TRACK 15: Management: actually Curated by Arthur Battram
Room 7
So if I were a manager today, my brain would hurt and my heart would sink, and I would ask myself: “How did I get here? This is not my beautiful playcentre” And I would turn to the mirror, and I would ask: “Remind me why we’re doing this? *
So that’s what this conference ‘track’ will be about: the everyday practice of the management of playwork, The day-to day realities of management struggle. The contradictions of what we believe for children and the way we are pressured to treat the staff that care for them.
I’m doing things a little differently in these 4 sessions: each of them will use the format of ‘an audience with’ - I’ll be your interviewer, gently steering and occasionally prodding the interviewees to sparkle for you. You won't just be a passive audience - at various points we’ll pause and take your questions.
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It’s not just playwork, it’s not even mainly about playwork
Looking at the big picture in two senses - all aspects of play provision and all the aspects of the management of play across the local authority. Play just doesn’t happen in playwork situations but even so the large amounts of money that have been spent have been spent without consulting children on where they can play which is far more important than what the design of the equipment or the landscaping will be because if they children can’t play there then what’s the point.
Rob has extensive experience of observing children at play in well over 60 areas of housing and consultations at all of those plus where new playgrounds are being proposed or developed. It promises to be an interesting session.
1½ hours : intermediate : 10:00-11:30
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I got a life! A life of play, a life taken over by my work
looking back over the complexities of managing a life dedicated to playwork both as a head of service and as a national player
1½ hours : intermediate : 11:45-1:15
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Now I know why we did it that way: 30 years of playwork reflective practice
‘reflecting on her everyday playwork practice of up to 30 years ago; looking for management through the 10 years or so of Adventure playground daily log books! And finding some hints to why we might have got a lot of it ‘Well good enough’ We will also explorie the dialectical relationship between some children in a play space, and the strange adults who were employed to be there.
Come and hear the stories, debate the evidence and contribute your own. If it all gets too much we do have a Film to watch-well a DVD of adults from the play space presenting their evidence and having their say.
1½ hours : intermediate : 1:45 – 3:15
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Possible management: towards a playwork-friendly style of management
arguing that management practice has to be driven by playwork practice and not the other way round.
1½ hours : intermediate : 3:30 – 5:00
Organised by 
in a better enviroment 