SkillsActive calls for staffing regulations to be relaxed

The recommendation has been made by playwork sector skills council SkillsActive in a research report sent to government, seen exclusively by CYP Now.

Short-term play provision offered during the school holidays must be registered with Ofsted in order to cater for children under eight. But this year, for the first time, the watchdog said that holiday play schemes could not use temporary staff unless they were fully qualified playworkers.

Research conducted by SkillsActive last summer in 49 play settings showed that, as a result of the registration requirements, 7,500 children were turned away. Many schemes were forced to turn away under-eights to avoid registration.

Other schemes simply shut down as they depended on temporary staff with basic qualifications, such as students returning home for the holidays, to stay sustainable.

SkillsActive is currently developing a new introductory qualification, the Level 2 Award in Playwork, which is soon to be submitted to Ofqual for accreditation. It is calling on the government to make this the minimum requirement for temporary staff working on play schemes registered with Ofsted.

"Even across a limited number of playwork settings, the potential impact on children because of the new qualification requirements is significant," stated the report. "This is a major concern, as it is the qualification requirements that will stop playwork settings operating."