Forest school, hospital, youth work, play therapy

Forest School vs Playwork - Richard McMeekin

A look back at the first year of Clandeboye Nature Rangers which is the first outdoor after-school. The session will look at what happens when Forest School ethos and Playwork Principles collide!

TIME: 9:30 - 10:30 LENGTH: 1 hour TARGET AUDIENCE: Play Explorer

The Power of Play in Hospitals - Lowri Morris

Health Play Specialist (HPS) illustrates how play can be used within hospital to help children and young people (CYP) make sense of this new world. Nijhof et al. (2018) suggest “children with chronic or life-threatening disease may face obstacles that negatively impact play… possibly impending developmental milestones, beyond the illness itself”, therefore, the role of the HPS is essential to facilitate play within hospital. It’s important to note that those who are… unwell are 30% more likely to suffer from a mental health condition (The Shaw Mind Foundation, 2016), supporting the need to protect CYP’s right to play, as play is a “natural tool” to enhance resilience, in turn protecting mental health. Case studies will be used throughout.

TIME: 10:45 - 11:45 LENGTH: 1 hour TARGET AUDIENCE: Play Explorer

How to be a Playworker in a youth work setting - Ali Wood

Austerity has meant that lots of both playwork and youth work provision has gone. But it has also meant that sometimes people are being asked to do both at different times, or that playworkers are being asked to work in youth work settings or youth workers being asked to work in playwork settings. What are the differences and similarities between playwork and youth work and what is their main focus?  What can we learn - and gain - from each other and in what ways can we work together?  What are the needs and the play needs of adolescents and how might we meet these - from either discipline? This session will be participative, thought-provoking and challenging and will use real-life examples from practice to get us thinking.

TIME: 12:00 - 13:30 LENGTH: 1.5 hours TARGET AUDIENCE: Play Explorer

An Intro to Play Therapy - Phil Woodruff

I find that most professionals working with children still have very little understanding of the extensive and longterm impact trauma has and how play therapy works. Talking from the perspective of an adoptive Dad who is proactively engaged in the therapeutic (re)parenting of his children, a guy who has sought out a wide range of training to further his understanding of trauma, and has himself works in both playwork and therapeutic settings, predominantly the Trauma Recovery Centre, Bath. I hope this intro to Play therapy will support your understanding and transform your playwork practice

TIME: 13:30 - 14:00 LENGTH: 1 hour TARGET AUDIENCE: Play Explorer