playingonin other areas mobile play provision, including play buses, mobile skate parks and other...

PlayingOn

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PlayingOn

Issy Cole-Hamilton

Sustaining play provision in changing times

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NCB promotes the voices, interests and well-being of all children andyoung people across every aspect of their lives.

As an umbrella body for the children’s sector in England and NorthernIreland, we provide essential information on policy, research and bestpractice for our members and other partners.

NCB aims to:challenge disadvantage in childhoodwork with children and young people to ensure they are involved inall matters that affect their lives promote multidisciplinary cross-agency partnerships and goodpractice influence government policy through policy development and advocacyundertake high quality research and work from an evidence-basedperspectivedisseminate information to all those working with children andyoung people, and to children and young people themselves.

NCB has adopted and works within the UN Convention on the Rights ofthe Child.

Published by the National Children’s Bureau

National Children’s Bureau, 8 Wakley Street, London EC1V 7QETel: 020 7843 6000Website: www.ncb.org.ukRegistered charity number: 258825

NCB works in partnership with Children in Scotland(www.childreninscotland.org.uk) and Children in Wales(www.childreninwales.org.uk).

© National Children’s Bureau 2006

ISBN 10: 1 904787 93 2ISBN 13: 978 1 904787 93 8

British Library Cataloguing in Publication DataA catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any personwithout the written permission of the publisher.

The views expressed in this book are those of the authors and notnecessarily those of the National Children’s Bureau.

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Acknowledgements 7

Introduction 9Funding play provision 9The research 10Ownership of provision 11

1 Where to go for funding 15Portfolio funding 16Funding from local government 17Local authority grants 19Central government funding 20National Lottery distributors 22Charitable trusts and foundations 23Selling goods and services 23Corporate and local fundraising 23

2 Where to go for other resources 25Volunteers 25Donations of equipment and materials 25Support ‘in-kind’ 26Securing premises and land 26

3 Fundraising tips 27Tips for fundraising 27

4 Meeting the needs of local children,families and communities 31Meeting children’s needs 32Meeting the needs of the family 36Meeting the community's needs 38

5 Strong management and financial control 41Good day-to-day management 41Strong management support 42Good financial management and control 44A development plan and funding strategy 45Policies and procedures 46Individual enthusiasm 48

6 A skilled, trained workforce 49A skilled staff team 49Being able to keep good staff 50Staff development and training 50Support and training for volunteers 52

7 Involving children and young people,their families and communities 53Involving local children and families 53Support from local people 55

8 Working in partnership with otherorganisations and services 57Working with statutory agencies 57Links with other play, recreation and childcare provision 58Working with voluntary agencies 59Partnerships with schools 60Local networking 60

9 Making use of support available locally 61Support from play associations and networks 61Working within a local policy or strategy 62Local authority officer support 62Political support within the council 63Other local authority involvement 64Play England and CPIS 65

10 Evaluating and monitoring the service provided 67Quality assurance 67Good results from Ofsted inspections 68Other internal monitoring 68Recognition in local authority inspections 69

References 71

Appendix 1: The case study projects 73

Appendix 2: Useful websites 79

Contents

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6

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AcknowledgementsAcknowledgementsWritten by:Issy Cole-Hamilton, Principal Policy and Research Manager, Children's Play Council

Case study research:Natasha Wilmott, NCB Research Department and Issy Cole-Hamilton

Thanks also to:Tom Barton, Margaret Belk, Elisabeth Cook, Vivien Dymock,Christopher Ejiafor, Julie Fox, Tim Gill, Anna Graham, Sarah Grand,Paula McMahon, Lin Mathews, Beverly Mullaney, Andy Parkin, DavePerkins, Keith Rimmer, Adrian Voce, Shirley Whitehouse, Amy Wright,Mena Wright, Sandy Wynn

Funding for this guide was provided by the Department for Culture,Media and Sport.

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8

0 Intro 8/8/06 10:11

Children and young people need to be able to play freelyand free of charge in their own neighbourhoods. For this tobe possible there needs to be a range of different types ofprovision available which meet the varied needs of childrenand young people of different ages, abilities, interests andcultural interests. There need to be opportunities for indoorand outdoor play, quiet and active play, spontaneous andplanned activity, in natural and built environments, and abalance between children’s safety and the opportunity forthem to take risks and extend themselves.

