Play for Wales issue 23

Issue 23

Play for Wales Play news & briefing from the national organisation for play

Winter 2007

Risk and resilience www.playwales.org.uk

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Play for Wales Issue 23 WINTER 2007 EDITORIAL

Contents

page

Editorial

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Action on Play in Wales

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£2.2 million for play infrastructure in Wales

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News

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News

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Do we dare risk providing for risk?

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Compensation Culture an alternative approach

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Claim and drain...

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B*lls to Blame and Claim Culture

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Safety, health and play

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Risk in Play Seminar

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Simple Pleasures

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Inclusive Play and Risk

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Adventure Playworkers ‘Get Together’

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Is it better to be a tortoise or a hare? 16 Playwork Wales

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Funding and Events

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No Fear - growing up in a risk averse society

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Play for Wales is published by Play Wales four times a year.

Contact the Editor at: Play Wales, Baltic House, Mount Stuart Square, Cardiff CF10 5FH Telephone: 029 2048 6050 E-mail: info@playwales.org.uk ISSN: 1755 9243 Registered Charity No. 1068926 The views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of Play Wales.

We reserve the right to edit for publication.

We do not endorse any of the products or events advertised in or with this publication.

This publication is printed on paper produced from sustainable forests.

Designed and printed by Carrick Business Services Ltd. Tel: 01443 843 520 E-mail: sales@carrickdesignprint.co.uk

Editorial Happy New Year one and all!

There has been much media coverage of the decline in our children’s experience of childhood of late, so it is a pleasure to receive good news to start the New Year: welcome to the new Children’s Commissioner for Wales, Keith Towler; congratulations to the successful applicants in the first round of the BIG Lottery Child’s Play programme; a round of applause to the Welsh Assembly for providing an extra million pounds per year in the Cymorth fund so that more disabled children can access inclusive play provision; and well done to all those in England who have managed to effect a change in the English Government’s commitment to children’s play through the Children’s Plan. All of these will undoubtedly help to make the UK a happier and more fulfilling place for children to grow up.

However, there are issues that are providing us with food for thought at Play Wales.

The first issue is the inadequacy of the Health and Safety at Work Act in legislating for safety in children’s play. We have long been advocates for providing opportunities for risk taking in play

provision because it is what children want and need. What do we mean by providing risk in play provision?

We mean providing opportunities for children to encounter uncertainty, unpredictability, and potential hazards as part of their play, we do not mean putting children in danger of serious harm. Read more about this throughout this risk themed issue and join our campaign – if you dare.

The second is the Welsh Assembly Government’s decision to contract a consultancy firm to develop guidelines and standards for children’s play in Wales. A piece of work that has the potential to inform future national legislation. Play Wales’ bid to carry out this work was rejected.

This is an interesting departure from previous developments in play at a national level, that until now have all been led by Welsh agencies with an interest in play. We very much hope that the outcome of this contract will live up to the Assembly’s expectations and aspirations, and those of everyone who has been involved in or who will be affected by the Play Policy Implementation Plan.

Mike Greenaway Director

Visit

www.playwales.org.uk for up to date news and information A heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed to this magazine – we couldn’t do it without you.

This issue of Play for Wales, as well as previous issues, is available to download from our website news section at www.playwales.org.uk

Play for Wales Issue 23 WINTER 2007 TENDER NEWS

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Action on Play in Wales The Welsh Assembly Government has awarded a contract to take forward some of the most vital actions of the Welsh Assembly Government Play Policy Implementation Plan to York Consulting.

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his specialist work to develop standards and guidance for both outdoor play areas and staffed play provision is vital to the successful future of play provision in our country, and we anticipate that it has the potential to inform future Government policy on play.

The Welsh Assembly Government Play Policy Implementation Plan sets out a timetable of actions aimed at achieving the ambitions of the national Play Policy.

The development of standards and guidance represents potential progress on some of the actions.

The work will entail action to: i. Develop and consult widely upon guidelines on what constitutes quality play opportunities for children and young people. Document models of practice that are supported by strong evaluation evidence and suitable for direct use in the field. (Action 2) ii. Work with practitioners, communities, children and young people to develop standards for a wide variety of play provision, that will be mandatory for play funded by specific grants and will give lead to other play provision. The standards will build on existing National Minimum Standards for Open Access Play.

They will encourage the involvement of children and young people in planning and designing local play facilities. (Action 4). The standards will define a public benchmark of balancing risk against benefit in play for all play providers (Action 15) iii. Develop and consult widely upon guidance for Welsh Local Authorities on appropriate community play provision that will enable the development of a community build play area programme throughout Wales. The guidance will complement the Planning Technical Advice Notes. (Action 9).

The Department of Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (D.C.E.L.L.S.) has asked that all material produced under this contract should encourage inclusive play and should reflect the cultural, linguistic and geographical diversity of Wales.

It should take account of the special factors that pertain for gender, race, ethnicity, religion, faith, disability in all its forms and disadvantaged families whilst recognising that play poverty is by no means restricted to harder to reach families.

The contract commenced on 30 November 2007 and the final material must be submitted to D.C.E.L.L.S. within the year.

High hopes at the Play Policy Implementation Plan launch

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Play for Wales Issue 23 WINTER 2007 BIDS NEWS

£2.2 million for play infrastructure in Wales BIG Lottery has announced the successful applicants to the first round of the Child’s Play programme – grants that, across Wales, total £2.2 million.

Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan The project will build a play infrastructure across the two counties. Working in partnership with local authorities, local voluntary organisations and Community Voluntary Councils, Cardiff and Vale Play Services Association will employ a regional executive officer to identify and support existing capacity and develop new provision for play opportunities.

Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire The regional development co-ordinator will establish a regional play association, and develop and support local play networks in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire to improve and increase support for play providers across all sectors.

Ceredigion The project will employ a full time project development officer to bring all partnerships and forums together to form one overarching group of representatives (Independent Play Association) to improve play provision in Ceredigion. The Independent Play Association will be managed by Ray Ceredigion and co-ordinated by the project development officer.

Rhondda Cynon Taff and Bridgend The project will employ a full time executive officer, a part time support worker and a part time administrator to help further develop infrastructure in RCT and create infrastructure in Bridgend for the benefit of play providers in both areas.

Ynys Môn, Gwynedd and Conwy The project will employ two regional play development officers to work with the three local authorities to create a constituted North West Wales Play Forum working with the three local authorities, Children and Young People's Partnerships, County Voluntary Services/Councils and Local Town and Community Councils.

Torfaen, Newport and Monmouthshire Swansea, Neath and Port Talbot The project will continue the employment of a full time director and finance officer and one new part time finance officer position will be created to further develop the infrastructure in Swansea and Neath Port Talbot. The project will involve strengthening the links between the play partnerships and framework partnerships and increasing the ratio of voluntary sector partners in both areas.

Merthyr Tydfil, Blaenau Gwent and Caerphilly The project will establish priorities for play, co-ordinate play services, act as a means of promoting the importance of children's play opportunities and provide an infrastructure to support development officers and grass roots providers in the development and sustainability of local and regional play facilities.

The project will create a cross-county partnership in order to develop and implement a play infrastructure across these counties, which will include a local play forum in each. The infrastructure will provide and plan for children's play.

Flintshire, Denbighshire and Wrexham The project will employ a full time and part time development officer to develop infrastructure in the the counties. The North East Wales Play Forum is made up from a number of organisations from each local authority area (both statutory and voluntary) and will meet to discuss and develop a joint play strategy and to evaluate the play priorities in each of the three areas. www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

Play for Wales Issue 23 WINTER 2007 NEWS

Playday 2008 theme Play England have announced that the theme for next year’s Playday will be risk. he theme was unanimously agreed by the Playday steering group and follows consultation.

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The steering group are now asking for suggestions so that the campaign’s key messages and title can be developed. Email your feedback to Amy Little – Alittle@ncb.org.uk Next year’s Playday will be held on Wednesday 6 August. As always, events will be taking place throughout the summer.

New Children’s Commissioner for Wales Congratulations to Keith Towler, director of Save the Children Wales, for being appointed the new Children’s Commissioner for Wales. We wish him well in his new post. This is great news for the children and young people of Wales.

A Scottish Play Commission Play Scotland launched the Scottish Play Commission at the Scottish Parliament on Thursday 13th December 2007.

This will provide quality recommendations to the Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament regarding improving children’s play opportunities in Scotland and making children’s right to play a reality.

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Children’s Plan for England The Children's Plan, a £1billion ten-year strategy for education, welfare and play, was announced by Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, Ed Ball in December 2007. The Plan states: ‘Parents and children told us that they wanted safe places to play outside, and we know that play has real benefits for children. We will spend £225 million over the next three years to offer every local authority capital funding that would allow up to 3,500 playgrounds nationally to be rebuilt or renewed and made accessible to children with disabilities; create 30 new adventure playgrounds for 8 to 13 year-olds in disadvantaged areas, supervised by trained staff; and we will publish a play strategy by summer 2008’.

Adrian Voce, director of Play England, said: “A good plan for play is a good plan for childhood. What Ed Balls has said suggests that he has really listened to children and to the concerns that exist about the decline in outdoor play opportunities. The government has looked at the benefits of good play provision and is ready to respond”.

Download a copy of the plan at www.dfes.gov.uk

Play England’s guide to managing risk in play provision Tim Gill, Bernard Spiegal and David Ball have been appointed by Play England to produce a practical guide to risk management in play provision.

The guide will encourage an approach to play provision that does not automatically seek the ‘safe’ route but instead enables play providers to develop and manage challenging and stimulating play provision. The resource will be a practical ‘how-to’ guide to risk management in play provision and will include a discussion of the philosophical implications of attempting to challenge risk-averse provision.

The guide will be published in March 2008.

For more information go to www.playengland.org.uk

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Play for Wales Issue 23 WINTER 2007 NEWS

New Funky Dragon report Funky Dragon (The Children and Young People’s Assembly for Wales) have recently published a new report – Why do people’s ages go up not down?

The report asks to what extent are children aged seven to 10 in Wales able to access their rights (as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child). Over 2500 children from across Wales participated in the research, of which 93 per cent drew an outdoor or energetic activity as their favourite place when asked where or what they like to play.

The report says: ‘Throughout this report there is a recurring theme that was mentioned by the children in every workshop.

These findings demonstrate that play is the most fundamental request a child could make, and that it affects them in all areas of their lives’.

New Childhood Report

Disabled Children Matter Campaign

A new report, Seen and Heard: Reclaiming the public realm with children and young people, commissioned by Play England was published in November by think tank, Demos. he report calls for a 20mph speed limit in residential areas and the creation of more play spaces in "iconic locations" such as Trafalgar Square and for children to be able to report adults who are attempting to restrict them from playing outside.

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The report is based on investigations of public areas and interviews with children across England.

