifestyle. It is
important as a way of learning key social, emotional and
life skills. The more diverse the natural and physical
surroundings, the greater the range of possible
experiences and learning and developmental
opportunities.
Playing outdoors gives children and young people a
whole range of play opportunities not otherwise available
to them. Outside they are more able to play freely, meet
their friends, move around on foot or by bicycle, feel less
constrained in their activities, to run, climb, jump and
hide. They have the chance to learn about and to feel a
sense of ownership of the local environment.
4.4
Children’s use of public spaces – streets, open spaces, parks,
pathways, car parks etc. is often restricted compared to that of
adults. Children are often under informal surveillance about their
use of outdoor spaces. Whilst children need to know a trusted
adult is nearby, excessive intrusion into their play by adults also
results in persistent complaints from adults about noise levels.
Adults’ use of public spaces is often prioritised over children’s
need to play out. The propensity for “No Ball Games” signs,
complaints about young people “hanging around” and requests to
locate playgrounds away from housing to reduce noise are
indicative of the lack of acceptance of children in our society.
4.5
Persistent complaints about children playing out and the
inappropriate siting of playgrounds to meet adult agendas, are
examples that society has little understanding of children’s needs.
The notion that adult needs have priority over children’s needs in
the use of public space must be challenged. It is important to
Stevenage’s commitments to play
Page 27
promote the importance of outdoor play for children and the
development of environments that offer children the opportunities
to realise their potential.
4.6
Studies of children playing on housing estates (Wheway and
Millward, 1997) show that children will play out even in dense,
urban environments. The studies also show that when children
play out they tend to roam around their neighbourhood rather
than stay in one place for extended periods of time. They prefer
to move from one place to another. This has significant
implications for the design of our outdoor spaces, our
playgrounds and for the routes and networks that lead children to
play areas.
4.7
Planning and design of play spaces must be influenced by the
way children use the environment when playing, how they play,
the different ways in which they play, (for example, quiet play,
boisterous play, solitary play or social play) and developmental
needs. Children must be offered a wide range of play
environments to cater for their imaginative, physical, solitary,
social and creative development. Consulting widely when
developing services will ensure services and provision are
responsive to children’s needs.
4.8
Playgrounds and play spaces must have distinctiveness in their
design. Standardisation of equipment can be more dangerous to
children than unique features that enable children to explore their
limits. Design and play provision must take into serious
consideration children’s need to take risks. Risk taking is a
fundamental and rarely avoidable part of children’s development.
If children are not allowed risk taking within secure boundaries
they will pursue risk in the most unsafe places and spaces. Play
environments should offer opportunities for maximising risk and
the perception of risk in play while minimising hazards and the
experience of serious harm or trauma.
4.9
Children using outdoor spaces without harm is an indication of a
community that feels safe and confident about allowing the most
vulnerable members of its community to “playing out”. Good
quality outdoor play spaces are vital to help regenerate local
communities and their sense of belonging and identity with their
local environment.
4.10 To achieve the aspirations of the policy, there is a need for a
strategic approach to the development of outdoor play spaces
and to work in partnership to enhance skills, knowledge and
resources of the providers of play opportunities.
Page 28
Stevenage’s commitments to play
5.
Good quality play opportunities
“If you are bored you can go to the playcentre and by the
end of the day you would be happy”.
Child’s comments during consultation on the play
policy
Commitment
We will work to ensure Stevenage is guided by good practice
locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. We want to
inspire our children and offer them the best possible play
opportunities by building upon our existing good practice as
well as seeking out alternative, new ways of working that
enhance our practice.
All partners will:
5.1
●
recognise their responsibilities as key providers of good
play opportunities
●
allow for risk taking in the design and delivery of good
quality play opportunities
●
ensure that staff and volunteers involved in the delivery of
play opportunities have training, knowledge and support to
carry out the duties and responsibilities expected of them
in their different roles
●
develop and deliver playwork awareness training for all
those who have regular contact with children when they are
playing
●
work towards achieving the standards of appropriate
quality assurance schemes
●
deliver quality services informed by good practice locally,
regionally, nationally and internationally.
