A New Era For Play
Play England announces a proposed reorganisation.
In the light of the imminent reduction in the value of its contracts with the Department for Education for 2010-11 and the changing policy context for the play agenda under the coalition government.
The national play body, part of children's charity NCB, is reshaping its work to focus more on supporting local communities to develop and run their own play spaces and services. Play England is in talks with DfE about a new contract to support this work, and is actively exploring several other opportunities to take forward a new strategy when its main Big Lottery Fund grant comes to an end next year.
The charity has launched a staff consultation on a proposed new, reduced structure for Play England. Regional offices would close under the proposals, but a range of new jobs will have a regional and local focus as Play England seeks to build upon the experience and networks it has built over the last four years.
Play England will continue to run a variety of events and training programmes through the year and is, in particular, looking forward to Playday, which takes place on Wednesday, 4 August.
Far from the change of government marking the end of an unprecedented period of national activity in play, Play England believes the gains of the last few years are now there to be built upon and sees encouraging signs that the government recognises the vital importance of good local play space for families and communities.
Adrian Voce, director of Play England, has welcomed the announcement of Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg last week that children's play will be one of only five priorities thus far identified for a ministerial task force on children and families to be chaired by the Prime Minister over the autumn.
Voce said: 'It is a great shame that some of the children and families who have been promised exciting new playgrounds may now lose out, and of course it is very hard for our staff, some of whom will now face redundancy.
'However, these are hard times and the play sector will take its share of the pain. What is clear from the announcement of the Deputy Prime Minister is that whilst the economic context has changed immeasurably since the launch of the Play Strategy, the political will to ensure that children's play is at the heart of our country's vision for families and communities remains.
'The importance of safe, well designed, well supervised public places for children to play out with their friends and have the everyday adventures and the physical activity that they need and their parents want for them, is even more pronounced when families have to tighten their belts.
'The play movement in England and the rest of the UK, which is so admired around the world, began with local people organising themselves to respond to children's need for somewhere to play together. Adventure playgrounds - designed and built by children, volunteers and (later) playworkers from recycled wood, rope and used tyres, managed by parents and other local residents - are an early example of both the Big Society and the low carbon public service.
'The play sector is hugely resilient and will come through this difficult time, not least because, as Nick Clegg has confirmed, the need for places where children can play is as pressing as ever, if not more so.
'Let's remind the Prime Minister and his task force just how important play is, and how vibrant the play sector is, by making this year's Playday the biggest and best yet.'
To show your support for children's play in this period of change, sign up to the Manifesto for Children's Play at www.playengland.org.uk
Playday is on Wednesday, 4 August 2010. Find out more at: www.playday.org.uk
The Deputy Prime Minister's announcement of a ministerial taskforce for Children and Family policy can be read here.
Further news, including the results of the consultation and the confirmed new DfE contract, will be made available on the Play England website.
RSS