Co-author Celia Hannon said: "Places once used by young people for playing and exploring rites of childhood are quickly being swallowed up. Unless young people are in structured activities or acting as mini-consumers, we assume that they are causing trouble. Our streets, squares and parks need to be accessible and enjoyable for all, otherwise existing anxiety around anti-social behaviour will get worse. It's time to open up our towns and cities for all and make them more playful. Children should be seen and heard."

To support this research Demos has posted a video on the YouTube website: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v =sf75iz_MaOg For further information and to download a pdf of the report visit: http://www.demos.co.uk/publications /seenandheardreport

‘A treasure chest of services’ n December Jane Hutt AM, Minister for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills, launched a new report evaluating the role of toy libraries undertaken by National Foundation for Educational Research with National Association of Toy and Leisure Libraries Wales. The report written by Robat Powell and Nia Seaton – A treasure chest of services – examines the role of toy libraries within play policy in Wales.

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For a copy of the report visit www.natll.org.uk or www.nfer.ac.uk

To download a copy of the report visit www.funkydragon.org.uk

Disabled Children Matter Wales (DCMW) is a group of organisations representing and including disabled children and young people and their families who are lobbying for greater access to quality play and leisure opportunities. lay Wales has provided advice on inclusive play, and took part in a reception in the Senedd in late 2007 where Assembly Members met disabled children and young people and talked to representatives of the organisations involved. The Minister for Children, Jane Hutt AM, later announced an extra million pounds next year on top of further on going funding through Cymorth similar to that released in 2007.

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Keith Bowen, director of Contact a Family, was pleased with the results of DCMW lobbying: ‘The Disabled Children Matter Wales campaign welcomes the Welsh Assembly Government's announcement of a continuation of the Cymorth funding for inclusive play. The campaign will now be working with officials to put together a plan of action for the way forward for disabled children and young people in Wales over the next three years.

‘Disabled children and young people consistently put “things to do and places to go” at the top of their list of priorities and the DCMW campaign wants inclusive play to be at the heart of the plan of action to be put to the Minister in the New Year.

‘We will be working closely with Play Wales and other organisations to make sure that the plan the task group comes up with will make a real change to disabled children and young people’.

However, since the announcement was made it has become clear that the money will not be ‘ring fenced’ for play for disabled children within Cymorth. Play Wales will be actively campaigning for a more strategic approach and for clear guidance to ensure that the money is spent wisely and for the purpose it was intended.

Campaign organisers are encouraging members of the public to write to their local councillor and politicians, and for children and young people to use the Funky Dragon website to express their views.

Find out more, or sign up to the campaign at www.dcmw.org.uk

Play for Wales Issue 23 WINTER 2007 RISK

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Do we dare risk providing for risk?

Research and experience say that if children have opportunities to encounter uncertainty and deal with potential hazards they develop resilience – their approach to life becomes more confident and they can deal better with what our uncertain world throws at them.

If they are protected from anything that is potentially emotionally or physically harmful they will have less chance to be resilient robust people who can stand on their own two feet and take life’s knocks.

Children need and seek out risk – it is a natural part of growing up – it is a way of learning how to survive. If we don’t introduce opportunities to experience risk in a play setting, children will seek the thrill and sense of achievement that comes with overcoming fears, in places that are less appropriate, where there are no experienced people around to keep an eye on them. They can practice taking risks within the relatively safe setting of a play space.

In this country our culture tends to suggest that children are incompetent and incapable – we start from a position of distrusting them to be able to fend for themselves or make their own decisions. In other cultures, the first premise is that children are competent and capable – the only difference in the children is our attitude towards them. The vast majority of children the majority of the time are competent enough to judge their own capabilities and capacities and to decide whether to engage in a risky activity or not; those children who are unable or unsure how to make such a judgment need the support of other people (children included) who have more experience.

One of the Playwork Principles says: All playworker intervention must balance risk with the developmental benefit and well being of children. It does not say build a roaring bonfire as big as you can and then walk away and leave children to tend it, or, lift an unknown child out of her wheelchair and push her down a slide, nor do they say if a child who has little control of their arms wants to use a craft knife we hand it over and turn our back. The Playwork Principles make the assumption that playworkers are sensible, responsible people who have common sense and will apply it to their job.

What does balancing risk with benefit mean?

This means making a judgment on a particular environment or play opportunity that children may wish to be involved in – weighing up the benefit against the risk of serious harm.

Benefit to children – children getting to know what they can manage; understanding the consequences of their actions; children growing physically stronger; children learning skills; children gaining knowledge; children gaining a sense of achievement; children growing in confidence; children feeling empowered; and children participating and making a contribution.

Serious harm to children – children dying; children being seriously and permanently injured or physically impaired; the onset of life threatening illness; children experiencing severe long term mental trauma.

Scrapes, bumps and bruises, minor cuts, small burns, getting wet or muddy, and bruised pride are all part of growing up – they do not mean serious harm unless any of them are life threatening or likely to lead to long term severe illness.

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Play for Wales Issue 23 WINTER 2007 RISK

Compensation Culture an alternative approach Insurance and Risk Manager for Caerphilly County Borough Council, Dayton Griffiths, has reduced claims against the authority by 70%.

Our Development Officer, Michelle Jones had a chat with him about his ‘alternative’ approach and this is what he had to say: nticed by the flood of no win no fee advertising campaigns, injuries may now automatically be seen as an opportunity to make money. This has led to private companies and local authorities being bombarded with claims. As well as a minority of genuine claims, there are also those that are spurious, speculative and suspicious.

Due to the influx of these types of claims, excesses under insurance policies have increased considerably. Local authorities have to pay the majority of these claims (some of them amounting to as much as quarter of a million pounds) out of the same purse that funds other departments, such as Education and Social Services.