The type of play provision needed in any area will depend on localcircumstances but will range from supervised provision staffed byplayworkers, to outdoor spaces designed or equipped for play butwith no formal adult supervision. In some areas outreachplayworkers or play rangers ensure that children can play safely inlocal open spaces. In other areas mobile play provision, includingplay buses, mobile skate parks and other mobile play equipment,visits areas with little or no other provision. Play provision cannotsurvive in isolation and in many areas there are supportorganisations such as play associations, scrap-stores, toy librariesand resource centres. Whatever the type of provision offered, allprojects and services need resources in the form of money, staff,equipment, and space or premises. Ensuring the sustainability ofthese resources is often a juggling act and depends on many factors.

There is widespread agreement in the play sector that if childrenare to have access to play provision in their own neighbourhoodsand free of charge, these must be funded, at least in part, fromboth central and local government funds. However there is alsoconsiderable potential for raising income from voluntary andcharitable sources, through local fundraising and from generatingincome through business practices. The problem with relying onthis type of funding is that it tends to be limited and its short-term nature leads to insecurity and a danger that the coreservices – providing good free play opportunities for local childrenand young people – will be diverted through adapting services tochase funds.

Introduction

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Funding play provision

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10

If they are to be sustainable in the long-term, wherever themoney comes from and whether they are run by the voluntary,community or statutory sector, local play services and provisionmust increasingly:

meet the needs of local children, families and communitiesbe well managed, with good financial management and well trained staffinvolve children and young people, their families and communities, in development and practice work in partnership with other organisations and servicesbe well networked and have good links with other local servicesand projectsmake use of support that is available locallycreate good links and relationships with local authority officersand councillorsevaluate and monitor the service provided.

While not guaranteeing secure, long-term funding, theseconditions will help make the future of play provision moresecure.

Between April 2004 and April 2005, the Children's Play Councilundertook research for the Department of Culture, Media andSport (DCMS) to identify ways in which the play sector couldbecome more financially sustainable. The research included aseminar run with EQUIPE to discuss the potential for socialenterprise in sustainable play provision; a literature survey; aquestionnaire survey to readers of PlayToday; and in-depthinterviews with the managers of ten play services and projects ofdifferent types and sizes. These services and projects were:

a national voluntary organisation running a number ofplaygrounds primarily for disabled children, their friends andrelatives (Kids’ playgrounds)two local authority play services (Walsall Play Safety Teamand South Lakeland Playbus)a local authority (Spelthorne Borough Council) contractingout childcare to a private provider (Kids for Life)independently run local playgrounds (Coram’s Fields andThe Log Cabin Adventure Playground) two local infrastructure support organisations (Lambeth PlayAssociation and Gloucester Resource Centre)two privately owned childcare organisations (after-schoolclubs ABC Club and Missing Link)

For details of the ten projects and services interviewed for thecase studies, see Appendix 1.

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The research

South Lakeland Playbus is a local authority

play service.

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11

Free, open-access play provision is usually owned and run by localauthorities, the voluntary and community sector, parish and towncouncils and sometimes social enterprises. Childcare may be runby these types of organisation but the private sector is also wellrepresented amongst providers.

Social enterprises are organisations, run on business lines, whichexist primarily for social purposes. Any financial surpluses theymake are re-invested in the organisation to help further its aims.

Local authority play services

South Lakeland Playbus, run by the South Lakeland DistrictCouncil Recreation Department, receives core funding and supportfrom the local authority and additional funding from the countycouncil. The bus also gets a small proportion of its income fromticket sales. The salary for the bus coordinator comes out of the council’s main budget.

Walsall Play Safety Team has an annual budget of £90,000 formaterials. They also have to be able to access capital expenditure torefurbish all the play areas. In addition to its council budget, theservice gets money to support its work from landfill tax paid to thelocal authority. The service is continually trying to find sufficientmoney to refurbish, develop and maintain local play areas.

Voluntary and community sector organisations

The national charity Kids has a voluntary fund-raising departmentthat helps raise money for the playgrounds from charitable trusts,corporate and individual donations. Kids also applies for local andgovernment funds for its playgrounds and has service-levelagreements in some areas. The running costs for the playgroundsvary between different sites and most of the playgrounds get a coregrant from the host local authority. However the people who run theplaygrounds also apply for central and local government funds tosupport their own provision.

