Playwork London - part of the Southern Tri-Region

Details of SkillsActive's involvement with Playwork in London

Latest news:

• Spirit of Play 2010:

We had a great time at Spirit of Play on Saturday 13 March, and so did our delegates - "Can I say that I thoroughly enjoyed the whole day...." "Great to be with like-minded people...." "Thank you for all your hard work...." were just some of the comments.  Full report with slides from all our speakers here soon.

• Accessing the best quality training and funding opportunities within Playwork: 

SkillsActive and the National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure are working together to explore opportunities for funding for skills development and training within Playwork and signposting you to the best quality training available.  In order to focus our efforts in the most effective way, we would value your input on where your current training and development issues are.  Please could you spare ten minutes of your time to complete our short training needs analysis here before the end of March. 

• Playwork Learning and Skills Strategy 2011–2016:

SkillsActive has launched a consultation on its UK strategy for playwork, education, training and qualifications - Playwork Learning and Skills Strategy 2011–2016 - and is urging the playwork sector to get involved.  It follows our first playwork strategy Quality Training, Quality Play (QTQP), which is founded on the principle of Article 31 of the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child, recognising play as a right and being fundamental to children’s quality of life.  Deadline for the consultation is 9 April.  More information and details of our consultation events here.

• Playwork NVQ Funding:

Funding for the Playwork NVQ Level 3 will be finishing soon - there is still time to take part and by fully funded to gain your Level 3 in Playwork - sign up by filling in our application form and return it to us asap.

• Playwork Funding for early years or childcare workers:

Would you like a fully funded Award in Playwork for Early Years and Childcare Workers?  Applications are being taken now on a FIRST COME FIRST SERVED basis so register NOW to avoid disappointment!  Fill in our application form and return it to us asap.

• L6 Management & Leadership in Playwork - fully funded opportunities:

If you are in a senior role that requires you to think strategically about playwork as part of integrated children's services, then this CWDC funded opportunity is for you. The training is underpinned by the playwork principles and designed to support professional development whilst improving the quality of play, and has been developed to equip people working in senior roles across the play workforce.  More details from Anglia Ruskin, Middlesex University and Best Practice (providers across the Southern Tri-Region).

Facts and figures

Playwork People 4 results will be available soon.

From the Playwork People 3 survey in 2007, research into the region’s play workforce revealed that:

• Playwork is a female dominated profession.  In London, however, there is the greatest proportion of males in the workforce of any English region (31.2%).
• Playwork settings can generally be termed as micro-businesses with fewer than 10 employees.  In London, however, the situation is different - businesses tend to be larger, as only 41.4% of employers stated that they employed 10 or less full-time, part-time or unpaid staff.
• Three quarters (75.8%) of employers identified that skills specific to playwork are lacking in new recruits.

Click here for the full Playwork People 3 report, and here for the London summary.

Contacts:

Playwork Strategy Manager: Claire Mitchell claire.mitchell@skillsactive.com

Playwork Engagement Manager: Hanna Boyce hanna.boyce@skillsactive.com

Southern Administrator: Kiran Sahota kiran.sahota@skillsactive.com (Wednesdays and Fridays)