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Some private companies and local authorities, attempt to eliminate their exposure to such claims by curtailing activities; cancelling school trips or bonfire nights and banning playground games. Instead of enhancing our quality of life, in my view, these actions diminish it - accidents happen.

We at Caerphilly County Borough Council take the view that activities that we participated in when we were young should be allowed to continue. We make this value judgement based on the understanding of the developmental benefits of diverse play experiences and recognise that risk is implicit in rich play opportunities. As a local authority we provide support and protection to employees who work with children, to ensure that those play experiences can be enjoyed, without fear of litigation.

Health and Safety is a process that allows us all to achieve what is needed and to do this as safely as we can – it is NOT to stop us achieving or participating in activities that have an element of risk.

How can we safely continue providing play opportunities that include an element of risk?

• Carry out a risk assessment and ensure that reasonable (common sense) safety measures are put in place.

• Ensure sufficient level of supervision.

• Consult your health and safety or your insurance and risk management department if you need help.

• Your offsite activity insurer may have software that can help with risk assessment and safety measures.

• Retain ALL documentation relating to the activity.

• Inform your health and safety and insurance departments immediately of any incident.

• Provide as much information and documentation including risk assessments to your insurance department to enable them to defend any resultant claim.

Risk assessments procedures exist to help us – they do not need to be difficult or long. They simply consider the risks associated with a particular activity, the level of ability of the participants and the reasonable measures that are needed in order to manage the risk of injury.

Accidents happen, but if we are able to demonstrate that the risks of the activity engaged in were considered, and REASONABLE measures were taken to ensure it was as safe as it could be, then we can effectively defend any potential claim.

Risk can never be totally eliminated but we should never stop carrying out activities that are essential for the development and enjoyment of us all.

Over the last six years Caerphilly County Borough Council has: • continued with all the activities that some other authorities have outlawed but within reasonable and acceptable risk controls.

• Reduced the cases of litigation against the Authority by 70%.

• Released back to frontline services over £10 million in savings from our self insured claim fund.

• Reduced our annual cost of risk by over £2m.

• Achieved four national health and safety awards.

Our approach has ensured that we can provide the support and protection to all our staff and continue with those activities that are essential to the development of our children and the quality of life of the residents of Caerphilly County Borough.

Managing risk is the key to this approach. The greed of a minority should not be allowed to affect the quality of life of our children. Insurance and risk and health and safety professionals must support and provide the framework that will allow our children to play and experience the risks that are inherent in everyday living whilst providing support and security to all those working with children.

Dayton F Griffiths insurance and risk manager Caerphilly County Borough Council 01443 863430

Play for Wales Issue 23 WINTER 2007 RISK

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Claim and drain...

Colin Powell, Manager of Gwenfro Valley Adventure Playground talks about the consequences of the blame and claim culture: Where does that leave us as play providers?

compensation claim is being processed against Gwenfro Valley Integrated Children’s Centre over an accident on an aerial runway at our staffed adventure playground - our risk assessment, and our rules, says that no more than two people can use it at a time. Three young people descended the runway together - one fell and broke his arm. All three young people knew the rule and they took a risk, however, the claim is progressing through the insurance system because it is cheaper to settle than to go to court.

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Our adventure playground is located in an area where the majority of families manage to exist on a very low income – there are few luxuries or treats. If this claim is settled out of court it will advertise that money can be made from claiming against us. Claims will increase, so where the insurance company might have saved money in the short term, they are likely to be spending more in the long term, and our premium will increase. This will jeopardise the service we provide and local children will suffer.

In the meantime the aerial runway is out of order, but I am not pursuing the replacement part, despite it being

constantly used when working and it attracting children and young people onto the playground. Its play value is huge; numerous games are developed; copious play processes are evident; and lots of happy excited children and young people wait patiently for their turn. And yet I am not keen to see it back in operation.

Why? At the heart of my reluctance (despite over 20 years experience of working on adventure playgrounds) is the question we must all ask at times: is the long term risk to our setting worth the play value? I am still unsure of the answer, but once the part arrives the queue of children and young people nagging me to put the runway back in operation will answer the question I’m sure.

B*lls to Blame and Claim Culture If we have tight policies and procedures we can be tested by opportunist claims and win the day without reaching court.

Frank O’Malley of Leeds Play Network tells of a recent experience: eeds Play Network runs street play projects with outreach playworkers, who do not shy away from providing opportunities for children to take part in “risky play”.

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During one of their sessions a boy jumped into long grass and badly cut his leg on a discarded razor blade. The boy’s mother took him to hospital. He needed stitches, but he was fine and within a couple of days he had returned to play at the project.

In the meantime his mother, supported by a “No Win No Fee” law firm, put in a claim for compensation for the injury.

Frank immediately informed the Network’s insurance company who sent an assessor to find out “how much money it would take to make the claimants go away” – to settle out of court. Frank showed him the Network’s policies and procedures regarding risk, the generic risk assessment forms that are routinely completed, and he explained about the dynamic risk assessment that is part of all good playwork practice. He also showed the assessor the reflective diaries kept by the Network’s playworkers, that showed that on the day of the accident all reasonable effort

had been made to remove hazards from the site (e.g. “… picked up three shopping bags of dog muck today …”).

The assessor reported back to the insurance company, who contested the claim. The family backed down, and all the Network has to do now is to keep all the documentation of the injury until the boy is 18, in case he decides to claim on his own behalf as an adult.

At the same time the assessor recommended to the insurance company that given the thorough way in which the Network approaches risk, their liability level should be lowered, and their premiums should be reduced. As a result the Network now pays less for insurance than they did before the claim.