Lambeth Play Association was set up in the inner-London boroughof Lambeth in 1999 to act as a support and resource structure forlocal play provision. In the borough, much of the play provision isrun by the voluntary and community sector. The Play Association,which has a membership scheme with about 140 members, raisesfunds from a wide variety of sources.

Introduct ion

Ownership of provision

South Lakeland Playbus receives funding from

the local authority and the county council, but

also generates income from ticket sales.

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The Log Cabin Adventure Playground is a

voluntary and community sector organisation.

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The Log Cabin Adventure Playground is an adventure playgroundprimarily for disabled children. It is also open to the children’sfriends and brothers and sisters and, on some days of the week,local children can use the playground. Approximately 70 per cent ofthe children using the playground are disabled or have specificneeds. The Log Cabin employs a dedicated fundraiser to raise moneyfrom many diverse sources.

Coram’s Fields, at the south end of the London Borough ofCamden in inner-city London, is a seven acre site divided into sportspitches, a playground and a number of buildings with different uses.

Coram’s Fields is a voluntary organisation and an unincorporatedassociation, with a voluntary management committee and council ofmanagement drawn from the local community and organisations. Itis run by a charitable trust and has been in existence for 70 years.

Local social enterprise

The Gloucester Resource Centre defines itself as a socialenterprise. One of its goals is to support the core services, whichmay not be financially sustainable, through cross-subsidies fromcharges to those who can afford them. In order to be able to usethe core services, an organisation must become a member of theCentre.

The Centre is also able to capitalise on owning a significant asset,City Works, the building in which it operates. Approximately 80 percent of the project’s running costs are now realised through incomegenerated by the letting of facilities and units within the building,alongside fees for membership and services. The building has 19individual units let to tenants. It also has conference facilities, adance studio, art room and a smaller meeting room. The projectsupports five staff, four of whom are full time. Increased incomegeneration has allowed the staff the freedom and time to focus ondeveloping the project in appropriate ways for its membership – and to avoid its work being dictated by the funding agendas of otherorganisations.

One of the core services provided through the Centre is a scrap-store, which encourages re-use of redundant and unused materialsfrom local businesses for arts, crafts and play projects. The scrap-store also sells a wide range of resources reflecting differentcultures, including books, puzzles, dolls, posters and music. It also hires out arts and play equipment to encourage groups to trynew activities and sells art and craft supplies.

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Contracted-out local authority provision

Spelthorne Borough Council outsource their holiday play provisionto Kids for Life, a private sector organisation that runs a number ofactivity camps within the borough. The council pays a grant to Kidsfor Life to subsidise the schemes and make them affordable to allparents within the borough. The subsidy also ensures that assistedplaces can be provided for those in receipt of benefits. Fees paid byparents for the children to attend the camps contribute to thefunding of the schemes.

Private sector organisations

The Missing Link after-school club is run as a private enterprise.However, fees from parents barely cover the full cost of the provisionand it has to find other ways to improve its sustainability.

The ABC Club is an after-school club funded from fees fromparents. The school gives the club the use of its hall and facilities for no charge.

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Introduct ion

South Lakeland Playbus

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Play ing on

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Money and resources come into play provision from manysources. In some areas, much of the provision is funded andprovided by the local authority. However in most areas,there is a kaleidoscope of provision supported and funded by a wide range of organisations.

There is usually some local authority funding for play provisionbut money and resources also come from:

central government programmesNational Lottery distributorslocal and national charitable trusts and fundslocal businessescharging usersselling additional serviceslocal fundraising events and programmes.

If children are to use play provision free of charge then someonehas to pay for it. Identifying those people and organisations – inaddition to children and their families – who will benefit from the provision and ensuring that they understand themselvesto be stakeholders is key to identifying potential sources offunding. For example, if play provision is seen to be promotingchildren’s health then funding may be available through the healthservice. Local businesses may also be benefiting from playprovision as it is offering a service to the children and parentswho work for them and may be helping children develop skillsthey will need in the future to be part of the local workforce.

However, there is a potential problem with manipulating serviceaims to meet specific funding agendas. Care needs to be taken toensure that the provision is not putting funding priorities abovethe needs of children for free play, choice and control.

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1 Where to go for funding

Most play projects run by the voluntary, community and faithsectors have to get their funds and support from many differentsources and very few now rely on single funding sources to run alltheir services. These organisations spend a considerable amountof time and effort raising money to keep their projects thrivingand delivering good play opportunities to local children.Developing a funding profile using a diverse range of funders canhelp with sustainability, although the management of this can betime-consuming.

