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Using Play as a Platform for every child to succeed
1. April 29 - May 1, 2015
Using Play as a Platform to Give Every
Child the Chance to Succeed
2. Agenda
โข Introductions
โข who we are and why we do what we do
โข Positive About Play fly โby
โข What play means to you
โข Play theory
โข looking at the science behind play
โข Positive About Play in a little more detail
โข the challenges
โข Strategy and development
3. Introductions: about Liverpool
โข City 800 years old
โข Huge heritage as โsecond city of the British Empireโ, The
Beatles and Footballโฆ.but so much more!
โข Population of 460,000 in the city
โข 2.2 million in wider metro area (Merseyside)
โข Population in the city declined consistently from 850,000 in
1930s
โข โฆโฆ until last 10 years (up 5%)
โข City of huge contrastsโฆ.and inequality
4. Introductions: Liverpool and Inequality
Levels of deprivation and child poverty in Liverpool are
extremely high:
โขLiverpool is the most deprived local authority area nationally.
โขJust over a third of Liverpool children (34.4%) live in poverty and in
some areas of the city three fifths of children live in poverty.
โขIn some schools in the city 73% of children are eligible for Free
School Meals.
โขMore than a third of Liverpool wards have unemployment rates that
are twice the national average and Liverpool's incapacity rate is
nearly twice the national rate.
โขLiverpool has a larger proportion of the working age population with
no qualifications than nationally.
5. Introductions: about LCVS
โข LCVS established in 1909 to โhelp charities co-ordinate their
effortsโ
โข At the forefront of social action in Liverpool, and nationally, for
over a century
โข Diverse range of services and activities with an underpinning,
clear, aim:
โข Together โ for Liverpool โ for Good
7. Positive About Play โ What exactly is a playscheme?
โข Play schemes provide vital out of school provision for children
in safe, group environments.
โข Play schemes vary in their shape and size, in where they take
place and who runs them, but every play scheme has, at its heart,
the commitment to proving children with the chance to play,
explore and learn together (with adult support when itโs needed).
8. Positive about Play โfly-byโ
โข In the 1980โs Liverpool had over 200 playschemes
โข Cuts to budgets gradually reduced this figure to less than 30 in
2011
โข Local groups and families were telling us that more provision was
needed for out of school activities
โข At the same time, foodbanks were on the rise as families found it
hard to get by
โข So what to doโฆ.?
9. Positive About Play โfly-byโ
โข We convened local partners involved in childrenโs play including
the Local Authority
โข We invested some of our own grant funds and encouraged
partners to do the same in a โpooledโ budgetโ
โข In 2012 we raised the number of playschemes to 46
โข We also teamed up with Fareshare who redistributes surplus food
to charities and community organisations
โข By 2014 we were running over 70 playschemes and attracted
support from Public Health and other funders and donors
โข Our aim is to break the 100 playscheme barrier in 2015
10. What play means to you โ group exercise
Think about a positive play experience from your childhood,
something you remember fondly.
โขIt doesnโt have to be a life-changing moment, just something you
enjoyed doing.
โขHave a chat with your neighbours and make a list of the activities.
Follow this up with another list, looking at the activity, and write down
what type of play took place; for example it may have been:
โขsomething you did on your own (like sorting bubblegum cards or
collecting something)
โขit may have been physical and social (climbing a tree with friends).
You get the
ideaโฆ
11. Play theory โ looking at the science behind play
Plenty of evidence to support the fact that play is essential to
our development e.g.
โข Sutton-Smith, in his book In The Ambiguity of Play, refers to
Huttenlocherโs work on brain imaging. This suggests that
โchildren under the age of 10 have at least twice the potential
brain capacity of children over 10โ.
โข Sutton-Smith suggests that this โover-capacityโ can be exploited
if children are exposed to a range of experiences through play.
Other research exists that backs up this theory that stimulus
through play actually modifies the brain and increases the
childโs capacity for learning for life.
12. Play theory โ looking at the science behind play
Play is vital to childrenโs social development.
The Play Return by the Childrenโs Play Policy Forum (2014) found
that Play initiatives lead to improvements in childrenโs health and
well-being, and are linked to a range of other cognitive and social
developmental benefits. While the evidence is strongest for play in
schools, it is reasonable to expect that they will also be seen in other
similar contexts.
Play enables children to do the following:
โข Respond to their peersโ feelings while waiting for their turn and
sharing materials and experiences (Sapon-Shevin, Dobbelgere,
Carrigan, Goodman, & Mastin, 1998; Wheeler, 2004).
