Case study 4:
Neighbourhood Play
Children's Play Council
Think back to your childhood. Can you remember where you played as a child and what you enjoyed doing? You probably played in your local area, in the streets around where you lived and had adventures with friends. All these experiences will have helped you to develop your social skills, motor skills and co-ordination, intellectual skills, emotional development, creativity and physical activity. How did you feel when you were playing? Reflections such as these help us to develop play opportunities for children and young people. We need to look beyond fixed play equipment and see how we can create exciting play environments for children and young people. For 'play' we mean free-time activities of children and young people,
usually with friends and without direction from adults.
Outdoor play has become limited for children and young people. The dominance of the car in our streets, the fear of crime and strangers, nowhere near by to play, the growing intolerance of children and young people by adults and poor run-down play areas have all had an impact. Children and young people still want to play out and have safe and welcoming places to meet with friends and to use their whole environment. Children spend a majority of their time making journeys between their play places but do not distinguish between places that are designated for play and other spaces.
For this reason, play development is not only about the provision of fixed play equipment like springers and slides. It is about embracing a whole spectrum of play opportunities. By providing a wider range of play opportunities we can create more inclusive play, opening up the environment to disabled and non-disabled children and children from different ethnic communities. Working through the process needed to develop spaces for all community members fosters and promotes community cohesion and supports regeneration. Because good play provision is good for families, children, young people and communities it supports a wide number of agendas. It can play a part in reducing crime and anti social behaviour. It also provides physical exercise, mental stimulus and encourages healthier lifestyles.
Housing providers should look at how to increase the long-term sustainability of play. Good play provision takes work and planning. The needs of children and young people in relation to play need to be championed. When new equipment is installed or a play landscape created there needs to be an ongoing budget for maintenance. However, the cost of maintenance can be high if replacing equipment that is old or vandalised. Through innovative design (that may or may not include fixed play equipment) maintenance can be reduced and become part of the ongoing maintenance of an estate. By using natural features, for example a grass maze, exciting play opportunities can be created for a fraction of the cost. The local community can also become involved in the ongoing maintenance and running of any play spaces created for the community.
Children and young people also need to be involved in addressing play provision in their neighbourhood. The outcomes of this are likely to be:
- better environments for everyone
- better targeted play services and provision
- better informed adults
- opportunities for all children and young people whatever their interests and abilities
- more satisfied children and young people
- children and young people with increased skills and knowledge
- a sense of ownership amongst children and young people, fostering a greater respect for the environment
- less vandalism and fewer complaints from other community members
A tool-kit
The Children's Play Council are developing a Neighbourhood Play Tool-kit funded by the Housing Corporation and Joseph Rowntree Foundation. The process that the tool-kit takes people through is based upon the checklist suggested in 'More than Swings and Roundabouts'. The Neighbourhood Play Tool-kit aims to develop and pilot, a practical and comprehensive set of resources for improving public neighbourhood play spaces for children and young people. To order a copy of the toolkit please email: booksales@ncb-books.org.uk or online visit http://www.ncb-books.org.uk/info.html. The project is running pilots to 'road test' the resources in four areas around England; Blackpool, Liverpool, York and Lincolnshire. In all of these areas the local registered social landlords are involved. One of the major partners in Boston, Lincolnshire, is Boston Mayflower Housing Association. During stock transfer they inherited five run-down play areas that had been neglected for a number of years. They are looking to refurbish each of these and have become involved with the Tool-kit in order to use the process to develop the first play area and then roll the process out once the first is developed. The Association has done a number of pieces of research and has spoken extensively with children, young people and adults in the local area. They have involved a number of local agencies (Sure Start, Youth services, Connexions, Children's organisations, Community Safety Partnership, Community groups) to develop their strategy for redeveloping the play space. A multi-agency steering group will be the focus point for moving the project forward from 2004.
Fran Bayley
Neighbourhood Toolkit Development Officer, Children's Play Council
see: www.ncb.org.uk
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