Frank says the moral of the story is this: if we have decent policies and procedures combined with good playwork practice, we can stand up to claims and send out a message that it is not worth making opportunistic claims against a play provider. It is sometimes worth being tested, there can be windfall benefits, and we find out just how good we are!

Contact Frank O’Malley on 0113 243 5566 Leeds Play Network’s policies and procedures are supported by the Play Safety Forum’s position statement on Managing Risk in Play Provision which can be downloaded from our website Play and Risk page, and also Playlink’s document, Negligence, play and risk – legal opinion which can be downloaded at www.playlink.org.uk

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Play for Wales Issue 23 WINTER 2007 RISK

Safety, health and play

Time to rethink?

Professor David Ball of the Centre for Decision Analysis and Risk Management School of Health and Social Science, Middlesex University calls for a rethink on current legislation. ow likely is it that the originators of the 1974 Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA) intended this legislation to apply, not just to the workplace, but to the management of things like children’s play experiences, school grounds, public parks, city squares, woodlands, and sport and leisure activities? The answer is, in all probability, that it never crossed their minds. Yet the United Kingdom now finds itself with legislation covering children’s play that was designed to protect workers in factories and offices.

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The Act itself has much to commend it so far as the management of occupational health and safety is concerned – it is a piece of legislation of which to be proud. This is because of its underlying philosophy. If you look at the HSWA poster hanging on the wall in your workplace, you will notice that the words “so far as is reasonably practicable” appear repeatedly, and this is where the philosophy lies. What this implies is that a kind of costbenefit test be applied to proposed safety measures to see if they are reasonable and worth implementing. For instance, if a proposed safety measure is very costly and is expected to produce little gain in terms of safety, it would not be required by the Act. On the other hand, measures that produce a favourable benefit to cost ratio must, according to the Act, be applied. This philosophy, seeks to generate the greatest good for the greatest number from a pot of resources of finite size. The contribution of this philosophy to decision making in Britain is immense, and its use can be observed in all sectors from the National Health Service to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

Its proper application helps ensure that the nation gets the most out of its resources.

However, Section 3 of the HSWA says that the Act should apply not just to workers, but to visitors to workplaces, and as time has passed this has come to be interpreted, rightly or wrongly, as including visitors to public parks, forests, and even play spaces, since these can, with a little imagination, be said to be ‘somebody’s workplace.’ Thus, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) now sees itself as the regulator regarding the management of safety in these settings.

This trend, to apply the HSWA to public places including play spaces, has had many consequences. These include the requirement for the risk assessment of almost everything, paperwork to demonstrate it has been done, and the spread of factory-style assessment methods and solutions into the public sector. This can be a burden. For example, some educational

establishments, as remarked by Professor John Adams of University College London, have produced a 50 page risk assessment pro formas for student trips. Of course, the HSE has responded on its website that sensible risk management does not require the generation of mountains of useless paperwork, but should an accident occur on your patch the fact is that a mountain is more likely to help you than a molehill. We appear to be locked into a rather foolish situation as a result of unintended consequences of the HSWA. There are, in addition, other more pressing issues to be concerned about. Readers have likely experienced themselves, and will be aware of numerous cases reported by the media, of the banning of many previously-enjoyed activities. Included within these are things like tree climbing, den building, cookery and woodwork classes in schools, playing football at break time,

Play for Wales Issue 23 WINTER 2007 RISK and so the list goes on. Something seriously bad is going on when children and young people lose out on their opportunities to play, socialise, explore, or just be themselves, yet many observers agree that such a process has been operating for twenty years or more.

Further attention was brought to the matter when earlier this year UNICEF reported that British children have the worst childhood in Europe, and although this has recently been challenged, there is something in it. Many other agencies, including the Children’s Society, the Children’s Play Council, the Better Regulation Commission and the Health and Safety Commission, have raised similar concerns. They cannot all be wrong.

This raises another problem which can be linked with the encroachment of industrial-style risk assessment into the public sphere including play. The aim of these assessments is, as the HSE has put it, simply to drive down risk. This may well be right in a factory setting, but in public life there should be another crucial aspect to any decision which impinges on the conduct of an activity or an experience, namely, their benefits. Play experiences have many benefits (including health). Playing in forests, for instance provides huge benefits, as does playing in most natural environments and many public places; to apply risk assessment methodologies to such places without explicit and due consideration of these benefits will wreak havoc upon our environment and life experiences. Yet the standard pro formas and risk assessment methodologies seldom, if ever, mention the word ‘benefit,’ and even if they do, it is unclear how they have been incorporated into the final decision as to what to do.

A failure to consider benefits, or a downgrading of their importance by being less than explicit about them, will inevitably lead to a situation in which many play experiences will simply be swept away by the quest for safety from injury. The only thing that prevents this happening is perhaps some vestige of common sense which lingers in the back of the risk assessor’s mind. This, however, is a shallow and flimsy foothold upon which to rely.

Experiences with court cases, in which experts present evidence, have shown all too clearly that many experts in injury cases are anything but experts in matters important to children’s development, health or welfare. Such things are, apparently, outside of their experience, at least while acting in their professional capacity. The HSE itself, would hardly claim to be an expert on children’s upbringing, play experiences, education, or the magic of an unsupervised walk in the forest, much as they might try.

The consequences of this are many and profound, as noted by UNICEF and all the other agencies above, and also, for instance, by personal injury barrister Jerome Mayhew when he speculated as follows: “Teenagers have been displaced from the managed environment of the playground to the wholly-unmanaged environment of the street, the railway, or the shopping mal … is the rise in teenage antisocial behaviour a bizarre side effect of the health and safety standardisation process?”

