Policy & Consultations | Playwork in Practice | Adventure Play | Play & Design

What's New

Continuity and Change at the Free Play Network and PLAYLINK
Sandra Melville's retirement: trustees' appreciation
Free Play Network News, Issue No. 6, July - August 2004
Free Play Network News, Issue No. 5, April - May 2004
- East of the sun and west of the moon, a new accessible playground in Copenhagen
- Registering Summer Schemes, latest information from Ofsted
- Play in Hull, could the Free Play Network sponsor an event near you?
- 7th PLAYLINK / Portsmouth Conference, presentations from the conference are now available
- Public Space Manifesto, the new manifesto from CABE Space
- The 51 Minute Challenge, conference report
- Playwork Principles, Play Wales consultation on playwork assumptions and values
- On the Benefits of Self-Build, Simon Rix and Ted Keen respond to Robin Sutcliffe's letter on the use of fixed play equipment by adventure playgrounds
Whose Learning Is It: creating environments for children, April 2004. The 7th PLAYLINK/Portsmouth City Council play conference was held on Thursday, 4 March in the Portsmouth Guildhall. Summaries of Presentations are now available.
Playwork Values and Assumptions Review, March 2004. Play Wales is consulting on a review of the Playwork Values and Assumptions that underpin the Playwork NVQs and inform National Occupational Standards for Playwork, funded by the Welsh Assembly. For further information and links to the Play Wales website, go to: http://www.freeplaynetwork.org.uk/new/pwletter.htm.