Play projects get funding from many different sources

The Log Cabin Adventure Playground has an annual revenuebudget of approximately £350,000. Of this, approximately £100,000comes from the local borough. Fees provide about £50,000 and theremainder is raised through fundraising. The playground applies todifferent organisations and trusts for funding for specific projects tohelp raise the additional money. They also have local fundraisingevents which help make up the shortfall. The Log Cabin AdventurePlayground has a part-time fundraiser who devotes all her time toincome generation. The cost of her salary is included in the overallbudget for the project and in fundraising bids.

Expenditure at Coram’s Fields can be very high. From time to timemajor capital expenditure is required to help maintain and restoreold, historically significant buildings and premises. Over the last fiveyears the project has spent approximately £2.5 million onimprovements to the buildings. The annual revenue budget isapproximately £750,000. Coram’s Fields receive a block grant fromthe local authority to help maintain and run the playground, which isthe only area of open space specifically for children’s play in thebuilt-up inner-city area. The grant is currently on a three-year cycle.In addition, the local authority pays a grant towards the nursery and‘rent’ for the use of the premises for an after-school club andholiday play schemes. The project also has a service levelagreement with the local authority to provide an alternativeeducation facility, including a computer club, for young people in thelocal community. The block grant is approximately £140,000 a year,while the nursery grant is currently £84,000.

Coram’s Fields tries to make the most of its assets by raising moneyin ways that will not impact on the children’s opportunity to play inthe park. In future, Coram’s Fields expects to get continued supportfrom the local authority but will always need additional funding fornew projects.

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Portfolio funding

Kids for Life, a private sector organisation,

runs several activity camps within the

Spelthorne borough.


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Where to go for funding

Funding from local governmentIdeally, provision for play should be part of the overall localauthority service provision for children and young people.Children's services authorities should ensure, as part of their overall planning and provision, that there are sufficientopportunities for children to enjoy play and recreation in theirneighbourhoods. The inspection framework for the Joint Area Review of children’s services says that local authorities haveresponsibility for ensuring there are safe and accessible placeswhere children and young people can play and socialise.

Good play provision supports children’s health and developmentand contributes to the main outcomes for children identified bythe government (see page 18) These are: being healthy, stayingsafe, enjoying and achieving, making a contribution, andexperiencing economic well-being. The local authority should beincluding play provision in the Children and Young People’s Planand should ensure, as part of overall children’s service provision,that children have a good variety of places to play.

In some areas, local authorities fund and run children’s playservices from their own resources and many have play policiesand strategies that form a framework for coordinated local provision for children’s play. In others, the local authority supportsthe voluntary and community sector, local social enterprise andprivate sector organisations to develop and run play settings,sometimes as part of a coordinated strategy, funding themthrough grants or service level agreements. Most local authoritieshave or are developing cross-cutting play strategies.

Local authority funding

Lambeth Play Association receives funds from different sourcesincluding the local authority and the Early Years Development andChildcare Partnership (EYDCP). This money enables them to workwith after-school and holiday providers, and offer them trainingworkshops, support and advice.

The Log Cabin Adventure Playground receives some funding fromthe local borough, which provides 30 per cent of the annual budget.The playground would find it extremely difficult to survive withoutthis money.

Landfill tax is also an important element in funding play areas inWalsall. The council has a policy that some of this money can beused in this way. The money has to be spent in areas within aspecific radius of the landfill site. In addition, the Walsall PlaySafety Team is attempting to use ‘commuted funds’ providedthrough a local ‘tax’ on new buildings and developments. This isknown as section 106 funding. In every new development, thecouncil receives £100 per bedroom to put towards leisure facilities.Some of this money is then used to refurbish the existing play areasin suitable locations.


At one time the Gloucester Resource Centre was receiving money from three different local authority committees. The fundingarrangement was very precarious as it allowed those committees tomake independent decisions without considering the implications forthe project’s overall viability. To address the problem, the Centre'smanagement made a presentation to a joint meeting of the threecommittees, in which it talked about the organisation and explainedhow it operated and described the services it provided and whobenefited. They also asked the council if the funding arrangementscould be made simpler. The council responded well and support has become more consistent and streamlined as a result.

