Tag: playwork qualifications

Short courses to support HAF-funded Playwork provision

The Playwork Foundation and Devon County Council have worked in partnership to develop two bespoke training courses to support practitioners involved in delivering the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme, funded by the Department for Education [in England] during school holidays.

RECOGNISED AND ENDORSED BY PLAY ENGLAND

  • Both courses are going through the Play England Endorsement process and are mapped against Playwork National Occupational Standards at Level 2
  • Endorsement requires a level of assessment to ensure the learner’s knowledge. This will be achieved through completing an assessment paper for each session. Each learner will receive a full colour detailed course book to take home.
  • On successful completion all learners will also receive a certificate.

For more information about the course content, registration, qualified trainers, training the trainer programmes and costs please contact either:

Helen Stephenson (O7970 451 872) at Devon County Council

Or, Kelly Conibere at University of Gloucestershire

Level 2 Playwork Apprenticeship

The Playwork Apprenticeship Trailblazer Group, with the support of The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE), has been supporting the development of a Level 2 Playwork Apprenticeship in England.

Photo by MI PHAM on Unsplash

A Trailblazer is a group of employers recognised by IfATE and reflective of those who employ people in the occupation, including small employers. Developing an Apprenticeship involves writing the occupational standard, the End Point Assessment plan (EPA), and collating funding evidence to inform IfATE of the funding band recommendation for an agreed occupation proposal. There is also a commitment to continue to revise the apprenticeship as needed, to promote the apprenticeship to potential users, monitor the performance of the apprenticeship and to answer queries to help resolve any issues that may occur.

Photo by Ben Wicks on Unsplash

It has been a long journey, but the Standard and EPA have now been approved by IfATE. If you would like further information, please contact the Chair of the Trailblazer Group, Joan Fisher.

Will Cardiff Bay speak up for play after election day?

Tomorrow is set to be a bumper election day in Great Britain! 

In England alone, there will be local council elections, mayoral elections, Mayor of London elections, London Assembly elections and Police & Crime Commissioner* elections. Some of these are elections that were postponed in 2020 due to the outbreak of COVID-19. 

*Police & Crime Commissioner elections will also be taking place in Wales. Did you know that Wales and England share a single jurisdiction but have two legislatures? Something unique in the world. 

As if that wasn’t enough elections for one day, there will also be a Senedd Cymru/Welsh Parliament election and a Scottish Parliamentary election. This article will look at the Senedd elections – fellow Trustee, Ann-marie, has written a piece on the Scottish Parliamentary election which you can read here. If you’re unfamiliar, this short video explains the powers of the Senedd. 

This year’s Senedd election is nothing short of historic! Thanks to the ‘Senedd Election Act 2020’, 16 and 17 year-olds will be able to vote for the first time as well as an estimated 33,000 foreign nationals gaining the right to vote – this represents the biggest expansion of the franchise since 1969, when suffrage was extended to 18 to 21 year-olds, and will undoubtedly impact on the results of the election. 

So, what do the parties say about play and playwork for #Senedd2021?

Whilst a number of parties have progressive manifesto promises for children and young people, only the Wales Green Party and Welsh Liberal Democrats specifically reference “play”, albeit in the context of early years education in both cases. Questions to Plaid Cymru leader, Adam Price, on play, also returned responses linking to education and early years. Despite no mention of it in their manifesto, it could be argued that, as it was a Welsh Labour Government that produced The Children and Families (Wales) Measure 2010, that gave us the Play Sufficiency Duty, and their record in supporting play in recent years, that Labour will likely continue this commitment.  

Whatever the party-political make-up of the new Welsh parliament and government next week, a number of organisations have made it clear to all of them what they believe should be done to protect the rights of children in Wales, including their right to play.

First, we look at our national play board, Play Wales, and their manifesto “Wales – a play friendly place”. The headline asks are for the continuation of the Play Sufficiency Duty and for the opportunities for children to play to “increase and improve”. The dominance of the motor vehicle is addressed, with recommendations for default 20mph speed limits in built-up areas and government-mandated guidance for street play projects. Looking at schools, Play Wales propose a mandatory minimum time for “play breaks” within the school day and also ask for consideration, wherever practical, to making outdoor school grounds available for play after school and at weekends.  Play Wales also call for a public campaign that not only explains what play is but also communicates the health and wellbeing benefits for children and wider society. 

The Children’s Commissioner for Wales’s Manifesto briefly mentions play, asking for “more youth and play services that anyone can use, for free”. However it does go a little further by giving a vision of the future with “free adventure playgrounds all over the country”! This year will see the end of the current Commissioner’s tenure – we hope that the next Commissioner will be just as welcoming to play and playwork as Sally has been. 