(Safety and Health Practitioner, December 2007)

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Such connections are of course hard to prove, but nor can or should they be casually dismissed. We should be far more watchful and critical of the impact of legislation and standards upon our lives, lest we inadvertently destroy those things we most value.

Find out more at http://www.mdx.ac.uk/risk/index.htm

Play Wales says: We are calling for the creation of new legislation that will mean a positive outcome for children and their play, and consequently their resilience and robustness.

The Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) was not originally intended to cover chlldren’s play and is not fit for purpose.

There are those who would argue that the Act is adequate – it is simply a matter of the way in which it is interpreted.

However, it is clear that the Act is open to a variety of interpretations where children’s play is concerned – and that some of them are detrimental to children’s healthy development. These interpretations lead people to assume that they must take measures that stamp out simple pleasures. Legislation must be created so that when judging activities and environments for children the likelihood of harm is judged against the likelihood of benefit to the child.

We are not saying that we want children to be harmed – we simply call for the application of a common sense approach that supports children’s play and those providing for it.

We have already begun a campaign and have started to lobby decision makers. If you would like to add your name to a list of supporters please email angharad@playwales.org.uk

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Play for Wales Issue 23 WINTER 2007 PLAYING OUT

Risk in Play Seminar As part of our work to support the delivery of the BIG Lottery Child’s Play programme, we held a seminar, ‘Introducing and Providing Risk in Play’ in October. he seminar brought together play planners, health and safety officers and play provision inspectors - a UK first.

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The aim was to address concerns regarding the provision of risk within play environments in order to ensure that bids for round two of the Child’s Play Programme were able to respond to the BIG Lottery Guidance Notes. The Guidance Notes make clear reference to the Welsh Assembly Government Play Policy and Play Policy Implementation Plan, both of which address the need to provide children with play opportunities where they can experience challenge and uncertainty.

Over 100 delegates used the seminar as an opportunity to open dialogue and to continue to contribute to a clear rationale for providing risk within play; most of them agreed that children need and want to experience risk as part of their play. Many seminar delegates called for a common sense approach and welcomed the planned guidance expected from Welsh Assembly Government with regards to quality and a public benchmark for balancing risk in play.

Delegates agreed that children learn about emotional and physical risk through their play: through their play and risk-taking, children become resilient. Children need resilience because our world is not warm and fuzzy like cotton wool, it is raw, sharp, nasty, funny and stimulating, it knocks us out of shape and bends us backwards, it gives us bumps and bruises and grazes.

The seminar called for a more creative way of considering procedures and practices in planning, risk assessing and inspecting play provision. This is vital if we are to meet the demands and the strategic focus of the BIG Lottery Child's Play programme.

Better a broken bone…

Play Wales used the event to launch a T-shirt, that carries the slogan, ‘better a broken bone than a broken spirit,’ inspired by Lady Allen of Hurtwood, a landscape architect and educationalist who pioneered the early adventure playground movement in post-war Britain. When asked by over-zealous insurers to defend the likelihood of accidents which might occur when children were allowed to take risks, she said, "it is better to risk a broken leg than a broken spirit. A leg can always mend.

A spirit may not." We are not advocating that people support the breaking of legs; the slogan emphasises that the consequences of not allowing children opportunities to manage risk and uncertainty may be worse than the risk of them injuring themselves.

If you would like to buy a campaign t-shirt please got to www.playwales.org.uk or ring Kate at our national office (029 2048 6050).

Play for Wales Issue 23 WINTER 2007 PLAYING OUT

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Simple Pleasures When we talk about providing risk in play provision we are not talking about forcing all children to light fires or to swing from high branches, we are talking about providing for children’s need to test themselves and supporting their wish for adventure – giving them opportunities to respond to the new, the unexpected or the uncertain.

‘Sensible health and safety is about managing risks, not eliminating them all. HSE is not in the business of stamping out simple pleasures wherever they appear and at whatever cost. We recognise the benefits to children's development of play, which necessarily involves some risk, and this shouldn't be sacrificed in the pursuit of the unachievable goal of absolute safety.’

Health and Safety Executive, 2005 Gauging risk is a personal business - every child has his or her own capacities – so as play providers we need to take a flexible and sensitive, sensible approach in order to provide for all children’s needs. For instance, some children find the thought of walking along the top of a high wall makes them anxious, while others are confident and find it physically easy some children see risk in saying hello to someone new, or getting their clothes wet.

One child’s idea of something risky is another one’s idea of being wrapped in cotton wool. Generally children are competent at judging their own capacities and capabilities; they push themselves a little at a time because they don't wish to harm themselves.

As play providers we cannot guarantee absolute safety when children are in our care but we can gradually introduce an element of the uncertain, the challenging and the thrilling so that we are fully providing for children’s developmental needs.

“When we were between six and ten we went to the woods on our own. We built dens, explored, had adventures and played in the river. We made fires (usually no adults knew about this, but we still did it). Best of all we climbed high in the trees and spent time up there talking and looking-out. We made swings, some that were rubbish and just bashed us in to the tree, and

some of which were amazing, sending us high out over steep woodland floor which fell away from us the further out we dared swing.”

