Background
The report 'Getting Serious
About Play' from the Department of Media, Culture & Sport
on Children's Play, draws attention to the need to encourage
children to play outdoors. It recognises that we should make better
use of parks and especially open spaces, where many children play
as it is an area where they cannot be excluded.
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Based on this report we decided
to deliver a Play Outreach Programme (POP) across the Borough. In a
bid to become more inclusive and generate more community
involvement in children's play services, we are developing through
consultation with residents and agencies more appropriately placed
plays schemes.
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What is a 'POP'
scheme?
The term Play scheme is generally
used when describing temporary play provision usually building
based which is of an organised nature, and operates with adult
leadership. 'POP' (Play Outreach Programme) are run similarly
during the school holidays but they are different in so much that
they will operate within neighbourhood setting where the children
naturally play and will to provide a broad range of exciting and
stimulating play opportunities.
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Activities will reflect the range
and diversity found in any good play provision, and will also
include, arts and crafts, games, drama, music and many more
opportunities to encourage participation and development.
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The most important aspect however
is to promote the Play Outreach Programme as a child centred and
flexible one, responding to the children's play needs in a
sensitive and positive manner and actively seeking parental
involvement.
We emphasise through our
publications and community contacts that parents are aware that the
service we provide is not sessional care, and we believe that
children under the age of eight are particularly venerable because
of their age. We strongly recommend to parents that if their child
participates who is under the specified age that they take every
precaution to ensure that their Childs wellbeing and safety is
taken into account, both before during and after the sessions so
there is no danger of them wandering off.
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Why are they important to
our communities?
Play provides families and young
children the opportunity to play safely within their own community
outside of school term time. They provide also an environment
whereby the child's Social, Physical, Intellectual, Creative, and
Emotional development can continue to flourish.
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Play schemes help to bring people
together and nurture a sense of belonging and tolerance within a
community
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Aims
To make the service more visible
to the general public, and to promote a selection of free and
varied play opportunities in the hearts of the community where
children naturally play., giving these children new skills and
knowledge of non-equipment games for them to continue playing
whether they have any equipment or not, while still offering the
children choice, control and freedom within the scheme. They are
also encouraged to have ownership of the schemes by contributing to
any ground rules for each site.
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We aimed not to only to provide a
positive activity for young people to become involved in during the
summer school holidays, but also to act as a stepping stone into
communities . The purpose being that by involving young people in
activities we will also have a contact with the parents of those
children allowing further dialogue & relationships to develop.
Nurturing a positive relationship with parents, and sign posting
those interested parties to other services and agencies within and
outside the local authority,
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increases participation in Neighbourhood Action
Groups and local democracy & decision making generally.
The play schemes also offer valuable support to local communities
at key pressured times within the school holiday
periods. |
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Delivering service to children in
areas of greatest need within the Borough shows a commitment by the
council to the most vulnerable people in our Society. The play
services offer an opportunity for children and parents to come
together to develop a better understanding and share in a positive
experience. We evaluate the work based on feedback forms given to
children and parents, which helps to continually look at improving
service delivery.
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Play services offer an early
intervention role and effective tool in preventative work within
communities.
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We believe that investing in
young people at this level we are helping to develop a better
understanding of the value of play within communities and helping
parents and children to realise their true potential. The concept
of children's play and play methodology as a tool for developing
communities is widely recognised by statutory and non statutory
organisations and is sited in
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the Best Play
document as a proven tool for harmonising conflicting
communities. |
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