Although it’s important for the local community to be involved, don’t expect everyone to take part in the same way or to an equal extent.

Individuals will get involved for a variety of reasons, and of course there are always some people who drop out. So it’s a good idea to keep as many people as possible informed about your project so you can recruit new members.

People’s interest and active participation fluctuates and there may be many reasons why their enthusiasm declines. It does not necessarily mean they have lost interest, so it’s always worth keeping in touch in case they want to be more active at another stage.

Involving people from the local community in the planning of new and refurbished play provision will:

• provide a more accurate picture of what is needed in the neighbourhood
• increase a sense of ownership of the play space by the community
• help avoid resistance to ideas further on in the project - if views are heard and addressed along the way there is less possibility of a backlash later
• increase chances of sustainability and future development
• provide a source of help and support.

Getting to know why people are involved is not only interesting but can help you build capacity and skills within the group.

To ensure your play provision is as inclusive as possible you should consider doing the following:

• Do your research – find out who lives in your community. There is almost certainly a diverse group of people
• Identify the barriers – find out why some people and groups may not be taking part
• Have a clear message that discrimination is not acceptable, and develop anti-discrimination and anti-bullying policies
• Address issues of diversity – plan how different people and groups will be consulted and participate in your organisation or group.  Be flexible – be open to suggestions, try new ideas
• Provide training and support for paid staff and volunteers, including members of management committees and trustees
• Work in partnership with other organisations – they may be able to provide you with advice as well as support people in your group or encourage people to be involved
• Make reasonable adjustments – you may need to do something proactive to make sure people are included, for example, produce materials and information accessible to different groups, make physical changes to premises to enable disabled access, hold meetings and events at more convenient times or in more accessible venues.

Research has pointed to the important role of community-led play provision, particularly for marginalised children. Your provision will be more appealing to marginalised groups by involving them directly, dealing with barriers such as racism, and making sure communications are well targeted.

At staffed play provision, playworkers should be adequately trained to tackle access and discrimination issues.

When setting up a project or service targeting marginalised children or those at risk of exclusion, it’s important to work closely with other community groups to show how your project fills a gap and to ensure that the children, young people and communities that you work with can access other mainstream provision.

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