Ben, 32 Today we talk about providing compensatory play opportunities for children - to replace the ones we adults once found naturally. Our focus on risk is not about promoting risk at all cost or about turning all play provision into an adrenalin junky’s paradise; it’s a focus that seeks to develop an understanding of the vital role of the new, the exciting, the uncertain and the unpredictable in children’s play. An agenda that champions children’s right to climb trees, make swings, ride bikes, rollerskate, build dens, get to grips with tools, fall out, fall down, fight and make friends. It is an agenda that celebrates the simple pleasures and achievements of childhood.

Find an expanded version of this article on our website at www.playwales.org.uk

Inclusive Play and Risk Often disabled children miss out on some of the simple pleasures that other children might be given the opportunity to enjoy.

Jo Jones, Vale of Glamorgan Play Development Officer, passed on this letter and we had to share it. It’s from Lizzie’s mother:

Background Lizzie (11 years old) has severe learning, mobility and communication difficulties; she attended a pilot play project run in the Vale of Glamorgan last summer. The project employed a nurse and care staff to support children and young people with complex medical needs.

On a rainy day a large number of children were playing outside enjoying themselves. When one of the care staff was asked if they could change Lizzie as she was wet their reply was “I’m not surprised, you have allowed her to get soaking wet – its ridiculous!”. After speaking with Lizzie’s mother at the end of the day, Jo received this letter:

Dear Jo … How pleased I was to hear Lizzie had been allowed time to play in the rain; water play is her favourite.

Your team have known us for many years and I know if I request Lizzie to stay dry and indoors for health reasons, you will do your utmost to ensure this. I also know that with the information and knowledge you have of Lizzie, if I make no such request, you and your team are able to make an informed decision on the suitability of activities she participates in, including playing in the rain. On such warm days, I have always encouraged my children to enjoy the experience of being in the rain. … I trust you will continue to give her opportunities to experience the things she enjoys most, including playing in the rain where, in the judgement of your staff, it is appropriate.

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Play for Wales Issue 23 WINTER 2007 WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Adventure Playworkers

‘Get Together’ What?

A camping residential for 25 playworkers involved in adventure playground work

When?

September 2007

Where?

A sprawling country estate nestled in the Brecon Hills.

Play Wales’ Martin King Sheard ‘sparked’ some ideas with a fire workshop and in the evening there was live music and playwork stories around the fire.

Play for Wales Issue 23 WINTER 2007 WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

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The focus of the two days was supporting playworkers providing play with the elements and structure building, and the structures that were built have been left for visiting children.

Ben Tawil, development officer and event organiser, reflected on a great couple of days: “New and experienced playworkers spent time reflecting with one another and remembered they weren’t working in isolation; there were others out there who shared their aspirations for children - they were part of a greater whole … As I dozed off after a hard days work I was lullabied by an orchestra of snores from each tent. I don’t know which was worse, them or the sheep!”

Thanks to Nick and Ellen of Play Supply who kept us topped up with hot food and drinks, and to Gwion and Jamie without whom the tree house would never have been in a fit state for children visiting in the future. Also special thanks to Julian Gibson Watt for providing land, shelter and trees and Ben Greenaway and Colin Powell for their help in planning and supporting the event. Everybody enjoyed the event.

If you are a playworker involved in adventure playground work and would like to come along to future events please email northoffice@playwales.org.uk By the end of the first day a tree house started to take shape.

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Play for Wales Issue 23 WINTER 2007 WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Is it better to be a tortoise or a hare?

Ali Wood, an assessment and training consultant, who is helping us to develop the P3 (Playwork: Principles into Practice) course, gives an update on our progress in turning it into a recognised qualification. everal hundred people have now undertaken the pilot Level 2 Award training and quite a few of those have gone on to complete the pilot Level 2 Certificate, so there have been plenty of queries about progress on P3.

What’s happening about getting these qualifications accredited? What about the rest of level 2 and 3?

“Progress seems awfully slow” someone recently said.

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It can seem like that out in the field, but actually we have been working really hard; it is complicated trying to get a brand new (and innovative) qualification accredited and we need to be thorough. The course must be, a) endorsed

by SkillsActive (the sector skills council for playwork), b) taken on by a recognised awarding body, and c) approved by the regulatory qualification authority. Each of these three long processes is complex and entails: reformatting learning outcomes and assessment criteria to fit requirements; mapping the qualification to numerous national standards; meeting with many people in various bodies; completing forms and templates; building in quality assurance - well you did ask! We are really pleased that after a great deal of effort and negotiation, one of our successes is that we are now working with the Scottish Qualification Authority, the Scottish awarding body, who are as excited as we are about P3 because it’s different, dynamic and effective.

As well as all the administrative and political (with a small ‘p’) dealings, we have to ensure the infrastructure is in place so that passionate and competent playworkers are involved in both the training and the assessing – this means training trainers and assessors. We have successfully gained approval as a City and Guilds assessment centre in order to offer nationally recognised qualifications in training and assessing. To date, we have recruited and trained a couple of dozen trainers and several qualified assessors. But we need lots more.

In January we are starting a Training the Trainers course for playworkers new to training and starting another round for new assessors in Spring, so if you are an experienced playworker who wants to change the world and get involved please get in touch – this is an ideal opportunity for professional development.

On top of all this, we are completing P3 level 2 and developing P3 at level 3, which involves the huge task of planning, writing, piloting, editing, designing and printing, not to mention securing funding. So it might appear to those of you who are outside the process that the qualifications are being established at a tortoise pace, but there’s more to successfully reaching the finish line than making an early sprint! As the tortoise said to the hare, “Slow and steady wins the race.” Rest assured that we are working hard on behalf of all those who have already set off on P3 (and for those who have yet to warm up) to make this a qualification that any playworker will be proud to hold.