Clybiau Plant Cymru Kids’ Club appear to be the only organisation making very specific representations on behalf of playworkers. Specifically, they call for: the “continued investment in professionalisation of the sector” via funding, CPD and access to training and qualifications; recognition of playworkers’ influence on children’s lives and the Welsh economy to be “recognised in all government communications and policy decisions”; parity with Early Years workers through an “active and effective sector skills council”; and a call for more initiatives that support fair remuneration for playworkers (e.g. tax-free childcare, the childcare offer and 100% rates relief). 

The Play Sufficiency Duty and legislation like the world-first Well-being of Future Generations Act, are indicative of how progressive governments can make a real difference to children and young people’s lives in a meaningful and sustainable way and on a national scale. However, any incoming Welsh Government will still be restricted by the allocation of funding set by the UK Government and by the reservation of powers over aspects of media, health and safety legislation, employment and regulation of charities. 

In the coming months, The Playwork Foundation will be revisiting ‘A Manifesto for Play: Policy proposals for children’s play in England’ that was written in partnership with Play England and IPA England ahead of the 2019 UK General Election. Taking into consideration the composition of the new parliaments and governments in Wales and Scotland following national elections, and the shifting of the political map in England as a result of local elections, we hope to present a vision for the future of playwork that can influence and encourage each nation of the UK to not only recognise the profession but utilise our expertise and practice to the benefit of children and young people in every corner of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. 

If you’re living in Wales and wondering who to vote for, the BBC have put together this guide, or, for those in Scotland and England voting this Thursday, you can find out about all the elections, candidates and parties by visiting https://whocanivotefor.co.uk/

Siôn Edwards

Unite calls for Labour to reinstate recognition of playwork qualifications

Katie the skateboarder

In its response to the Labour Party’s consulation on a statutory youth service, Unite the Union, which incorporates the former Community, Youth and Playworkers Union, has called for a return to the recognition of playwork qualifications.

Unite’s response says:

“Unite believes that playworkers would also gain from an increased recognition of their professional skills especially since September 2014, when the Government removed the statutory requirement for out of school clubs and holiday play schemes registered on the Ofsted Early Years Register to employ staff with ‘full and relevant’ childcare or playwork qualifications’ “

The deadline for submissions has been extended until the 30 November.

Information about the consultation and how to contribute can be found here

Unite’s full response can be read here

Photo: James Schaap

 

Playwork apprenticeship group surveys employers for evidence of demand

The Playwork Apprenticeship Trailblazer Group has issued a survey to assess the demand for the new qualifications it is developing. The group has put out a statement asking employers to respond, which we publish here in full.

ATTENTION PLAYWORK EMPLOYERS

We Need Your Help in developing the Playwork Apprenticeship Standards

The purpose of a Trailblazer Group is to identify the demand and to create an Apprenticeship standard that fulfils the requirements of the sector. The Playwork Trailblazer Group is looking to develop a standard for a Level 2 Playworker qualification in the first instance, followed by a Level 3 Playwork Co-ordinator Apprenticeship Standard.  The Level 2 will be designed for people new to Playwork and who interact with children on a daily basis, and the Level 3 will be designed for those who manage the daily running of a single setting.

These standards are employer-led, meaning we can ensure the qualification is fit for purpose and fully meets our needs. This is our chance to really make a difference to the way Playworkers are trained and to ensure that the training is fully conversant with the Playwork Principles and children and young people’s rights to play.

‘CACHE, the leading sector specialist, are supporting a group of 10 employers with their proposal to develop the Apprenticeship standard for Playwork frameworks.’

The Institute for Apprenticeships will only approve the proposal if there is evidence of sector demand and that the occupation of a Playworker is sufficiently different to other apprenticeship standards such as Early Years or Youth Worker.

We need to gather the views of as many Playwork employers as possible to identify interest in the new qualification and how many apprentices each organization would be likely to employ each year.

We have created a short survey which should only take 5-10 minutes to complete. By doing so, you will be helping to secure the future of Playwork for everyone, so please share your thoughts here

Completing the questionnaire will help us assess demand for the new qualification, shaping the future of Playwork Apprenticeships. Your input is greatly valued and will be vital in securing government funding, so please take a few minutes to complete the survey today.

All completed questionnaires must be in by February 12th 2018.

Thank you!

Playwork Foundation Trustee, Ali Wood, is a member of the Playwork Apprenticeship Trailblazer Group.

For more information about the group and its work please email the joint chairperson Carole Theyer here

 

 

Withdrawing qualifications is another blow to playwork

Play England has reported that CACHE (Council for Awards in Care, Health and Education) has closed its Level 2 Award and Certificate, Level 3 Award and Level 4 Award and Certificate qualifications to new registrations. The other main awarding organisation, City and Guilds are also now only open for registrations of full Diplomas at levels 2, 3, and 5, although they are still offering the Level 4 Award. All of these qualifications, for both awarding organisations, are only available for registration until November 2017.