We want our children to reminisce, when they are adults, about
the good times they had playing whilst growing up in
Stevenage. We want our children to experience the joy and thrill
of playing, to take risks in their play within secure boundaries
and to realise and discover their innate potential. To do this
attention needs to be paid to the quality of the play environment
on offer and the important role adults have in enabling children
to have play experiences that are deep, meaningful and
satisfying to them.
Stevenage’s commitments to play
Page 29
Page 30
5.2
Service providers need to be mindful of the impact of their
services on the quality of children’s play opportunities. Those
planning strategically for play must actively engage with service
users to ensure they are offering a quality service.
5.3
Outdoor play spaces need on-going assessment of the quality
and suitability of the provision on offer to children. Badly
designed and poorly located play areas can lead to misuse or
lack of use. The design of outdoor play spaces should be
governed by the play needs of children rather than adults
concepts of what children need. These play needs may change
as the local demographics alter.
5.4
Outdoor play provision should be guided by the best possible
practice, research and knowledge about how and why children
play. Designers of play spaces must be brave and take risks in
the design of play spaces so that they are inspirational,
unconventional and engage children at different levels from
intense physical energy to quiet imaginative day dreaming.
5.5
Children have a developmental need to feel that they are taking
risks irrespective of whether those risks are actual or imagined.
Service providers can, through appropriate environments,
provide opportunities for maximising risk and the perception of
risk whilst minimising hazards and the potential for serious
injury or trauma.
5.6
Attention to the training and development of those adults
responsible for delivering play services, either directly or
indirectly, is essential to ensure all children in Stevenage are
offered good quality play provision and play opportunities.
Training and development opportunities can raise the level of
understanding and awareness of what play has to offer to
children. It can also clarify how adults can enhance children’s
play experiences. Good training evolves and develops as new
needs and ideas emerge.
5.7
Designing a training and development framework should ensure
experienced and inexperienced playworkers, volunteers, those
who work indirectly in children’s play (such as artists, park
keepers, landscape designers, museum and library staff) and
those who will affect play opportunities (such as planners,
environmental services and those in housing development),
have opportunities to raise their awareness of the importance of
play for children.
5.8
Community groups especially may require training, information
and further support if they are to deliver an effective play
provision.
Stevenage’s commitments to play
5.9
Services offered to children in Stevenage should meet the
relevant regulatory standards for play as a matter of course.
Voluntary groups in particular require support to overcome
hurdles in meeting regulations in delivering play opportunities.
5.10 Quality Assurance schemes can help deliver a service that is of
the highest standard.
5.11 Good quality services respond to current and emerging needs
and issues and set standards for others to follow. They seek
examples of best practice locally, regionally, nationally and
internationally and use the information to form service provision
and play opportunities for children generally.
Stevenage’s commitments to play
Page 31
6.
Working together
Multi-disciplinary planning groups offer opportunities for
inter-agency coordinated planning for children’s play and
often lead to better communications generally between
agencies and departments. This is particularly important
in areas with two tiers of local government. A multiagency, “joined-up” approach is vital in taking forward
corporate policy development and strategic planning.
More than Swings and Roundabout, Cole-Hamilton
Commitment
We recognise that partnerships should be based on mutual
respect and a commitment to equality. We will build a
cohesive and coherent partnership that can deliver the best
possible play opportunities for all children in Stevenage. We
will acknowledge and celebrate the valuable contributions
individuals, communities, services and agencies can make in
realising our vision for play in Stevenage.
All partners will:
6.1
Page 32
●
work together proactively, strategically and operationally to
provide a coherent, good quality and imaginative play
service for all children
●
work together to monitor, review, develop and implement
the play policy and the play strategy
●
work together to support the delivery of play opportunities
by local community members
●
work together to identify existing and emerging needs for
children’s play
●
work together strategically and operationally to continue to
develop the quality, quantity and range of play
opportunities for children.