To find out more please contact Mel on 029 20486050 or mel@playwales.org.uk

Level 3 Introduction to Delivering Learning: 7302 We are offering a nationally recognised City & Guilds qualification for competent playworkers who would like to become playwork trainers, suitable for people who want an introduction to training or teaching or those who are seeking progression in a teaching or training career.

As this is a playwork training course that also equips participants to deliver our P3:Playwork Principles into Practice courses, we can guarantee it will be challenging, provocative and highly enjoyable!

To apply for this course, or for more information, please call 029 2048 6050 or email mel@playwales.org.uk as soon as possible as places are limited.

Play for Wales Issue 23 WINTER 2007 WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

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Playwork Wales We are pleased to announce that the new Centre for Training and Education for Playwork is to be called Playwork Wales. We can also welcome its new manager, Jane Hawkshaw, who will direct the development of the Centre, with the expectation that it will be fully functioning within the next three years. ane has made her mark in her first weeks in post; meeting colleagues within the play sector in Wales and making links with the training centres in England and with the playwork sector skills council, SkillsActive.

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She has started the ball rolling in the development of an interactive web-based learning and information centre that will meet the needs of learners and trainers and that will be accessed across Wales from the smallest rural community to the largest city. Other plans include research into the size, whereabouts, funding and quality of existing playwork training in Wales as well as the future training needs of the playwork sector. The Centre will set up a database of information on the courses being delivered in Wales so that potential learners, as well as employers, will be able to find out where they can access training for playworkers. Jane will also oversee the development of a strategy to support continual professional development for playworkers.

The work of Playwork Wales will be overseen and driven by a consortium of playworkers, employers, trainers, national organisations, and local authority and voluntary sector representatives.

If you would like to know more about Playwork Wales please contact Mel Welch at Play Wales national office – 029 2048 6050 or mel@playwales.org.uk

Jane Hawkshaw Jane has been involved in playwork and youthwork since 1988 including working for the British Forces in Hong Kong developing play provision and in Wales as a Training Development Officer for Youth Cymru.

Her most recent role was delivering City and Guilds 7302 Introduction to Teaching for the Wales Youth Agency.

In her spare time she enjoys travelling with her family all over Wales in her campervan.

Jane says “I look forward to some exciting and challenging times in this post and working with you”.

To contact Jane email jane@playwales.org.uk or phone 029 2048 6050.

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Play for Wales Issue 23 WINTER 2007 FUNDING AND EVENTS

Events 5 March 2008 Out2Play – SkillsActive Annual Playwork Conference Lords Cricket Ground, London www.skillsactive.com/resources/events/out2play

14 - 15 May 2008 Spirit of Adventure Play Holiday Inn, Cardiff www.playwales.org.uk

20 May 2008 "Places to Go?" Place shaping and sustainable transport for an accessible, child friendly public realm Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Westminster, London Early expressions of interest can be emailed to RBarnes@ncb.org.uk

3 - 5 November 2008 Child in the City – 4th European Conference Rotterdam Call for papers www.europoint.eu/events?childinthecity

‘No Fear – Growing up in a risk averse society’ November saw the publication of a new book by Tim Gill, writer and researcher on children’s issues. We asked Mike Barclay, Play Development Officer for Wrexham to tell us what he thought: Firstly, I rarely feel like reading around the subject I have been working on all day - it’s a bit like having an all-day barbeque then going home to find the only thing in the fridge is sausages! However, I jumped at the chance to review this book, not only because of the implications for playwork but also the impact risk aversion has on childhood as a whole.

At times the book made me feel angry and frustrated about the environment we now live in – one of extreme reactions to rare incidents. At other times I felt quite hopeful that we still have opportunity to change opinions and practices and that the playwork sector can make a considerable contribution.

Most importantly I finished the book feeling inspired about ways in which I might be able to affect change through my work.

In my case and most of yours (I would hope) Tim is preaching to the converted, but this book helped to confirm what I already suspected, it increased my knowledge of the subject and will therefore support my arguments for providing risk in play. This book is written at a level that is accessible to a wide range of people. I think we are in a time when more people are becoming more realistic about the risks that children should experience and this book has the potential to convince these people to reassess their way of working.

I’m not saying that Tim’s arguments are revolutionary or innovative; this book takes all the pro-risk opinions, balances them with real life incidents and statistics, and then forms a very clear and concise argument for allowing children to have some responsibility for their own well-being. It even goes so far as to explain that sometimes supposed safety measures actually lead to more dangerous situations.

This is a brave and well thought out book. Tim doesn’t shy away from recognising that tragic accidents occur that cause great pain for the families involved, but society needs to keep its perspective and not introduce extreme measures for rare occurrences because the results are detrimental to the majority of children not just individuals.

Finally I suppose the real mark of a good book is when you find yourself name dropping it in conversation, and since reading this I have quoted Tim on at least three separate occasions.

Funding • BIG – Make it Happen The Young People’s Fund distributes grants of £500 to £5,000 for activities and projects working with young people aged 10 to 19. The closing date for applications is 31 January 2008. www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

‘No Fear’ joins the increasingly vigorous debate about the role and nature of childhood in the UK. Over the past 30 years activities that previous generations of children enjoyed without a second thought have been labelled as troubling or dangerous, and the adults who permit them branded as irresponsible. ‘No Fear’ argues that childhood is being undermined by the growth of risk aversion and its intrusion into every aspect of children’s lives’.

The book and summary can be downloaded free from www.gulbenkian.org.uk Copies of the book can be ordered (£8.50 + p & p) at www.centralbooks.co.uk (ISBN 978 1 903080 08 5)