NEATH PORT TALBOT COUNTY BOROUGH COUNCIL

Education, Skills and Culture Cabinet Board

6th June 2019

Report of the Head of Participation – Chris Millis

Matter for Decision

Wards Affected:

All Wards

Play Sufficiency Assessment 2019

Purpose of the Report:

To seek Member approval for the implementation of an action plan developed from the Neath Port Talbot (NPT) Play Sufficiency Assessment.

Executive Summary:

Local authorities in Wales have a duty to assess for and secure opportunities for children's play, and to submit their assessment and action plan to Welsh Government on a three year cycle. This report seeks Member's approval for the action plan drawn from the 2019 Play Sufficiency Assessment to be implemented.

Good progress has been made on the recommendations from the 2016 assessment, however, funding constraints often hinder new developments.

The appointment of a new Play Development Officer will help ensure that actions from the new assessment are driven forward.

Background:

The Children & Families (Wales) Measure places a duty on local authorities in Wales to assess for and secure sufficient play opportunities for children and young people in their area.

As part of this, authorities are required to conduct a Play Sufficiency Assessment (PSA) on a three year cycle, to be submitted to Welsh Government (WG). Annual action plans and monitoring reports are required to be sent to WG between assessments.

An independent consultant was appointed to undertake the assessment and to develop an action plan in conjunction with the Play Strategy Implementation Group and other stakeholders.

The assessment considers a number of matters affecting children’s play, as identified in the Statutory Guidance, Regulations and supporting toolkit, namely:

Matter A	Population

Matter B	Providing for diverse needs

Matter C	Space available for children to play

Matter D	Supervised provision

Matter E	Charges for play provision

Matter F	Access to space/provision

Matter G	Securing and developing the play workforce

Matter H	Community engagement and participation

Matter I	Play within all relevant policy and implementation agendas

Welsh Government does not provide confirmed additional funding in order to deliver on PSA action plans, however, WG has offered local authorities Play Opportunities Grant funding over five years since the introduction of the duty. This is usually made available in Q4, which limits how this can be utilised, however, a number of projects have been supported to improve children’s play.

Year	Value	No. Projects Supported
2013/14	£53,898	14
2014/15	£64,308	19
2016/17	£66,042	20
2017/18	£62,348	11
2018/19	£114,297	30

Progress on 2016-19 Play Sufficiency Assessment

Funding constraints often hinder progress against areas of the assessment that would require new work to be developed. Actions often focus on maintaining the provision in place and improving quality, or identifying work that could be undertaken if funding should become available.

However, good progress has been made against some of the Matters:

Matter B – Providing for diverse needs

Inclusive play sessions offered to encourage play for children with disabilities.

Engagement with gypsy traveller communities to better understand their play needs.

Use of Welsh Government’s Play Grant to provide youth club sessions for young carers and young people with speech, language and communication needs.

Matter C – Spaces available for children to play

Assessments of play spaces undertaken on an annual basis to understand the ‘value’ of opportunities offered to children. The assessment findings inform consultation responses in relation to planning applications.

Improvements have been made at a number of playgrounds through utilising the Play Grant, and also maintenance at other sites which would help avoid removal of equipment.

Matter D – Supervised play

Delivery of play training to lunch time supervisors, childcare providers, parents and agencies working with families to improve the quality of play experience for children.

Resources such as mud kitchens and outdoor play equipment have been purchased through the play grant to improve play at various settings, including schools and childcare providers.

Matter G – Securing and supporting the play workforce

Playwork qualifications and training were included as part of an assessment of need for the play workforce.

Places on Transition into Playwork qualifications have been paid for as part of the Play Grant.

A lunchtime playworker pilot was delivered in the Afan Valley to demonstrate the impact this role can have on school-based play experiences.

Matter H – Community engagement and participation

Play Heroes continue to be supported through primary schools ensuring that children’s voices are heard in decisions relating to play.

Consultation has been undertaken with children, young people and communities to support funding applications made by Community Councils to enhance their playground provision.