New Protocol between Ofsted and Local Authorities (for providing information, advice and training), March 2004. This protocol clarifies Local Authorities responsibility for support, advice, information and training. Further information is available at http://www.freeplaynetwork.org.uk/practice.
Free Play Network News, Issue No. 4, February 2004
- Adventure Play 24 hours a day
- I am a Fire Starter
- Getting Serious About Play
- Ofsted Queries
- Ofsted's Future of Inspection consultation
- Children's Fund Developments
- CRB Check Fees Increase Again
- Can you help?
Conference & Good Practice Exchange, Monday 21 June 2004, 10 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. Manchester Conference Centre, UMIST. 'New Thinking - New Working', with children and young people who have disabilities/special needs. For further information and bookings forms contact: p.limbrick@virgin.net.
Every Child Matters - the final version of PLAYLINK's response is now available in the Policy section of this website, http://www.freeplaynetwork.org.uk/policy.
Whose Learning Is It: creating environments for children, 4 March 2004. The 7th PLAYLINK/Portsmouth City Council play conference will be on Thursday, 4 March in the Portsmouth Guildhall. Please put this date in your diary.
Free Play Network News, Issue No. 3, November 2003
- Every Child Matters, time for your input
- Making space for play in the countryside, Chris Snell visits the Spinney in Lincolnshire
- Fire Works, what can you do if the fire department is a dampener?
- Play in Parliament, MPs hold their first debate on Play
- Ofsted Forum, do you have a problem for Ofsted?
- National Play Strategy, the latest developments
- Discovering Discover, the new play centre in Stratford
- PLAYLINK/Portsmouth Conference, 4 March 2004
- Same Difference? playwork and early years
- Kidsactive bulletin on inclusive play, how inclusive are you?
- Your views, readers respond to the last edition of Free Play Network news
- Telegraph Poll, adventure playgrounds with fixed equipment, does it work?
Parliament debates Play. For the first time, Members of Parliament held a debate on Play on Tuesday 4 November, 2pm in Westminster Hall. Text of the debate can be viewed at http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200203/
cmhansrd/cm031104/halltext/31104h03.htm#31104h03_head0.
Have your say. Play Policy or No Play Policy? 'Traditional' Play Facilities or flexible services? What's your view? You can now join discussions on play issues online at this new section of the Free Play Network website, http://www.freeplaynetwork.org.uk/haveyoursay/.
Problems with Ofsted? Sandra Melville, PLAYLINK Director, is a member of the newly reconstituted National Consultative Forum. Please let her know of any problems you have encountered with Ofsted registration or inspection. For further information see the Practice section of this website, http://www.freeplaynetwork.org.uk/practice.
Back to the Future, Adventure Playgrounds in the 21st century, celebrating 50 years of adventure play in London. This 2 day conference is for everyone involved in London's adventure playgrounds, 2 & 3 December. Further information from London Play.
The Best Value Performance Indicator for Play was drafted by PLAYLINK, Inspire and the Children's Play Council in conjunction with the Audit Commission. It is intended to help make sure that Play does not loose out in local authority policy making. For further information see the Practice section of this website.
Revised versions of the National Daycare Standards and Ofsted Guidance are now available online or in print. For details of how to obtain them, see the Policy section of this website.
Free Play Network News, Issue No. 2, September 2003
- Play on the Range, Chris Snell reports on how Cambridge City Council have adapted their play service to reach more children.
- 'Every Child Matters' - your response, by Sandra Melville
- Developing Play Policies, by Bernard Spiegal
- Insurance - a result, by Sandra Melville
- National Standards - no change yet, by Sandra Melville
- New Housing - what about play, by Sandra Melville
- Open for Play - new guidance from PLAYLINK.
- Play Policy or No Play Policy? - Katie Snook, Play Development Officer for the London Borough of Croydon responds.
Open for Play, July 2003. Open for Play is a new PLAYLINK publication designed to help both playproviders and Ofsted inspectors exploit the opportunities offered by the National Daycare Standards to support the development of play provision in line with the recognised values of play and playwork. Download and complete the Flier to order a copy.
Promoting Positive Outcomes, May 2003. Promoting Positive Outcomes is designed both to give feedback to the Department for Education & Skills/SureStart and to Ofsted on the working of the new national regulatory system in relation to open access and play provision, and to make recommendations to the review of the National Standards, which is due to take place. For the full text visit the PLAYLINK website.
Research into Insurance Cover for the VCS in England, June 2003. The Home Office's Insurance Cover Working Group has published research into the problems faced by voluntary and community sector groups getting insurance. For further information on Insurance go to the Playwork in Practice section of the Free Play Network website.
Childcare Standards Review, 9 June - 18 July 2003: PLAYLINK's Response. PLAYLINK has now posted its response to this consultation. The main focus of the consultation phase is on childminders and childcare in schools but there are a couple of points, one serious, which open access play provision should note. For further information on how to take part in this consultation, please visit the Policy section of the Free Play Network website.
Living Spaces provides grants to help people improve open spaces in their neighbourhood. It can be used to help create and improve a wide range of spaces, including play areas, local parks, nature areas, and kick-about areas. Funds of between £1000 and £100,000 are available. For further information see http://www.living-spaces.org.uk.
Free Play Network News, Issue No. 1, June 2003
- Playing out on the Street, Chris Snell visits a new initiative from Leeds Play Network.
- No Policy but plenty of Pizza. Is a play policy essential to developing quality play opportunities?
- Write it Down, a new approach to the problem of insurance. Will it work for you?
Insurance Surveys, note from Stephen Bourne, ACU, Home Office
CYWU Playwork Conference, 18 November 2003, London. The conference will examine and discuss the latest policy developments effecting Playwork and the consequent professional and trade union issues. Speakers will also be asked to comment on training, qualification funding and long term strategies. For further information contact http://www.cywu.org.uk or telephone 01279-629161.
Lottery Funding for Children's Play: a review of children's play opportunities to inform £200m of lottery money through the New Opportunities Fund.

The final version of PLAYLINK's response to the Government's Play Review is now available.

The consultation has now closed and a response from Government on their proposals for the Lottery Funding is expected this summer.

For further information on the Play Review go to http://www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations/playreview.
Private Action, Public Benefit is a consultation paper from the Government's Strategy Unit at the Home Office which proposes major changes for voluntary organisations to improve performance and accountability.

Though many of the proposals are directed at large fundraising organisations, some would have implications for smaller groups.

It can be viewed at http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/innovation/2002/charity/report. Responses by email to: piuvolsect@cabinet-office.x.gsi.gov.uk or by post to: Strategy Unit/Home Office (Charities Project), Admiralty Arch, The Mall, London SW1A 2WH. The deadline was 31 December 2002.
Making Connections, by Sandra Melville, reproduced from Lesiure Manager magazine, September 2002.
Survey reveals that children are bored by unadventurous playgrounds, Press Release from the Children's Society and the Children's Play Council, 7 August 2002.
Children's charities call on councils and schools to carry out "DAISY CHAIN AUDIT" to help end playground bans, Press Release from the Children's Society and the Children's Play Council, 7 August 2002.
Making the Case for Play, Children's Play Council launches three new reports, 27 May 2002.
Play as Culture, report from PLAYLINK, March 2002.

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