Children’s propensity to engage in play irrespective of time and
place means that it is impacted on by a wide range of services.
Play occurs in a variety of settings such as hospitals (through
the hospital play services), schools, after school clubs, toddler
groups, parks and open spaces and on streets. Play is also
affected by a whole range of public services such as transport,
planning, housing, health, landscape design, community
services and arts. This means strategic planners for play need
to think holistically about play environments.
Stevenage’s commitments to play
6.2
6.3
There are a range of initiatives, policies and strategies currently
impacting on opportunities and services for children’s play in
Stevenage. For example:
●
the Stevenage Community Safety Strategy 2021 is
concerned with reducing obesity in children, it identifies the
potential to shift for some travel to walking and cycling and
investment in young people.
●
the SBC Corporate Business strategy aims to create a
learning town that invests in all and a town with strong
communities and opportunities for all. One of its objectives
relates directly to play – the improvement of safety in parks,
play and open spaces.
●
the County Council’s Community Strategy for 2004-2010,
Herts Together, identifies the need to invest in children and
young people as a key objective and acknowledges that play
and leisure are a vital part of children’s lives
●
the Herts Children and Young People’s Strategic Partnership
draft Children’s Plan includes a commitment to develop a
play strategy
●
the Herts EYDCP (Young in Herts) is developing a playwork
education and training strategy
Currently Stevenage partnerships for children occur through a
range of initiatives such as the:
●
the Sure Start Early Years Development and Childcare
Partnership
●
Children and Young People’s Strategic Partnership
●
Youth Service, Police, Community Development, Sports
Development and Play Service working together to deliver
Summer Fest
●
Stevenage Borough Council’s outreach partnerships such as
the Play Rights and Toddler Groups Initiatives
●
grant assistance and support for Play Associations.
6.4
Partnership is critical to the implementation of the Play Strategy
and to ensure we honour our commitments in the policy. This
will be most effective through active, cooperative partnerships.
A partnership of voluntary and statutory sectors will help us to
deliver the targets in the strategy through combining resources,
expertise and knowledge. Partnerships require negotiations, a
willingness to be open, a commitment to equality and at all
times to maintain a shared vision for children’s play at the
forefront.
6.5
Play opportunities and play provision should be delivered locally
as much as possible to better meet the needs of local
Stevenage’s commitments to play
Page 33
communities, to develop social capital, to encourage social
enterprise and to increase investment in play in Stevenage. This
can be done by supporting, through a partnership approach,
local community members and encouraging voluntary sector
initiatives.
Page 34
6.6
Whilst the essence of play and its developmental properties
have an almost universal and timeless quality, the specific needs
of children’s play will develop in response to the environments in
which children are growing up in. A partnership approach can,
through its collection of knowledge, expertise and information,
ensure play in Stevenage continues to respond to emerging
needs and maintain and develop the quality and quantity of play.
6.7
Partnerships develop a rich network of relationships that
increase ownership and enable the common agenda for play to
be delivered effectively and efficiently.
Stevenage’s commitments to play
7.
Dialogue and engagement
The views of children, their parents and carers, and other
professionals involved in children’s well-being, should be
actively sought in the development of such strategies,
and forms of continuous consultation should be
developed in order to adapt or change provision as new
demands arise.
No particular place to go? Ken Worpole
Commitment
The play policy and the play strategy have been developed
through consultation with a range of people such as service
providers, children, their parents and carers and volunteers.
We believe consultation itself is not enough. Children must
affect the way in which play opportunities are delivered. We
want active dialogue and engagement with all those who are
affected by play or are involved in play. We want to work in
partnership with them to make sure that we are on course to
deliver the best possible play environments for children.