Matter I – Play within all relevant policy and implementation agendas

Training has been provided for workers supporting families (Team Around the Family, Social Workers etc.) to promote positive engagement between parents and children.

The Play Strategy Implementation Group has representation from a number of departments and agencies whose work impacts on or influences children’s play.

Play Sufficiency Action Plan 2019-22

The assessment has been completed and reflects feedback from children and young people, parents and stakeholders. It draws together their views together with information collated through the WG toolkit to provide an overview of the current position in NPT.

A SWOT analysis has been produced outlining the strengths and weaknesses against each Matter and the opportunities for improving these.

The action plan developed for NPT has a focus on improving the quality of the play provision on offer – that of existing provision and of future developments – and on encouraging children, young people and families to utilise what is available to them. Some actions have been identified in earlier assessments, however, reductions and changes in funding, along with unavoidable changes in staffing structures supporting play delivery have made these difficult to achieve. A part time Play Development Officer has been introduced into the Think Family Partnership structure and they will play a key role in taking forward the identified actions.

Successful implementation of the action plan will require support and co-operation from all directorates. The implementation will be co-ordinated and monitored by the Play Strategy Implementation Group, which currently has representation from key Directorates and from Third Sector partners. The need to strengthen the strategic profile of children’s play has come out strongly from the assessment, in order that we can protect children’s opportunities to play and that these are not unintentionally impacted upon by others’ work.

Financial Impacts:

The action plan identifies whether recommendations can be achieved within existing resources or whether new finances would need to be in place in order to progress these. Actions requiring new finance would not be progressed without additional funding sources being in place.

Integrated Impact Assessment:

A first stage impact assessment has been undertaken to assist the Council in discharging its legislative duties (under the Equality Act 2010, the Welsh Language Standards (No.1) Regulations 2015, the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 and the Environment (Wales) Act 2016.

The first stage assessment has indicated that a more in-depth assessment is not required. A summary is included below:

The Play Sufficiency Assessment meets WG’s requirement that a local authorities in Wales assess for and secure sufficiency of play opportunities for children aged 0-17 years.

Based on the above assessment, a full impact assessment is not required as the initiative has low or no impact on the majority of factors indicated. In the few cases where impact has been identified this is positive, improving opportunities for children and young people’s development and wellbeing.

Consultation and engagement with children, young people, parents, and stakeholders was undertaken as part of the assessment and their views are reflected within the action plan.

Valleys Communities Impacts:

No implications.

Workforce Impacts:

No implications.

Legal Impacts:

No implications.

Risk Management Impacts:

There are no risk management issues associated with this report.

Consultation:

There is no requirement for external consultation on this item

Recommendations:

It is proposed that the Play Sufficiency Assessment action plan be approved to outline priorities for the delivery and development of play in Neath Port Talbot.

Reasons for Proposed Decision:

Undertaking a Play Sufficiency Assessment and developing an accompanying action plan is a statutory duty for all local authorities in Wales.

The action plan has been developed to help ensure that we maximise the available resources for play to improve the quality of the provision offered across the county.

Implementation of Decision:

The decision is proposed for implementation after the three day call in period.

Appendices:

Appendix 1 - Action Plan

Appendix 2 - Play Sufficiency Assessment

List of Background Papers:

First Stage Integrated Impact Assessment – PSA 2019

Officer Contact:

Chris Millis Head of Participation, Telephone 01639 763226 e-mail c.d.millis@npt.gov.uk

Angeline Spooner-Cleverly, Participation Co-ordinator, Telephone 01639 686044, email a.spooner-cleverly@npt.gov.uk

Allison Harris, Think Family Partnership Manager, Telephone 01639 873002, email a.t.harris@npt.gov.uk

Appendix 1

Proposed Action Plan

Actions to be taken to address the issues / shortcomings recorded in the Play Sufficiency Assessment

Proposed actions for the period of 1st April 2019 – 31st March 2020

(Funding source: funding from Local Authority own budgets and to be included in the Single Integrated Plan).

