TUESDAY AM
ROUND TABLES 1 - 5
TABLE 1
Management
If I were a manager of playworkers today, my brain would hurt: squeezed between the yammering pressure to tick the ticky-tacky tick boxes and the demands of trainers exhorting me to be a lovely politically correct caring person who is at all times responsible for the emotional well-being of my people. Because out here in ‘the real world’, people are off sick, the toilets have flooded, the caretaker is doing his nut, the bank have blocked my credit card and Bob Hughes wants me to let the kids explore the ‘deep play type’ by setting fire to the shed.
TABLE 2
Getting it right legally
GIRL: Ever wondered why it's such hard work finding practical plain English advice on legal matters for community organisations? Leonie will be facilitating a session on ‘Getting It Right Legally 1 and 2’, these packs have recently undergone a timely re-write and are essential support documents for people who are thinking about improving the legal status and structure of their Organisation. This is a round table, interactive session that will give delegates a chance to understand processes and procedures required to review the how their Organisation is governed. This session will not answer specific legal questions but there will be a chance to explore issues and any questions will be recorded at the session and responses will be published in iP-D!P.
TABLE 3
Riskogenics
I came across the concept of Riskogenics by attending a workshop at The Spirit of Adventure Play Conference in Wales a few years ago, a session run by Catherine Gordon of ‘Playtonics’. Since then I have been developing the base concept to support my own understanding of play and its relationship in organised play spaces to health and safety.
Being of the old school of playwork, I came into the work when the Health and Safety at Work Act had not had time to filter down and establish the legal framework in which all people at work now have to operate.
I have a traditional approach to playing and working in play settings and over the years have become anxious about the way workers in the children’s work force have both been affected by, and have interpreted the legal duties placed on us all in the workplace.
Interpretation is key.
TABLE 4
Recording children’s play lives
Come and join our round table to see snippets from our film ‘Waiting at the gates’ find out how we managed this year long project, and take away ideas on how to put this type of project into place in your area.
The film includes information from past playworkers, historical footage of Stevenage at Play and anecdotal tales, focusing on 1968 – current day.
‘Waiting at the Gates’ film was a project that children attending Stevenage playcentres, and holiday playschemes, the Play Development Officer and Rewind films have had lots of fun working on.
The process started with a short film asking for memories and anecdotal tales, then with old photos and small exhibitions past playworkers and children who attended the schemes shared their memories and helped with the film making.
TABLE 5
How playworkers can look good in schools
Using ‘play’ to support and deliver conventional education/national curriculum (How to make dosh by working with schools or children’s centres)
Understanding and adapting the Forest School, Undskole (out of classroom learning) ethos and using it within our schools/pre-school education system
With the present changes in grant funding and council spending, this session looks how the play sector can work in true partnership with schools and family centres offering valuable support service that will generate income.
MKPA see forest school as a free play opportunity and support and deliver its ethos, we have found that forest school is only one facet of the Scandinavian education model and we have studied this system and adapted its components to support and enhance our present system, that many people feel is focused on passing assessment rather than delivering education.
We will be looking at ways that ‘play’ can be used to deliver quality education and promote good behaviour; this is carried out working alongside the teaching staff offering a cross curriculum approach that gives recognised and recordable results.
We will be discussing how play workers can offer this play delivery learning, using activities that are play based and appealing to the children, many of these activities are well known to us but have been given a slightly changed focus that gives a powerful learning outcome
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