According to Play England, these qualifications, vital to the growth of a professional playwork sector for two decades, no longer fit within the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) that replaced the former Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) under the Coalition Government.

Under the RQF, the ‘stepping stone’ awards and certificates, which could previously lead incrementally to full diplomas via the credit system, is being phased out. Thus, when existing qualifications come up for renewal, unless they are suitable for conversion to the new framework they are being withdraw, in spite of many playworkers and their employers preferring the modular approach.

Prospects

But the prospects of playwork in England adapting to this new context are affected by a funding squeeze. With registrations for playwork qualifications declining because of a dearth of available finance, awarding organisations are finding it harder to make the business case for the development of new ones. At a roundtable meeting at the National Playwork Conference in Eastbourne last week, co-hosted by Play England and the Playwork Foundation, it was agreed to lobby CACHE and City and Guilds, to extend registration of the level 2, 3 and 5 qualifications beyond the end of the current year. The two organisations have written to the awarding bodies and are encouraging playwork trainers and employers to do the same.

Nicola Butler, chair of Play England, says: ‘Playwork is a highly skilled job. Parents, playworkers and employers all want the playwork profession to have the training that is needed for the job, but while most playwork employers would like to be able to invest more in professional development of their workforce but are prevented from doing so by the lack of public funding’.

So what are the reasons for this decline in the playwork sector after so many years of growth? One factor is the partial de-regulation of the school-age play and childcare sector. Since September 2014, there has been no statutory requirement for out-of-school clubs and holiday play-schemes to employ staff with ‘full and relevant’ childcare or playwork qualifications. (Over-8s and open-access providers have never been required to register).

Cuts

At least as significant as the change in regulatory requirements has been the effect of cuts to local authority play services, which in many places have been withdrawn altogether.  A 2014 report showed that capital and revenue spending on children’s play by England’s local authorities from 2010-13 fell by 50% and 61% respectively and it is clear that deep cuts have continued.

Many believe that playwork is now in something of an existential crisis, certainly in England. 10 years ago, the first phase of a 10-year national play strategy included funding to qualify 4,000 playworkers and a new graduate level qualification for playwork managers. Since then, the government has, according to the Children’s Rights Alliance for England, ‘undermined’ children’s right to play by abandoning the play strategy and not having a minister with responsibility for play policy for the first time since the 1980s; a situation that remains, in spite of the calls for a wide ranging national play policy by an All Party Parliamentary Group on children’s health in 2015.

What does all this mean for children? Most obviously, vital play services such as staffed adventure playgrounds (where playwork originated) are being closed. In some places these are being replaced with fixed equipment play areas, as in Watford; in others, such as Battersea Park, children can now indulge in ‘tree-top adventures’ for between £20 – £38 a session, where they used to play for free on structures that they had helped to build. Wendy Russell of the University of Gloucestershire estimates there only 150 traditional adventure playgrounds remaining in Britain, compared to around 500 at their peak; and with the erosion of playwork training and the on-gong pressures on funding, she has called those that remain an ‘endangered species’.

Extended schools

Less apparently, but perhaps even more significantly (certainly for larger numbers of children) the removal of a requirement for qualified staff means that children attending after-school and holiday play services – not voluntarily, let’s remember, but because their parents need to work – are now much more likely to be supervised either by classroom assistants or staff with no training at all; often on school premises.

When Labour introduced the concept of ‘wrap-around’ services as a key development of its ‘childcare revolution’, it was quick to distance itself from the term ‘extended schools’; but what the abandonment of playwork practice as the benchmark for quality in out-of-school provision means for many children, is that they are now effectively in school for up to 10 hours a day.

 A New Playwork Apprenticeship

The one area of potential growth for the playwork training sector is apprenticeships. The government is introducing an Apprenticeship Levy, although most small centres are not eligible for this funding unless subcontracted by larger providers. On this point, the Playwork Foundation is concerned that a high proportion of the few larger centres offering playwork apprenticeships employ trainers and assessors who are ‘not occupationally competent’.

A group of playwork employers has submitted an expression of interest to develop a new Playwork Trailblazer apprenticeship, which aims to: enable employers to access playwork apprenticeships; clarify what they should cover; develop the skills needed for quality playwork provision; and reinforce that they need to be delivered by trainers and assessors fully competent in playwork.

Adrian Voce

An edited version of this article was published in Children and Young People Now on 14 March 2017

This article is about playwork qualifications in England. For an overview of the situation in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales read this