Matter	Priorities	Targets	Links to other Matters	Resources, including costs	Funding source (new or existing funding streams)
Statutory Guidance-policy framework	Bringing together people who effect children and young people’s experiences of play	Update membership and terms of reference for the Play Strategy Implementation Group (PSIG). PSIG relaunch in summer 2019.	All	Staffing capacity. Administration support.	Existing funding to support PSIG.
Matter A: Population	Ensure data is kept up to date and used as a key tool in decision making.	Create links with new data science unit.	B	NPTCBC Data Science Team Training for key play stakeholders.	Existing funding
Responding to limited provision for older children.	Working in partnership with youth services to engage with young people and to identify potential project/s. Explore options for meeting unmet need in partnership with third sector and community organisations. Develop strategic targeted project/s and work in partnership to secure funding.	C, F	Officer Capacity Funding support	Delivery of project/s will require external funding.
Matter B: Providing for diverse needs	Improving play value in rural areas	Target improvements to play value score in each area through strategic development of play and / or enhancement of existing provision. Deliver in partnership with the communities through meaningful engagement.	C	Staff time and capacity. Partnership with Project Delivery and Funding Team. Costs dependent on proposals.	Will require external funding support.
Work with communities to support them to respond to their identified play needs	Identify support groups that work with specific communities for example children with disabilities / traveller children. Provide support, training and help to enable them to deliver play in response to need. This could include access to support around funding, help to promote provision etc.	All	Staff time and capacity.	Delivery of projects will require external funding support.
Review previous Play Strategy and advocated inclusive approach to play.	Clarify policy and approach around inclusive play.	All	Staff time and capacity.	Existing funding.
Matter C: Space available for children to play	Connecting communities with all the places they can play	Partnership working with Countryside and Wildlife Team and key partners such as Natural Resource Wales. Contribute to the Green Infrastructure objectives of the Well-Being Plan. Develop a simple criteria to help communities identify play friendly open spaces.	B, F, H	Will be based on proposed approach which is likely to include events and activities.	External funding will be required to deliver events and activities. Funding is available around the Green Infrastructure objectives of the Well-Being Plan.
Retain existing play provision of all types and take a strategic approach to enhancement and where achievable development of new provision.	Link up existing resources and funding to support play. Clarify ownership and maintenance responsibilities for all sites. Share resources across wider teams for example link play with Countryside and Wildlife with a focus on accessing open space through and for play.	B, F, H	Existing staff capacity and resources.	Ensure existing funding levels are retained as a minimum.
Play Space Audits	Review and update play space assessment model. Updated in partnership with wider PSIG membership. Train play area inspectors to carry out annual play space audits based on new criteria.	F	Play Development Officer PSIG Waste & Neighbourhood Teams Data / assessment collation devices e.g. smart phones approx. £200	Existing funding.
Natural Play	Natural Play project developed in partnership with Countryside & Wildlife and Waste & Neighbourhoods. Explore how natural play engages communities and lowers maintenance costs.	Play Development Officer PSIG Countryside & Wildlife Team Waste & Neighbourhood Teams	External funding for play space.
Friends of Play Forum	Identify groups that impact on the maintenance and enhancement such as Friends of and Community Council. Re-establish links with Housing Association and other providers of designated play spaces. Create a forum that brings these groups together to share ideas and good practise and link to PSIG. Develop groups in parks and play spaces that would benefit from community participation. Park Play pilot: learn from Park Run and develop play taster programmes run by communities for communities in their local parks on a regular (for example monthly) basis.	F	Play Development Officer PSIG Waste & Neighbourhood Teams Forum Administration	External funding may be available to support development and administration of the forum. External funding to support Park Play pilot.
Matter D: Supervised provision	Evaluate supervised provision.	Work with the Flying Start & Early Years Team to create an assessment criteria. Carry out visits in partnership. Obtain an update from Play Wales on their proposals for quality assessment model.	B	Existing staff capacity.	Use of existing capacity / funding across Flying Start & Early Years and Play.
