Michael Wragg

Over the course of the last 15 years, the UK Playwork sector has experienced significant reductions in public spending, which has led to the closure of many community-based play projects. National bodies, representing the field, particularly in England, have been pared back in terms of scope and influence, and children's play and playwork have fallen down the political pecking order. Never to be deterred, however, the playwork sector has rallied and features a number of examples of play projects and organisations that have grown in size and influence during these lean times. This paper discusses a particular example of the playwork sector's resilience in the face of adversity, namely the development of the first UK-wide Adventure Playground Network, and discusses the encouraging state of playwork in the UK.

This article will assert, via the analysis of a series of observations in practice that well-intentioned adult interventions in the play of children are often ill-informed, misguided and counterproductive in their attempts to act in the best interests of the child as informed by the major policy frameworks which guide and govern them (Children Act 2004, UNCRC 1991). It will attempt to establish that such practice is informed by a deficit model which is constructed upon a number of evolutionary and often subliminally engrained socio-cultural principles and assumptions which while seeking to develop, protect and normalise children result in restricting their developmental potential, putting them at greater risk of harm and producing irregularities in their behaviours. If this paradigm gives way to one informed by an alternative set of more analytically constructed perspectives, principles and assumptions improved outcomes for children will result. Ce document fera valoir, en passant par l'analyse d'une série d'observations dans la pratique, que les interventions des adultes bien intentionnés dans le jeu des enfants sont souvent mal informés, erronée et contreproductive dans leurs tentatives pour agir dans les meilleurs intérêts de l'enfant en connaissance de les grands cadres stratégiques qui guident et les gouverner (Children Act 2004, CDE, 1991). Il tentera d'établir que cette pratique est informé par un modèle de déficit qui est construit sur un certain nombre d'évolution, et souvent inconsciemment ancrée socio-culturelles principes et d'hypothèses qui, tout en cherchant à développer, protéger et normaliser les résultats des enfants en limitant leur potentiel de développement, en mettant les plus à risque de préjudice et les irrégularités de production dans leurs comportements. Si ce paradigme cède la place à un courant par un autre ensemble de points de vue plus analytique construits, les principes et les hypothèses de meilleurs résultats pour les enfants en résultera. © 2013 Copyright EECERA.

This paper examines the life and times of the first 10 years of an adventure playground and the ways in which that playground has been affected by and responded to the opportunities and challenges presented by changes to the prevailing national and local socio-political and economic climate of that decade. The paper explores significant events in the playground's history and the ways in which those events have been influenced by the interrelationship between popular public perceptions of children and their play; the national and local policy context for children, play and playwork; and the implications of such for the playwork practice of those charged with developing and running one of the north of England's flagship playwork provisions. During the latter part of the playground's comparatively short life many of these factors have inevitably contributed to or been played out against a backdrop of ideological political and economic reform popularly termed as austerity. Although the full financial implications for small charitable organisations such as The Big Swing of the present UK government's austerity programme are only just becoming realised, the ideological neoliberal tenets by which they are informed have had a demonstrably detrimental effect on the playground's practice and delivery.

Playworkers often occupy nooks and niches overlooked or considered to be beyond the remit of the wider Children and Families’ Workforce. Encountered in these spaces may be vulnerable or traumatised children, whose emotional and developmental needs are forgotten, ignored or trivialized. In response playworkers seek to enable children in such unsettling circumstances to exercise their autonomy through the intrinsically motivated behaviour of play, and in so doing regain agency and emotional equilibrium. One example of such a space is the prison in which children can be unaware of the nature and purpose of their visit and may be subjected to necessary yet emotionally destabilising controls, which have been observed to render them confused, worried and anxious. This paper summarises the key themes of a presentation delivered at the inaugural conference of the Prison Research Network, April 2015 at Leeds Beckett University. The presentation drew on experiences of playworkers, and children and parents visiting play facilities in a number of the country’s prisons, and raised questions about future research and impact assessment of such provision.

Objective This mixed-methods systematic review sought to identify the extent and quality of peer-reviewed research regarding the impact of free play on school-aged children’s mental wellbeing, as a proxy for assessing the impact of the playwork approach. METHODS: The review included young people between the ages of 4 and 20 and studies on exposure to, or interventions with, free play which also reported on mental wellbeing outcomes. Populations outside the age range and non-free play interventions or exposures and outcomes not related to mental wellbeing were excluded. Online databases were searched on 18/06/2025. Quality appraisal was undertaken for all studies. Risk of bias was assessed for randomised studies. RESULTS: A total of 23 articles representing 24 unique studies were included, with an approximate participant pool of 13,755. Across three dimensions of mental wellbeing, 41 impacts were identified: 36 positive, 5 no or unclear and 0 negative impacts. Quality appraisal indicated the need for increased consideration of sample sizes and stakeholders. Risk of bias assessment indicated that deviations from intended intervention posed the most risk of potential bias. CONCLUSION: Evidence of free play’s positive impact on mental wellbeing was consolidated in school-aged children and extended into adolescence. Adult initiation of play was indicated as a non-negative contributing factor for positive impact. Further research into the impact on mental wellbeing of free play and the playwork approach is supported by the results of this review. PROSPERO registration: CRD420251042607.

Playwork is a profession that focuses on enabling and enriching children’s play experiences, creating a space for spontaneous, self-directed play. The application of playwork principles to dementia care holds promise and resonates with a relational approach to care. However, this area of practice has not yet been explored. This study aimed to explore if and how playwork approaches could be applied with people living with dementia and their impact on residents and those delivering the programme. A five-week playwork programme, delivered by undergraduate playwork students and lecturers, was piloted in a care home, with residents living with dementia. Interviews were conducted with care home staff, students, and playwork lecturers, and reflective diaries of the playwork sessions were maintained by students and lecturers. The findings indicate that playworkers can feasibly adapt their approaches so they are appropriate for older adults living with dementia. Playworkers can encourage agency and support free expression and exploration for residents. The sessions were perceived as having a positive impact on residents’ emotional wellbeing, sense of recognition, social interaction, and engagement, as well as on some staff members’ assessments of residents’ abilities. The study also highlights the crucial role of care staff expertise during the sessions, particularly in addressing the medical and physiological needs of residents. However, engaging care staff proved challenging, resulting in a lack of continuity after the project concluded.