All partners will:
7.1
●
hold on going dialogue with local communities, children and
relevant voluntary, statutory and private sector providers
about developments in play
●
inform stakeholders of any actions and decisions resulting
from the dialogue
●
actively engage and involve stakeholders in developments
in play
Children’s right to be heard in matters that concern them is
stated in Article 12.1 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the
child. It states:
Parties shall assure the child who is capable of forming
his or her own views the right to express those views
freely in all matters affecting the child, the views of the
child being given due weight in accordance with the age
and maturity of the child.
7.2
Listening to children, listening to their parents and carers and
listening to all those who are affected by children’s play or who
provide play opportunities is essential if play opportunities in
Stevenage’s commitments to play
Page 35
Stevenage are to be relevant, meaningful and of the highest
standard possible.
7.3
Dialogue and engagement is not necessarily an easy process
and requires partners to work together to ensure the process of
involvement is conducted with integrity and skill. Conflicting
needs and wishes must be handled with sensitivity and respect.
In the Every Child Matters – Change for Children, it states:
To work effectively, it is vital that partners recognise that
their primary purpose is to improve outcomes for children
and young people, not to represent or defend a particular
service position. It requires open and honest participation.
7.4
Stevenage Borough Council’s public consultation strategy 20032006, Engaging Local Communities, states:
Effective consultation means ensuring that all groups in
the community are consulted. It is relatively easy to reach
the majority of the population, however this may mean
that the views of less available groups, often referred to as
“hard to reach” groups are not heard. It is widely
recognised that some groups, for example, young people
and ethnic minorities are less likely to respond to
traditional public consultation surveys, feedback forms or
volunteer for focus groups.
7.5
Not all groups feel a sense of belonging and therefore may not
take part in consultation or participation. Children in particular
are often unheard and when their views are sought they are
often ignored. They lack the power that adults hold and are
easily over looked. Children often complain that once consulted
no-one ever informs them of the results of the consultation
process.
7.6
Making a positive contribution has been recognised as one of
the five outcomes for children in Every Child Matters: Change for
children. One of the criteria for judging whether this outcome is
being achieved is:
Children and young people are encouraged to participate
in the planning and management of services and activities.
7.7
Page 36
Effective dialogue and participation requires creative and
imaginative ways of engaging with everyone, especially children,
young people and people from marginalised sections of the
community. Information collecting is as important as information
dissemination to ensure continued dialogue and engagement.
Stevenage’s commitments to play
Appendix one: Bibliography
Children, Play and playwork
Bruce, T, (1996) Helping Young Children to Play Hodder and
Stoughton
Bateson, P, Martin, P, (1999) Design for a Life, Cape
Children’s Play Council (1998) New charter for Children’s Play.
National Children’s Bureau.
Cole-Hamilton I and Gill T, (2002), Making the case for play, Building
policies and strategies for school-aged children. National Children’s
Bureau
Cole-Hamilton I, Harrop A and Street C(2002) Making the Case for
Play. National Children’s Bureau Enterprises Ltd.
Cole-Hamilton, I, Harrop, A, and Street, C (2002) Making the Case for
Play: Gathering the evidence. National Children’s Bureau.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport. (2003) Getting Serious
about Play – a review of children’s play.
Elliot, T.S The Family Reunion
Margaret Hodge, Minister for Children, Young People and Families
(2004) Every Child Matters, next steps. DfES Publications.
National Playing Fields Association, Children’s Play Council and
PLAYLINK (2000) Best Play: What play provision should do for
children. National Playing Fields Association (available from the
Children’s Play Council)
Mackett, R, Paskins, J, Lucas L, Turbin, J (2004) Measuring children’s
daily play in the CATS study, Centre for Transport Studies, University
College London
Moss P & Petrie P (2002) From Children’s Services to Children’s
Spaces Routledge Falmer
Play Safety Forum (2002) Managing Risks in Play Provision: A
position statement. Children’s Play Council Play.
