It is said that 'He who questions nothing, learns nothing'. Luckily, there are play researchers out there looking for answers, but how is this significant to playworkers in the field? Helen Masey, SkillsActive research officer, explains, 'Research into play and playwork helps us to know more about how and why play is important. It can inform and improve the way we work with children, and raise the profile of play. Research informs those in national and local government who make decisions about funding, standards, training and services, and can make a big difference to the way play provision is arranged and supported.' So, what kind of research is being carried out?
Play review
In 2001 the Government announced that 200m of National Lottery funding from the New Opportunities Fund (NOF) would be directed to children's play. A review of play was promised to help set priorities for the funding programme. A broad, nationwide consultation and analysis is now complete, and the playwork sector is awaiting a subsequent report, based on this important research and due to be published early this year. The funding is likely to be available to spend after 2005.
Playwork and early years joint project
Although early years and playwork remain two different sectors with their own National Occupational Standards (the NVQ criteria), increasingly the same workers have more than one job role, and may work across a wide age range. While it is recognised that employers, staff and regulators should remain clear about specific job roles and the qualifications required for them, it is likely that there will be some areas of commonality between the sectors.
The DfES is funding a project to identify and define these areas to see if repetitive and unnecessary training could be streamlined in the future, without either sector compromising its unique nature. SkillsActive is managing the project, and the National Day Nurseries Association is representing the early years sector. Twelve joint consultations have already given playwork and early years staff the opportunity to discuss commonalities. Early indications show that there are some shared values - for instance, the child should be central to the process, and play is every child's right - although it is clear that there will always be the need for sector specific areas of knowledge and expertise to reflect the differences that exist between the sectors. Sue Hook, SkillsActive national development worker for Quality Assurance, says, 'SkillsActive is happy to have had the chance to undertake this important piece of exploratory work with early years colleagues.' This sentiment is echoed by Lynette Lee, NDNA training and development manager, who adds, 'We are excited to work more closely with the playwork industry, and hope that this joint project will be the beginning of more collaborative working.'
Playworker project
SkillsActive has also conducted a large survey of playworkers via a questionnaire, in order to find out more about them - including who they are, where and when they work, their qualifications and rates of pay. More than 2,100 responses have been gathered so far. SkillsActive hopes to develop a list of every playworker in England, to ensure that everyone receives the training information they need and opportunities to be involved in other research projects to help improve aspects of playwork.
A second phase of the project has evolved, and data relating to recruitment and retention of staff and the barriers to training is currently being collected - visit www.playwork.org.ukto participate or to view the findings of this rolling project.
Environmental play
The Wild About Play (WAP) project, funded through 'Better Play', promotes opportunities for children to play freely in natural environments in the South West. Its remit includes identifying and meeting the related training needs of individuals and organisations, as well as researching and documenting examples of successful environmental playwork in the region, achieved via observation. Martin Maudsley, the Playwork Partnerships WAP co-ordinator, says, 'We have established via questionnaires that playworkers want more environmental play training. But we've been pleased to find environmental organisations want to become involved in playwork, and in a new phase of the project we're distributing play information to professionals such as park rangers.'
Children are also being consulted about outside activities that appeal to them - early results show that den building is popular. Results from this project will be available from wap@playwork.co.uk.
Boys campaign
ChildLine has recently launched 'Boys Allowed', one of the biggest campaigns in its 17-year history, in response to information gathered during research into call data. Far fewer boys than girls call ChildLine, and when they do call they have often waited so long that they are near breaking point. It seems that boys still feel that 'real men' shouldn't need to ask for help. A ChildLine counsellor says, 'When boys do call us we usually explore their options with them, the first of which is often talking to a trusted adult. Playworkers are important people in the lives of the children they work with. They are in an ideal position to offer a relaxed time for conversation that a troubled child may not otherwise have from another adult in their life.' Further tips on supporting boys are available at www.childline.org.uk/pdfs/boys.pdf.
Small projects
National and regional organisations are frequently involved in large-scale projects, but many interesting, smaller projects are carried out by individuals. Pete King and Mark Gladwin are studying with Leeds Metropolitan University via distance-learning, and both are conducting play research as part of their course. Pete is researching whether free play can exist within 'structured' play settings such as out-of-school clubs. He is conducting a questionnaire survey of playworkers, and later this year he will observe three workers in three different settings for case studies - playworkers interested in becoming involved can contact him at peter.king@newport.ac.uk.
Pete says, 'When I was a playwork trainer I became aware that there are conflicting definitions of the term "free-play". This may lead to conflicting practice, and I'm interested in whether the play labelled as "free-play" in structured environments is the same as the play given that label in other environments.' Findings will be available from December 2005, following a period of analysis.
Mark Gladwin's interest in the playwork debate about whether inappropriate restrictions are being placed on children's play in an attempt to keep them safe, has led him to research the perceptions of risk in play. His project includes analysis of the perceptions of children themselves, and he is conducting both individual and group interviews with children. The full project, due for completion in September this year, will also entail observations of children's adventure playground play, and the analysis of playworker diaries.
Research unit
Kids' Clubs Network (KCN) says that its Re:Source Unit 'actively assists the lobbying of specific issues by KCN. It creates an evidence base through its own research with clubs, schools, children and parents... aiming to improve the quality of children's services and providing a pool of information sourced from practitioners in the field'. Projects for 2004 include a study into what it means to 'support childhood' effectively, and a new round of the Food for Thought project, focusing on children's lifestyle, nutritional education, health and exercise.
Information about KCN's on-going Out of School Framework project is also expected this year, following last year's research to 'create a conceptual structure that explains the underlying contribution that clubs can make to a child's development'. Find further information as it becomes available at www.kidsclubs.org.uk/projects.asp.
NETWORKING
Since numerous researchers can be considering play and children of school age at any one time (only a sample of current projects are mentioned here), the Play Research Network has been established, assisting the exchange of information and ideas. Meetings are organised around the country with support from the Children's Play Council. The Network is currently considering how research could be peer reviewed. Members also plan to compile a register of play research in the form of a web-based resource, accessible to all. Anyone who would like their work included should contact Helen Masey at helen@playwork.org.uk.If you are interested in joining the Network, contact Mena Wright at MWright@ncb.org.uk.
