In recent years, there has been an increasing
recognition of the importance of play in children's live and the
responsibility of government and other public bodies in creating
opportunities and spaces for children to play.
As early as 2006, funding from the Big Lottery Fund's Children's
Play Initiative enable 356 unitary and district local authorities
to develop local play strategies as a basis for accessing further
funds designed to improve the play opportunities available to
children and young people.
This was followed, in 2008, by the launch of the first national
Play Strategy by the previous Labour government, which pledged £235
million of capital investment to create or refurbish play
areas and to build an addittional 30 staffed adventure
The coalition government took office in May 2010. One of the
main priorities of the incoming government has been to reduce the
national budget deficit, and consequently the capital grants for
play have been identified as one of many areas that need to make
savings. This should not be interpreted as a lack of interest in
play from the government, but a way of addressing what they have
described as 'unrealistic spending committments' on play.
In fact, the government continues to show considerable support
for play. In June 2010, in a speech to launch the Childhood and
Families Taskforce, Nick Clegg, Deputy Prime Minister, identified
family-friendly public space as one of five priorities for the
'Every parent understands the importance of a secure environment
for their children. Spaces where they can play, where they can feel
completely free, where they can safely push their boundaries,
learning and experimenting. Places where different generations can
meet, binding the community together. We mustn't accept our playing
fields being concreted over and our parks always being tucked out
of public view.'
Similarly, in 2009 David Cameron remarked: 'Today just one in
five children regularly play outside in their neighbourhood. The
rest are denied the chance to get out of the house and have the
everyday adventures that - to people of my generation - are what
childhood is all about.'
Tim Loughton, the Children's Minister, was also keen to heap
praise on adventure playgrounds when he said: [Staffed play
provision has a ] 'huge potential to be at the heart of
rehabilitating much of the breakdown in our society.
Finally, Michael Gove, Minister for Education, said: 'The
government believes that play is an important part of childhood and
child development, and also thinks play is good for families and
communities more broadly.'
One way in which these aspirations can come about is through the
Big Society agenda. Big Society means that a streamlined state
helps families and grass-roots community organisations to be
actively engaged in developing, securing, providing and maintaining
their local play spaces and play services.
The Big Society will see a shift to greater community engagement
in local services through increased social action, community
empowerment and public service reform.
Play is well placed to deliver the Big Society agenda. For
- Providing opportunities for volunteers
- Encouraging community involvement and active
- Enabling voluntary management of local service
While a large part of the Big Society agenda focuses on members
of the public volunteering their time and effort to the causes that
concern them, localism also means that there will be less
bureaucracy from central government thereby giving local
government, social enterprises, and private companies greater
freedom to deliver services in their local area.
The Engaging Communities in Play programme, of which this
website is a part, is another play initiative that came about under
a revised contract with the government, drawn up after the general
election in May 2010. Engaging Communities in Play aims to give
communities in England the inspiration and resources to enable them
to develop, manage and sustain the places where children play.
Further information is available here.
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