Play services promote children’s well-being

Healthy children and young peoplePlay is crucial to health and development throughout childhood,contributing to social, physical, cultural, emotional and psychologicaldevelopment. The physical activity involved in energetic playprovides children with a significant amount of their regular exercise.School-aged children get as much exercise in free play as they dofrom more structured activities.1

Good play opportunities promote good social, mental and emotionalhealth, giving children the chance to try out and experience a rangeof emotions in a 'safe' way, allowing them to learn and developemotionally, promoting resilience and fostering self-esteem.2

Children and young people who feel safeOne of the main reasons children give for not playing outdoors moreis that they and their parents are afraid for their safety. Fear oftraffic, strangers and bullying by other children combine to keepchildren in their own homes. Good play provision protects childrenthrough reducing unacceptable levels of danger while allowing themthe opportunity to take risks and use their own initiative. At thesame time, play enables children to think through decisions and gainincreased self-confidence and greater resilience.

Children and young people who are enjoying themselves and achievingThe essence of play is enjoyment and achievement. When playing,children define their own goals and interests, decide what is successor failure and pursue those goals in their own way. Children’senjoyment through play is linked to the control and choice they are able to exercise. Play allows children and young people toexplore boundaries, be fully absorbed in what they are doing andfeel satisfied with what they have achieved. Giving children thechance for free, uninhibited play allows them a psychologically safespace in which to try out new roles and experiences and enhancestheir enjoyment.

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Play ing on


Children and young people who are making a positive contributionChildren’s involvement in the development of their own play isfundamental. Children learn from the way others and the worldaround them react to their play; and the effect of, and the valueothers place on, their actions. When there are no adults present,children will create and make their own choices. In good supervised play provision adults involve the children and young people in decisions about resources and facilities that might be available to them.

Increasingly, local authorities and community groups are involvingchildren and young people in local play audits and discussions abouttheir play and free-time needs. This results in more appropriateprovision, helps children and young people develop their skills andknowledge, and ensures they are valued as active communitymembers. Respecting and incorporating children and young people’sviews into plans and provision helps develop motivation and,potentially, participation in society.

Children and young people who can achieve their full potentialThere are many developmental and experiential advantagesassociated with children’s play. These include developing children’sproblem-solving skills, supporting their language development andliteracy, developing their social skills and ability to express emotions.Play is also seen as important for developing children’s imaginationsand creative interests and abilities.

1R Mackett (2004) Making Children’s Lives More Active. University College London.2NCB (2002) Making the Case for Play: Building policies and strategies for school-

aged children. London: National Children’s Bureau

Local authority funding can often be complicated

Local authorities often use discretionary grants to fund thecommunity and voluntary sector to provide local play facilities. Inthe past, these grants have tended to fund core costs and havebeen seen as a demonstration of the local authority’s commitmentto local children and play. More recently, local authority funding isbeing tied more closely to service-level agreements with agreedspending patterns and outcomes.

Funding from local authority grants

Most of the Kids’ playgrounds receive a core grant from the hostlocal authority to provide a service for local children. In addition, theorganisation develops contracts and service-level agreements withlocal social services departments to help them meet the specific

19


Local authority grants

To make them affordable for all parents

in the area, Spelthorne Borough Council

subsidises its play schemes.


needs of children who need one-to-one support, that is requiringextra staff at the playground. Kids has a standardised costingscheme for their social services’ customers to cover children whorequire this increased level of support. Social services departmentsin boroughs that provide core funding for one of the Kids’playgrounds are charged a discounted rate.

For many projects it is impossible to predict the long-termsecurity of funding from local authorities. As political allegianceschange within both local and national government, so theavailability of funding for local services changes.

Other types of local authority funding

The Log Cabin Adventure Playground staff are able to accesstraining from the local authority free of charge.

Lambeth Play Association is funded through a number of localauthority grant programmes. Their quality assurance work is fundedby the Early Years Partnership; the Children’s Fund pays the salaryof the project manager; and an inclusion outreach worker andadditional playworkers are funded by national and local charities.One of the other key posts is funded by the local Education BusinessPartnership using money from the local authority.

Spelthorne Borough Council provides leisure development grantsthat can support new groups setting up. They have, in the past,funded after-school clubs to provide new equipment. The playdevelopment officer has also supported groups in completingapplications for external funding and one group has received a£36,000 start-up grant.

