Playwork

Some settings offer open access provision where children can arrive and leave unaccompanied, some provide registration in and out of the setting and some will incorporate both for different age ranges. Many of these settings will be subject to care standards and regulations appropriate to the UK country they operate in.

The provision of play opportunities in communities across the UK is crucial in ensuring all children have equal access to play environments regardless of their background and circumstances.

Play is a critical part of a child’s life, allowing for learning and social development, as well as building the blocks for a healthy lifestyle. Playwork contains a high proportion of volunteers and part-time workers, and brings its own unique skills and training needs. SkillsActive is working hard with the sector to ensure that playworkers are trained to the highest standards, and that their training is recognised across the industry.

Our role

SkillsActive works across the UK leading the development of playwork education and training for all those working with children and young people. We have recently launched the first UK strategy for playwork education and training, ‘Quality Training, Quality Play’, the first ever playwork strategy to have a UK focus whilst accommodating the diverse needs of each of the UK nations.  There are a number of other playwork related publications and research available on the website.

SkillsActive works across England in close partnership with the nine regional playwork centres, and has a dedicated programme manager for children and young people based in Scotland. We also work with colleagues in Northern Ireland and Wales to ensure we drive forward the playwork sector on a social, economical and political agenda.  A briefing note in response to the review of the regional centres is available here.

Examples of SkillsActive’s work with the playwork industry:

• Creation of the UK’s first playwork strategy, adoped throughout England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland;
• Development of the first interactive CD toolkit to help employers develop their employees in the sector;
• Annual playwork survey to ensure that employers and employees are fully involved in the development of their industry.

“The results will be an invaluable source of information about the workforce’s pay and conditions and it should help make sure that people who work with children in play settings get the training and qualifications they need.”
Frances Basham, senior playworker with Haringey Play Association, speaking of the annual survey

Click here to watch a video outlining the importance of skills and training in the playwork sector.

Key facts and figures

• 95% of the playwork workforce in the UK is female.
• Three in ten playwork employers have identified a skills gap in their workforce.
• The sector had an estimated GVA output of £1.5 billion in 2004.
• Employment in the sector in the UK accounts for 23% of the active leisure and Learning sector, with a total of 132,730 people employed across the UK.

Training, education and qualifications

SkillsActive has worked in partnership to develop training plans and qualification frameworks for the active leisure and learning sector, we also develop national occupational standards that underpin education courses and qualifications, click here to access them, which are based upon a set of principles that are available here.  A publication outlining the range of qualifications, and job roles, available for those working with children in England is available here.

Clarification on the use of national occupational standards

SkillsActive has issued a statement to clarify the use of NOS for Playwork and Children’s Care, Learning and Development (CCLD)

Following the recent expansion of the age range for the new CCLD standards to encompass children and young people up to 16, SkillsActive and Skills for Care and Development have agreed that a clause would appear in the units of the respective standards to clarify their use. Click here to access them.