โข Experiment with roles of the people in their home, school, and
community by coming into contact with the needs and wishes of
others ( Creasey, Jarvis, & Berk, 1998 )
13. Positive About Play in a little more detail
๏ผ Play Simply โ children are kept
safe and engaged in positive
activities which contribute to their
social and educational
development
๏ผ Play Healthy โ children have
access to healthy food and get fed
when free school meals are not
available to them
๏ผ Play Advice - provides a
dedicated advice helpline for
families attending the play
schemes
3 key elements:
14. Positive About Play in a little more detail
Challenges and moving forward:
๏ผPartnership has grown organically โ now need to
formalise
๏ผWe now have a clear aspiration
๏ผ 16,236 children in Liverpool live in the most
deprived areas and by 2020 we want them, and
all children across the city, to have access to
play activities 12 weeks of the year during all
school holidays.
๏ผWe can quantify the cost
๏ผ ยฃ760,000 pa / $1.1 million USD
16. Positive About Play in a little more detail
๏ผ Income coming from a variety of sources
๏ผ public, private, corporate
๏ผ Challenge to protect / fund the โcoreโ
infrastructure activity
17. Strategy and development โ developing Play
in your community
Small group exercise
โขFrom what youโve heard, is there a role for a Play Partnership in
your community?
โข4 Qs:
1. What are the challenges in your community facing children,
young people and their families?
2. What does your United Way do now?
3. What other groups or organisations support children and
young people in your community?
4. What resources (time, money, expertise) would you need to
establish a play partnership?
19. More information
Tony Okotie
Chief Executive
Email: tony.okotie@lcvs.org.uk
Colin Heaney
Policy, Partnerships and
Programmes Manager
Email: colin.heaney@lcvs.org.uk
Liverpool Charity and Voluntary Services (LCVS)
Web: www.lcvs.org.uk Twitter: @lcvsuw
Editor's Notes
We are not a direct service delivery organisation! But we are proud to be part of the UW network โ but also part of a family of similar organisations (CVS) across UK with a rich tradition of capacity building.
Many schemes small, volunteer run
Using play activities to engage with families so we can offer support such feeding the children and debt and housing advice to family members.
Last summer, provided meals to over 2,400 in most depreived communities
Why?
Evidence shows children receiving free school meals suffer during the school holiday and many return to school after the summer weighing less due to lack of proper meals.
Families are struggling with debt and need access to proper advice and support.
Many of the families who are struggling are working families unable to get help elsewhere
Provides positive learning experiences over the summer period
Aim to grow -target every child in deprived neighbourhood in Liverpool (over 16,000)to be able to access playscheme for all 12 weeks of school holidays โ cost ยฃ760k pa.
16,236 children in Liverpool live in the most deprived areas and by 2020 we want them, and all children across the city, to have access to play activities 12 weeks of the year during all school holidays.
3 elements โ relevant to capacity building is Play Simply
We donโt deliver schemes ourselves โ we work with, and through, 70 small play schemes.
Play Simply undertakes workforce development: Training for volunteer play leaders / paid staff
Using play activities to engage with families so we can offer support such feeding the children and debt and housing advice to family members.
Last summer, provided meals to over 2,400 in most depreived communities
Why?
Evidence shows children receiving free school meals suffer during the school holiday and many return to school after the summer weighing less due to lack of proper meals.
Families are struggling with debt and need access to proper advice and support.
Many of the families who are struggling are working families unable to get help elsewhere
Provides positive learning experiences over the summer period
Aim to grow -target every child in deprived neighbourhood in Liverpool (over 16,000)to be able to access playscheme for all 12 weeks of school holidays โ cost ยฃ760k pa.
16,236 children in Liverpool live in the most deprived areas and by 2020 we want them, and all children across the city, to have access to play activities 12 weeks of the year during all school holidays.
Last summer, provided meals to over 2,400 in most depreived communities
Why?
Evidence shows children receiving free school meals suffer during the school holiday and many return to school after the summer weighing less due to lack of proper meals.
Families are struggling with debt and need access to proper advice and support.
Many of the families who are struggling are working families unable to get help elsewhere
Provides positive learning experiences over the summer period
Aim to grow -target every child in deprived neighbourhood in Liverpool (over 16,000)to be able to access playscheme for all 12 weeks of school holidays โ cost ยฃ760k pa.
16,236 children in Liverpool live in the most deprived areas and by 2020 we want them, and all children across the city, to have access to play activities 12 weeks of the year during all school holidays.
Using play activities to engage with families so we can offer support such feeding the children and debt and housing advice to family members.
Last summer, provided meals to over 2,400 in most depreived communities
Why?
Evidence shows children receiving free school meals suffer during the school holiday and many return to school after the summer weighing less due to lack of proper meals.
Families are struggling with debt and need access to proper advice and support.
Many of the families who are struggling are working families unable to get help elsewhere
Provides positive learning experiences over the summer period
Aim to grow -target every child in deprived neighbourhood in Liverpool (over 16,000)to be able to access playscheme for all 12 weeks of school holidays โ cost ยฃ760k pa.
16,236 children in Liverpool live in the most deprived areas and by 2020 we want them, and all children across the city, to have access to play activities 12 weeks of the year during all school holidays.