Those organising play and out-of-school provision need to beaware of government policies and targets. Although it is essentialnot to lose the essence of the provision, being aware of local andnational government priorities can ensure that you understand thesort of funding available and the type of service most likely toattract local authority funding.

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Central government funding

The Log Cabin Adventure Playground

employs a fundraiser to raise money

from many diverse sources.


Local authorities are required by the government to implementspecific policies and meet specified targets in relation to groups ofpeople in their communities. In some cases it is clear that goodplay provision can contribute to meeting those targets and, inorder to help their sustainability, project providers need to seewhether their services are of value to the council in meeting itstargets. This might include, for example, provision out of schoolhours for children whose parents want to work or train, andensuring that children have places to play and socialise with their friends.

The voluntary and community sector can play an important role

The voluntary and community sectors often provide services whichfill the gaps in local authority service provision. This is frequently thecase in relation to provision for disabled children and young people.Local authorities see the benefits of this and have part-fundedprojects such as the Log Cabin Adventure Playground, Kids’playgrounds and Coram’s Fields.

If a project has a good development plan and funding strategy,with clear aims and objectives for children and the services itwants to provide, it will not be difficult to fit these into currentgovernment priorities.

Some projects attract specific funding

Coram’s Fields started planning in 1999 to provide a service fordisaffected young people from the local neighbourhood. They thenidentified different government programmes which might fund aservice to meet this need. The playground was able to get moneyfrom the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund as the service it wanted toprovide met the objectives of that funding programme.

For play provision that provides out-of-school childcare, knowingabout local funding for childcare provision and for the extendedschool programme is important for achieving sustainability. Insome areas, specific funding is available from children’s socialservices departments to support the play needs and provide playopportunities for disabled children.

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Supporting the local authority agenda

Coram’s Fields has a voluntary management

committee and a council of management

drawn from the local community and

organisations.


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Funding from national and local government is becomingincreasingly dependent on providers being able to show that playand other provision for children is addressing the government’spriorities (see pages 18-19). The government’s priorities currentlyinclude children’s physical and mental health, safety, enjoymentand achievement, contribution to society and social and economicwell-being. In addition, the government is funding projects andinitiatives which help promote community involvement andownership of local provision, and improvements in local parks andopen spaces. Being able to show how play provision meets theseobjectives is very important in achieving funding sustainability.

A number of government departments have funding streamswhich might be available to play providers. These include theDepartment of Health, the Home Office and the Office of theDeputy Prime Minister. Information about government funding isavailable on a dedicated web-site:http://www.governmentfunding.org.uk/Default.aspx

The government also funds some specific programmes, usually viaits non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), such as the ArtsCouncil and Sport England.

National Lottery distributors – including the Big Lottery Fund, theHeritage Lottery Fund, Sport England and the Arts Council – allhave programmes, from time to time, that support children’s playprovision. The most important of these at present is the BigLottery Fund Children’s Play Initiative, which is running from 2006to 2011. More information can be found on the organisation’swebsites (see Appendix 2).

Funding from the National Lottery

Walsall Play Safety Team encourages Friends groups to accessgrants through the National Lottery, including the Awards for Allprogramme which offers small grants of up to £5000. Local Friendsgroups work with the council and use money to undertake surveysand consult local communities.

The Log Cabin Adventure Playground has applied to the NationalLottery for funding for specific projects and also applies to a widerange of charitable trusts and foundations.

National Lottery distributors

Log Cabin Adventure Playground


There are many national and local charitable trusts andfoundations that support local provision. A list of useful websitesfor fundraising is given in Appendix 2.

Generating income through letting out rooms and space fromassets like buildings and playing pitches not only providesunrestricted core funds but can also free up staff time for otherfundraising and development work.

The after-school clubs all charge parents or local authorities forthe places used by the children. If the projects are valued andchildren enjoy attending, word spreads and more parents seek outthe service. However if numbers fall in these projects, and incomedrops, it can create a problem for the organisers who still have topay staff and make sure there are good play opportunities forchildren.

Selling services and space raises valuable funding

Missing Link after-school club is looking to develop its potential asa training centre in order to raise extra income.

The Log Cabin Adventure Playground rents out rooms when theplayground is not in use by children in order to in generate moreincome. For example a toddler group uses the playground in themorning, for which they pay rent. Making sure the playground andits buildings are offered to local community groups for rent helps theplayground integrate with the local community and raises its profile,generating goodwill and sometimes resulting in donations.

