Playwork has changed beyond recognition since I was working as a playworker in south London in the early 1980s. Changes that can be summed up with the words -wider awareness and better support.
When I started out nearly 20 years ago, friends and family felt it was a strange job for a graduate, and there was a definite feeling that I would grow up one day and get a 'proper' job. There were just a handful of out-of-school clubs throughout the UK and childcare was not on the public agenda in the same way it is today.
Now, there are thousands of playworkers, and barely a day goes by without the publication of new research into the important role of playworkers and childcarers in child development. Sheer numbers have brought public awareness.
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