Play ScotlandWith Scotland’s local council elections this week, Magic Breakfast Youth Campaigners have led a coalition of 13 leading organisations across Scotland, including Play Scotland, to call on council candidates to listen to their voices. The coalition represents tens of thousands of young people and today’s letter calls on councillors from every corner of Scotland to amplify the voices of young people on issues such as hunger, youth services, and gender equality.
Read the letter here:
Play Scotland and A Place in Childhood are delighted to offer this introductory training on engaging children and young people on their local place.
By attending this training you will gain:
Book your place here.
Playday is the national day for play, celebrated each year across the UK on the first Wednesday in August. Playday 2022 will be celebrated on Wednesday 3 August.
We are delighted to announce that the theme for this year’s Playday is …
All to play for – building play opportunities for all children.
This year’s theme aims to highlight that play is for everyone. Play happens everywhere, every day, and is the right of every child and young person. Playday encourages families, communities, and organisations large and small, to consider how they can build better opportunities for all children to play. Following the challenges children and young people have faced over the past two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, play is more important than ever.
We’re calling for more play, better play, every day!
After two years of restrictions across the UK, we are looking forward to hearing about the exciting ways you plan to celebrate Playday this year. Visit the Playday events section to share your events.
For the latest updates on this year’s campaign follow Playday on Facebook and Twitter and share your plans with us using the hashtags #Playday2022 and #AllToPlayFor.
Playday is coordinated by Play England, Play Wales, Play Scotland and PlayBoard Northern Ireland.
Including Disabled Children in Play Provision, a joint statement from the Children’s Play Policy Forum and UK Play Safety Forum, states that society has failed in producing enough accessible and inclusive places for children to play within a reasonable distance of their homes. It makes clear that
The statement also calls for consistent use of the terms accessible and inclusive play.
Clare Haughey, MSP, Minister for Children and Young People said:
“The Scottish Government’s ambition is for Scotland to be the best place in the world to grow up – a nation that values play as a life-enhancing daily experience for all our children and young people, regardless of background or circumstance.
“Inclusion and accessibility are at the core of the national principles underpinning our £60 million investment in renewing play parks across Scotland. So, too, is listening to children and young people’s views about how they can be supported through play to be active, healthy and happy.
“I welcome this statement on inclusive and accessible play which supports everyone involved in providing play spaces and environments to ensure they can be enjoyed by all children and families.”
Chief Executive of Play Scotland, Marguerite Hunter Blair said:
“This ground-breaking Statement provides a clear explanation of how play provision and environments can enable all children to play together. Children of all abilities have the same right to play. A better understanding of the barriers faced by disabled children and their families will lead to enriched play experiences for all children and families.”
Tim Gill, Chair, Chair UK Play Safety Forum said:
“Just like any child, all disabled children need and want to play. But for decades, they have been left poorly served. This statement makes a powerful case for change, while acknowledging the challenges. Perhaps most importantly, it sets out a clear vision for new and improved play spaces that will engage children of all abilities.”
Nicola Butler Chair Children’s Play Policy Forum added:
“This statement will help build a better understanding of the barriers which keep many disabled children and their families excluded from local play spaces. Overcoming these barriers will bring benefits for non-disabled children too, as they learn through their interactions and engagement with disabled friends and peers.”
PEDAL have been carrying out an exciting piece of research looking into the many ways hands-on learning activities with physical objects – or physical manipulatives – can encourage children’s active engagement in everyday learning.
This quick-read blog post provides answers to key questions including: What are physical manipulatives? What is a scoping review? What did PEDAL find? How can you use physical manipulatives in everyday learning?
Read the full blog here
Delighted to be part of the P4Play project with PhD candidate Sabine Vincon 
speaking here about beginning her studies into the relationship between policy and play. The newsletter can be found here.
The Royal Society of Edinburgh will be hosting its 2nd educational conference entitled Being and Belonging, which will take a holistic, forward-looking view on the importance of early years to children’s long-term success and wellbeing. They are inviting practitioners to share practice examples from their current or recent work in early years education. More information on how to submit can be found on the form below.
There are 5 criteria, many of which will relate to children and young people in schools and Early Years settings, as well as those working on Duke of Edinburgh or Saltire Awards or engaged in their communities, but this is just as relevant for older members of our communities whether still working and fully independent, through to being in full-time care but engaged in an intergenerational project. Projects can be ‘lead’ by an individual or group(s).
A new award this year recognises the importance and key opportunity for intergenerational solidarity through Climate Action.
The five categories are:
More info on their website.
Healthy Valleys is a community-led health initiative that supports communities in rural South Lanarkshire. They focus on providing opportunities for local people to improve their health and wellbeing and build stronger communities in areas of deprivation or where there are service gaps.
This position will be based at NHS Lanarkshire (Law House) and will include home working (during restrictions).
Closing date for applications: 10am on Friday 19th November 2021
Interviews: Tuesday 30th November 2021
Find out more here
Children’s Alliance has announced that they are looking for a Head to join their team. Children’s Alliance is an outreach initiative of Water Babies and this is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Charity Leader to play a crucial part in shaping and delivering the ambitions for their Community Interest Company (CIC). If you are driven, passionate, self-reliant, motivated and resilient they want to hear from you.
