Big Lottery Fund
Case Study – Just Play
January 2016
Project information
Just Play
Grant: £485,622 – From 2014 to 2017
http://www.angus.gov.uk/info/20266/children_and_families/258/childcare_and_childminding
Arbroath, Scotland
Jill Waldie (Project Manager)
Background
Arbroath is a small coastal town in Angus, Eastern Scotland. Just Play was set up in 2012
thanks to the initiative of a group of professionals from different services (police, health
and early years). This project uses play to engage with vulnerable families with a child
aged 0-3 where there is a history of offending behaviour. This is often accompanied by
substance misuse, domestic abuse or mental health issues.
Project Activities
Just Play employs six staff: one Just Play coordinator (the manager) and five Just Play
practitioners. The practitioners come from different backgrounds, such as change to
health, art therapy and sports. They bring different strengths to the team and offer a
variety of learning opportunities for families. 45 families come to the service each month.
Families can self-refer into the service, but most referrals come from other professionals
(such as social workers and the police) or other partner organisations (for instance
Barnardo’s).
Just Play aims to strengthen the relationships between parents and their children,
increasing the parents’ confidence to undertake a variety of activities with their children
and to spend quality time with them. Positive interactions between parents and child can
contribute to breaking the generational patterns of violence. Additionally, Just Play
sessions are an opportunity for professionals to convey information to families about
children’s development stages, needs, mental health and wellbeing, and healthy living.
Lastly, the sessions help parents resettle into the community, after a custodial sentence,
through meeting other families with similar backgrounds in a non-judgemental
environment.
Just Play offers sessions for parents and their children, throughout the year. The sessions
can take place at a family’s home, within a community space, or drop-in sessions in
designated venues. The sessions focus on the benefits of play and interactions between
parent and child, and activities include singing nursery rhymes, playing, swimming and
walks in local areas of natural beauty. The sessions are informal and the workers highlight
the learning points and deliver information as the sessions are happening.
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Big Lottery Fund
Case Study - Just Play
The service is unique in the area because:
 It is flexible – the interventions with families are not limited by a timetable. This means
that each family gets the right amount of input.
 It is not prescriptive – Just Play runs a wide variety of activities, from swimming to
picnics, from walks to cooking groups.
 It is delivered in community venues, which host all sorts of groups – this means parents
do not need to worry about other people’s judgments.
 It aims to intervene early to break the cycles and generational patterns of offending
behaviours.
User engagement and involvement
Just Play is a user-led service. The team encourage the parents to come with ideas of
what they would like to do. The end of term evaluation includes a space for parents to
suggest what they might like to try. As one team member said: ‘The service can be as
creative as the parents are.’ Examples of parents’ suggestions that have been taken on
board include visits to the fire station and a walk to the beach to collect and paint stones.
Just Play found that parents build their confidence through the play activities and want to
take it forward outside Just Play. Not only do parents spread the word about Just Play, but
also share what they have done with Just Play at their children’s nurseries.
One of the fathers who used to receive the service has kept involved and now continues
to join in with the sessions. He is becoming an informal mentor for other fathers which
helps the newcomers feel more at ease.
Outcomes and impacts
In the last 12 months practitioners reported:
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85% of parents sustaining an increased awareness to their child’s needs.
85% of parents maintaining positive interactions with their child.
80% of parents having increased time spent playing with their child.
75% of parent’s accessing more positive opportunities for themselves and their
families.
 Police Scotland, parents and partner agencies report that 70% of families accessing
Just Play have a reduced level of police involvement.
The qualitative feedback supports these findings, as parents said:
‘I wouldn’t of (sic) had the confidence to take him swimming before I did this
with the group.’
‘[Just Play] made me realise what changes I wanted to make in my kids and
myself’s (sic) life. Found it helpful and encouraging.’
Practitioners also said:
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Big Lottery Fund
Case Study - Just Play
‘Making a difference so early in life has an impact throughout the person’s life.
Engaging with you children is crucial for Scotland’s future and as is breaking
the chain of offending.’
‘This Angus project has been innovatively instrumental in establishing or reconnecting appropriate and effective parental bonds in families where criminal
behaviour once took precedence. The dedication of Jill Waldie and her team is
inspiring.’
Partnership working and sustainability
Just Play’s approach to sustainability goes hand in hand with its approach to partnership
building. Just Play has gained a very good reputation in Scotland and is open to sharing
its learning. The service has therefore attracted the attention of various national bodies
which are interested in the way Just Play works. Just Play has been approached by
Fathers’ Network Scotland to run a case study for them. Additionally, in partnership with
Angus Council Just Play receives support with the use of its premises, management
accounting and admin support. Just Play has also developed a good relationship with
Barnardo’s, which offer the use of one of their buildings to run some of the activities.
Learning
Just play has learnt a lot from their experience of running this service for a number of
years:
 It is best to visit the families in person in their home, before they join Just Play. This is
more effective than sending a letter, because it builds rapport more quickly and many
families find it easier to open up about their issues in a familiar environment.
 Flexibility is important to adapt the service around the lives of these families, which can
sometimes be chaotic. If a family stops coming along, it is a good idea to keep in touch
with them so they know the door is still open and they can come back when they feel
ready.
 Choosing neutral venues for the sessions (for instance community buildings) ensures
that families joining Just Play are not stigmatised or identified as getting specialist
support.
This picture shows a Dads’ Group during a Just Play session.
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Big Lottery Fund
Case Study - Just Play
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