Connect families with supervised play provision.	Improve search function of Dewis Community Directory. Improve data sharing of information such as registered childcare providers.	B, E, F and G	Existing staff capacity.	Existing funding.
Matter E: Charges for play provision	Retain existing low cost provision.	Continue to use available grants to support and sustain affordable provision across Youth Service, Childcare etc.	B, E, F and G	Existing staff capacity.	Existing funding.
Up to date information.	Outreach with providers to encourage them to keep their information up to date on the Community Directory. Enable a search for free things to do / play opportunities.	B, E, F and G	Existing staff capacity.	Existing funding.
Matter F: Access to space/provision	Link people to play.	Places to play and how to get there map / online tool developed in partnership with Countryside & Wildlife and Transport Teams.	D	Development of an online tool and / or app.	New Funding obtained in partnership with Countryside & Wildlife and Transport Teams.
Matter G: Securing and developing the workforce	Create a play workforce and deliver the aspirations of the WG’s Early Years, Childcare and Play Workforce Development Plan	Engage with CIW to clarify requirements of national workforce development plan. Define the play workforce. An Early Years, Childcare and Play Workforce Development Plan for Neath Port Talbot. Training needs analysis. Explore opportunities for playwork training outside of the funding requirement that participants work 16 hours per week in a childcare setting.	All	Commission development of a training needs analysis and workforce development plan: £15,000	New external funding.
Increase participation among providers.	Establish networks and / or toolkits to share best practise.	All	Play Development Officer in partnership with Training & Transition Officer.	Exiting funding.
Playworkers in school settings.	Develop a pilot scheme for playworkers as lunchtime supervisor programme. Ensure pilot has clear outcomes to evaluate and understand success.	All	Play Development Officer in partnership with schools. Funding for training and playworker salary – dependent on model.	New funding source.
Play network.	Engage and inform decision makers on a regular basis using a range of mechanisms including online and face to face engagement. Link with PSIG and use this as a mechanism for promoting play as tool for change. Work with the Youth Council so that young people can explain the benefits of play to decision makers including Councillors.	All	PSIG Events and workshops. Link with other relevant strategies and objectives. .	Exiting funding.
Address gaps in play training.	Based on the Workforce Development Plan for Neath Port Talbot develop proposals to address gaps around local training developed with Skills and Training Unit.	All	Pay Development Officer Skills & Training	If require seek to secure additional funding to deliver training.
Matter H: Community engagement and participation	Making it easy for families to find out about play in Neath Port Talbot.	Invite Council’s Communications Team to join the PSIG. Deliver National Play Day every year in partnership with community groups and other key partners. Engage with parent and community run social media and develop a network play influencers.	All	PSIG and partners.	Existing funding. New funding may be required depending on approaches as they develop.
Engage providers in promoting play.	Shared outreach strategy across Flying Start & Early Years, Childcare Offer and Play.	All	Flying Start & Early Years, Childcare Offer and Play Outreach work / team.	Existing funding.
Promote positive play.	In partnership with communications share smart positive play messages and work to go beyond “preaching to the converted.” Promote healthy active play as an alternative to technology, help children get off their iPads. Work with partners and the PSB to develop a pilot for intergradational play that responds to the target outcomes of the Well-Being Plan.	All	PSIG	Additional funding for integrational play pilot.
Matter I: Play within all relevant policy and implementation agendas	Get play on the agenda in Neath Port Talbot!	Connect with PSB to understand opportunities for play to support and deliver intergenerational activity.	All	PSIG	Existing.
Schools engagement strategy.	Show schools the benefits of engaging with play. Improved partnership working with LLAN and NAASH. Retain and develop Play Heroes scheme.	All	Play Development Officer in partnership with Flying Start & Early Years Team.	New funding may be required to support activities, training and events.
Link play with the Integrate Network Map (INM) for Neath Port Talbot.	Promote cycle routes for play. Link to places to play and how to get there map	F	Transport Team, Road Safety and Play Development Develop mapping app.	New funding for proposed map app.
Secure existing funding for play.	Retain existing play related funding as a minimum.	All	PSIG	N/A
Encourage risky but safe play.	Outline H&S guidance for play providers and settings which explores enabling children to experience risk and challenge.	C, F	External H&S advice: £3,000	New funding if available.