Play England ups its game plan
Joe Lepper
Monday, August 18, 2014
As Play Wales prepares for closure, its English counterpart forges new links to boost play opportunities.
This summer, Play Wales received the crushing news it would no longer receive Welsh government funding. The organisation, which carries out Wales-wide research into play as well as supporting local play initiatives, now faces closure at the end of September.
The financial problems it is facing will be a familiar story for those involved in national play support in England. During the previous Labour government, Play Wales's English equivalent, Play England, was a thriving organisation, with about 70 staff prior to 2010.
According to 2009/10 accounts, it had an annual income of £6.7m, including a £2.4m grant from the then Department for Children, Schools and Families. But a change of government and austerity measures hit hard. In 2010 direct government funding ended, staff numbers decreased and it moved from being hosted by the National Children's Bureau to becoming a limited company and now an independent charity with just one staff member, programme development manager Steven Chown. So what are the implications for national bodies no longer supported to advocate play?
Fresh funding
Despite its greatly diminished status, Play England is adapting to the new funding and policy landscape, seeking money and influence across a wider range of organisations that have an interest in play and forging links with other areas of government.
Tim Gill, an independent researcher and former government adviser, says one of the biggest hurdles Play England has had to face under the coalition government is a "complete lack of interest in play at a ministerial level."
"The Department for Education quickly washed its hands of play," Gill says. "I don't believe there's any minister in the government who has really engaged with the idea that play is part of a childhood."
Instead, Play England has found new allies in government, in particular public health officials at the Department of Health. Last August, the department announced a £1.1m package of measures to promote "street play" initiatives to encourage young people to be more active. Play England, Playing Out, London Play and Bristol University are among those spearheading the three-year initiative.
Bristol City Council is among a growing number of local authorities that have embraced this and is working closely with Play England around road closures and speed restrictions. Chown is now preparing to launch a recruitment drive to find extra staff to support its street play work.
Gill says the link between health and play is also filtering though at a local level to health and wellbeing boards, which are proving another source of funding for the play sector. "Those in public health don't need any convincing about the value of play," he adds. "In spite of a lack of government activity around play these boards are funding play locally. Hackney is a good example of where this is happening."
Promoting play
Another source of play funding in the coalition era has been the Cabinet Office, which in 2013 allocated £900,000 in Social Action Fund money to the Free Time Consortium, which Play England is part of, to promote local play.
However, Chown says the recent ministerial reshuffle could hinder Play England's ability to lobby this department after its key ministerial contact Nick Hurd left office.
"We are talking with officials, but in terms of a minister I don't know whether anyone is following up on Hurd's work in this area," he says.
Partnerships across a broader reach have been another feature of coalition era play support across the UK. The Children's Play Policy Forum, which includes Play Wales, Play Scotland, PlayBoard Northern Ireland and Play England, earlier this month led UK-wide campaigning around national Play Day. This included the release of a report by Gill detailing the health, educational and general wellbeing benefits of promoting play in and out of school. Play England also works alongside the National Trust and a raft of other non-play-specific groups through the Wild Network.
Tom Seaward, campaign assistant at the National Trust, says the Wild Network is a good example of groups coming together to look at the policy and research around natural play: "We are keen to help promote play in any way we can."
A CYP Now investigation earlier this year into council spending on play found the need for such partnerships is greater than ever.
A third of councils in England had closed play facilities amid a 39 per cent cut in play funding during the past three years.
Gill adds: "Ministers have taken no interest, so local authorities take the view, 'if government can't be bothered with play, why should we?'"
Cath Prisk, director of social enterprise Outdoor People and director of Play England until last March, adds: "Without national advice and support, you don't have the rallying cry for play that is needed. How can a headteacher at a primary school quickly get statistics to make the case for investing in play with national support?"
OTHER UK SUPPORT
- Play Scotland Scotland's national play organisation gained £440,000 through the Scottish government's Third Sector Early Intervention Fund to support play initiatives, including natural play and cycling schemes. It has four full-time staff.
- PlayBoard Northern Ireland With 18 members of staff, Northern Ireland's national play organisation operates a 'cocktail funding' model, according to a spokesman, with a wide range of funding streams across government, councils and providing consultancy work. Its 2013 annual report shows its total funds were £1.6m.