Play Policy Development

The policy development process is straightforward, yet wide-ranging. It raises key issues. It draws out the connections between different areas of practice – from Procurement to Planning; from Health and Safety to fear of litigation; contrasting designing a play space with simply equipping it - thatmassively affect how play provision is conceived and delivered. The process is designed to bring a wide range of interests together. It prompts re-appraisal of apparently settled opinion.

PLAYLINK’s play policy is not designed to be a shelf-sitter, gathering dust until a new initiative overtakes it. It is designed to endure. This is because the policy articulates, and the process explores, fundamentals - values and principles, and what they might mean in practice.

Nor does the play policy process slow down action on the ground. Rather, the policy development process harnesses the strength of an organisation, marshals its intellectual resources, forging an informed and committed consensus in support of play.

PLAYLINK has been consistently critical of the Big Lottery’s Play Fund induced process to rush to play strategy without attending to the essential groundwork of policy. But that is in the past. Pathfinders and Play Builders have another opportunity to attend to fundamentals – it does not take long, but it is necessary.

Key aspects of the PLAYLINK’s policy process include:

• one or more Play Policy Workshops – attended by a wide range of interests
• full Counsel Opinion
• one PLAYLINK baseline play policy - the basis of Counsel Opinion – amended for local relevance.

“The support given by PLAYLINK in the development of our play policy and strategy has been invaluable. The … support and challenge [given was] in just the right proportions, enabling us to debate, reflect and come to a consensus about the kind of play experiences we want for children and young people in our town.”

Sue Sykes, Early Years Manager, Bury Council

Play Policy Workshops

PLAYLINK’s policy workshops should be attended by the range of interests that have, or should have, an impact on play. These include: Members/Portfolio holders, health and safety officers, parks and open spaces services, insurance and legal officers, play departments, children's services, Primary Care Trusts, voluntary sector play organisations and 'Friends of…' groups, landscape designers and architects, Housing, schools.

The purpose of our policy work: to do no less than radically transform the way play is understood and provided for in shared public space, designated play spaces and out of school provision generally.
PLAYLINK has worked with some 30 authorities on policy and strategy. These include: Bath & NE Somerset, South Somerset, Bury, Hounslow, Wolverhampton, East Sussex, South Gloucestershire, Hull, Southampton, Sefton, Portsmouth.

To discuss the Play Policy Development service, please contact us.