What is a local play strategy?
A local play strategy describes the things a
local authority and its partners will do to develop opportunities
for play.
It sets out how the local authority will engage with children,
young people, parents and local communities, through its different
departments.
This may link it with other local authority policy areas such
as:
- voluntary and community sector
- health
- planning
- environment
- equality and inclusion
- community safety
- children’s services
- extended services
- youth provision
- transport strategies
- housing
- regeneration.
Your local play strategy should contain details about plans for
community consultations as well as an audit of existing play
provision and local standards. In addition, there should be an
action plan that includes:
- criteria for identifying priority projects for development
- existing play projects
- play developments planned to take place
- timelines and deadlines for completion of each project
- resources – funding dedicated to each project
- monitoring – how the local authority and its partners will
monitor the progress of each project.
There should also be an evaluation plan to assess the
performance of the strategy and dates when the strategy will be
reviewed.
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Tools and information
Embedding the Play Strategy This guidance from DCSF will help local authorities and their partners to improve local play offers by embedding everyday opportunities for healthy, active play within top-level strategies for children, communities and spatial planning. It emphasises the need for collaboration with the voluntary and community sector.
Local area play strategies The Children’s Play Information Service provides a list of local authority play strategies by region.
Planning for Play A Play England briefing produced to support local authority play partnerships developing and implementing play strategies as part of the Big Lottery Fund Children’s Play programme. Although still relevant, the recent publication Embedding the Play Strategy updates much of this work, taking account of changing policy context resulting from the national Play Strategy.