Shier, H, (1995) Article 31 Action Pack, PLAY-TRAIN
Appendix one: Bibliography
Page 37
Playgrounds and play spaces
Biddulph M. (2001) Homezones. A planning and design Handbook.
The Policy Press.
Children’s Play Council, National Children’s Bureau (2002) More than
swings and roundabouts: planning for outdoor play.
Coffin G & Williams M. (1989) Children’s outdoor Play in the built
environment - a handbook for all who design, plan or manage
residential neighbourhoods. The National Children’s play and
recreation Unit.
DTLR Transport Local Government Regions (2002) Green Spaces,
Better Places Dept for Transport
Greater London Authority (2004) Draft guide to preparing play
strategies: towards the provision of safe and attractive play spaces in
London’s neighbourhoods, Greater London Authority
Green Alliance / Demos (2004) A child’s place: why environment
matters to children. Green Alliance / Demos
Hampshire R. & Wilkinson M. (2002) Youth Shelters and Sports
Systems – A good practice guide. Second edition. Thames Valley
Police.
Hirst P & Mc Harry J How to make your neighbourhood a better place
to live. The how to do it handbook. ENCAMS
Matthews H. (2001) Children and Community regeneration.
Groundwork/Save the Children.
Melville, S, (2005) Places for Play, PLAYLINK
Warpole K (2002) No particular Place to go?. Groundwork UK
Wheway R and Millward A (1997) Child’s Play: Facilitating play on
housing estates. Chartered Institute of Housing.
Dept for Culture Media & Sport London Getting Serious About Play.
Consultation and participation
CABE SPACE (2004) What would you do with this space? Involving
young people in the design and care of urban spaces. CABE SPACE.
Driskell D. (2002) Creating better Cities with children and young
people – a manual for participation. UNESCO
Kapasi, H (Editor) (2002) I Am, We Are activities pack, INSPIRE
Shepherd C & Treseder P (2002) Spice it up! Practical tools for
Page 38
Appendix one: Bibliography
engaging children and young people in planning and consultations.
Save the Children, Dynamix
Wilcox D (1994) A Guide to participation
Inclusive play
Douch, P (2002) It doesn’t just happen: inclusive management for
inclusive play Kidsactive
John A and Wheway R (2004) Can Play, Will Play Disabled Children
and Access to Outdoor Playgrounds
Kapasi, H (2001) Asian Children Play: Increasing access to play
provision for Asian Children, second edition. PLAY-TRAIN.
Kapasi, H. (2002) Playing in Parallel: A study of access to play
provision for Black and minority children in London. London Play.
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (2003) Developing Accessible Play
Space – A Good Practice Guide
Petrie. P, Storey, P and Candappa M (2000) Inclusive Play, Towards a
framework for improved practice. Thomas Coram Research Unit,
Institute of Education, University of London.
Scott, R (2000) Side by Side: Guild lines for inclusive play. Kidsactive.
Play Training and Quality Assurance
Hughes Bob (2002) The First Claim – desirable processes. A
framework for advanced playwork quality assessment Play Wales.
Joint National Committee on Training for Playwork (2003) The new
JNCTP Charter for Playwork Education, Training and Qualifications
Joint National Committee on Training for Playwork
London Play (2001) Quality in Play, quality assurance for children’s
play providers, London Play.
PlayWales (2001) First Claim: a framework for playwork quality
assessment. PlayWales
Appendix one: Bibliography
Page 39
Acknowledgements
The development of this policy was possible through the cooperation
and participation of children, parents and carers, and service
providers in the voluntary and statutory sectors. Many thanks to all
those who gave up their time to be consulted and to comment on
drafts. Particular thanks to Graeme Buck, SBC Play Development
Manager who gave detailed feedback and support and to staff of the
Stevenage Borough Council Play Section who helped to organise the
consultations. The policy was developed with support from an
independent consultant Haki Kapasi of INSPIRE.
Page 40
Acknowledgements
Page 41
First Edition. July 2006