Play Strategy Development

A play strategy sets out the priorities and actions required to fulfil a play policy. From PLAYLINK's perspective, a play strategy without a play policy is like a house without foundations.

PLAYLINK's play strategy development process offers a natural progression from play policy development:

1. a Play Working Party is formed from self-selecting Play Policy Workshop participants (we work towards creating authentic partnerships. Partnership, however, is an achievement, not a starting point)
2. PLAYLINK presents a set of overarching strategy objectives to initiate the strategy development process
3. the strategy objectives are reshaped, reordered, extended or limited in response to perceptions of local needs, wants and priorities
4. the working party addresses questions of audit and consultation - what to audit? who to be consulted and how? - ensuring existing information is fully utilised
5. named services and organisations agree to implement different aspects of the strategy action plan.

“We initially worked with PLAYLINK on our Play Policy, we found the workshop model very effective in engaging a wide range of stakeholders. This led to work on strategy and regeneration play projects.

I feel overall, of most benefit was engaging with an organisation that was not bound by the politics of the city. When he wasn't in Southampton, he was on the end of the phone, a sounding board, a critical friend … and he's still on the end of the phone.”

Sean Holehouse, Play Services Manager, Southampton City Council

Implementation of a play strategy will depend on:

• ensuring access to, and best possible use of, funding from a wide variety of sources, not least best possible use of S106 (planning gain) agreements
• promoting a better understanding of play locally
• changes in attitudes to children and young people - a massive task
• changes in the way we think about places for play.

Our claim is that our strategy work addresses all these areas, and more.

PLAYLINK has consistently worked in a way that clients find useful. It is not the only way, but is one that maintains momentum and generates commitment - commitment being the necessary prerequisite to the possibility of 'sustainability'.

Costs dependant on level and duration of engagement

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