We are delighted to launch Getting it Right for Play – our updated play space assessment toolkit on Wednesday 6 August to celebrate #Playday2025.
At our Playday event in Aberdeen, we welcomed the Lord Provost David Cameron, and his wife, Councillor Hazel Cameron, who attended the event.
Shaped by extensive engagement with families, communities, and organisations and informed by recent legislation, our updated guidance supports the implementation of our world-leading framework for children’s right to play in Scotland.
Local authorities are key to upholding every child’s right to play, and they can do this by using the toolkit to engage with children and communities in the assessment and development of play spaces.
Packed with useful tips and relevant case studies, our resource gives step-by-step advice and tools to assess and improve play spaces.
Paul Liddell, Chair of Play Scotland, welcomed the toolkit, “I am pleased that Getting it Right for Play has been shaped by extensive engagement with families, communities, and organisations, with a strong focus on the voices and experiences of children and young people with additional support needs. This guidance acknowledges the specific needs and barriers specific groups of children face and provides local authorities and community groups with practical assessment tools to help them evaluate and improve play opportunities and spaces.”
Getting it Right for Play reflects Scotland’s strengthened commitment to children’s right to play, aligned with the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 2019, National Planning Framework 4, and the UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024. It also supports delivery of Scotland’s Play Vision Statement and Action Plan 2025:2030, which recognises place as a primary driver which can create ‘free, accessible, inclusive and safe public play spaces, developed in consultation with children and families.’
Marguerite Hunter Blair, Chief Executive of Play Scotland, said:
“Getting it Right for Play supports the implementation of our world-leading framework for children’s right to play in Scotland, so that every child can play, have fun and enjoy their childhood. Local authorities are key to upholding every child’s right to play, and they can do this by using the toolkit to engage with children and communities in the assessment and development of play spaces.”
Eva Silveirinha de Oliveira, Green Spaces Project Development Officer at City of Edinburgh Council, praised the toolkit:
“The Getting it Right for Play Toolkit is a fantastic and useful resource: very inclusive and well thought-out.”
Jennifer Lothian, Strategy, Policy & Development Manager, East Lothian Council, called the resource “excellent”, saying, “I am sure will be a very valuable guidance document for many years to come.”
By launching on Playday, Play Scotland celebrates the power of play and reaffirms its commitment to ensuring every child in Scotland has access to spaces that are free, inclusive, and designed with their needs at heart.
