Children from London adventure playgrounds were at the House of Lords today to share their perspectives on play with politicians, peers, play practitioners, academics and experts who gathered there for the launch of the final report from the Play Commission.
The extensive year-long inquiry into why play is critical to children’s wellbeing, and how it can be restored to every childhood in England has culminated in a 144 page long report in which, thanks to the efforts of adventure play advocates including London Play, adventure playgrounds feature prominently. “Beyond offering a vital – and increasingly rare – opportunity to play freely, we were told that adventure playgrounds have the potential to “revolutionise children and families’ services” as they are often able to connect with children and families who are less likely to use more mainstream or statutory services”
The overarching recommendation in the report ‘‘Everything to Play For: A Plan to Ensure Every Child in England Can Play’ is that the government should establish a new cross-departmental National Play Strategy for England with a 10 year vision, led by a Minister with responsibility for Play. An annual budget of £125 million to the end of this parliament, would be part-funded by measures including the Soft Drinks Industry Levy and unspent funds currently held by councils and collected from developers to mitigate the impact of new developments.
The report also recommends the introduction of a statutory Play Sufficiency Duty for local authorities, bringing England in line with Scotland and Wales’ and legal protections for children’s rights, including incorporating the UNCRC into domestic law, protecting all children against discrimination in accessing play.
The Raising the Nation Play Commission was launched in June 2024 and is chaired by entrepreneur and campaigner Paul Lindley OBE – founder of Ella’s Kitchen, the UK’s biggest baby food business. It has worked in partnership with former Children’s Commissioner Baroness Anne Longfield’s Centre for Young Lives think tank and has been advised by a panel of leading experts.
Read the report here.