Fundraising events are common amongst voluntary andcommunity sector projects and although they often generaterelatively small amounts of income. They help to raise the profileof the organisation in the local community. Local business can also be an important source of income and fundraising for localprojects.

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Charitable trusts and foundations

Selling goods and services

Corporate and local fundraising

Having good links with local papers and inviting them to visit theproject can help raise the profile within the local community andcan be an important asset when fundraising.

Working together helps in raising funds

One of the advantages to Walsall Play Safety Team of workingwith local Friends groups is that they are able to access a muchwider variety of funding sources than the council. Walsall Play SafetyTeam has, as a result, been able to provide new facilities in parks byworking with Friends groups able to fundraise and secure funding.

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2Support for play provision is not always financial and thereis a number of ways of increasing the value of funding andthe sustainability of the project through, for example:

using volunteer helpraising donations of equipment and materialsgaining support ‘in-kind’securing land or premises

Volunteer help not only provides valuable assistance to projectsbut also raises the profile of the provision in the local community.Having good links with local volunteer councils can be a goodsource of volunteers and support for play and childcare projects.

Using volunteers

Coram’s Fields is developing a relationship with a local universityto develop a volunteer scheme that will provide a group of regularvolunteers on a weekly basis to do specific pieces of work on theplayground site. In recent years they have been developing avolunteer programme to help support the wildlife garden in the park.Some of the parents of children regularly using the park alsovolunteer, helping maintain the wildlife garden and also assisting onthe management and fundraising committees.

The Log Cabin Adventure Playground works with volunteers whoare visiting from other countries. These volunteers are on a specificprogramme and stay for a year working at the Log Cabin. Theproject helps with the costs of accommodation for the volunteersand sees mutual benefits for the children, staff and volunteers.

Many play projects get equipment and resources donated to them by local businesses.

Careful planning and purchasing of equipment can also be veryimportant. Making sure that spare parts are available relativelycheaply and easily can save a significant amount of time andmoney. In addition, making sure you are able to see theequipment and resources before actually buying them can also save time and money.

25

Donations of equipment and materials

Volunteers

Where to go for other resources

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Support ‘in-kind’

There will always be a need to maintain and replace equipment.Equipment that is worn out because of considerable use needs tobe replaced; but if equipment is being vandalised it means it isnot being respected. You should not consider replacing it withoutestablishing why it is not valued.

‘In-kind’ support can come in many forms and be of significantvalue. For example, one of the after-school clubs had toysdonated to it by a major toy company. Being known locally isimportant in creating these links.

‘In-kind’ support and donations help many projects

Coram’s Fields received vegetables from a local hotel to help feedthe animals. They also get support from local companies whose staffcome and help out, for example in decorating the insides of thebuildings or working in the wildlife garden.

The Gloucester Resource Centre acquires its stock for the Scrap-store from local businesses and recycles these waste materials forcreative activities.

One local, major company bought new computers for the Log CabinAdventure Playground and staff from a local bank decorated oneof the rooms in a distinctive style for the project.

The location of unsupervised playgrounds has an importantimpact on their security and therefore sustainability. For exampleif a play area is located near a bus stop which is regularly used, itoffers informal surveillance which helps make children feel safer.

Developing partnerships which help secure premises can be veryimportant to sustainability. Raising money to pay for the basicrent can be difficult and funding bids must make sure they coverthis core cost adequately. In addition, funding may be requiredfrom time to time to maintain buildings and premises in a suitablecondition for children’s play and this must be incorporated intofinancial planning.

Securing premises and land

The Gloucester Resource Centre recycles waste

materials from local businesses.

2 Where to go for other resources 8/8/06 10:51

Fundraising tips

27

3

Apply for all the costs you will incur

Look for funders and agreements for longer projects

Tips for fundraising

Be nice to people. Be very very nice to people.

Fundraiser

Fundraising can be time consuming and stressful. The followingtips might help you to use your time to best effect.

Apply for all the costs you will incur.Look for funders and agreements for longer projects.Be very clear about what you are trying to achieve and how you will do it.Check if you will need to have ‘matched funding’ and if this can be in-kind.Be sure the funders you apply to fund your type of work.Get help from people who have written successful funding bids.Keep in touch with your funders.If applying for capital funding, know where the revenue fundingwill come from.Think about longer-term funding and how the bid can help youbuild in sustainability.Be nice to people even if you think they may not fund youbecause you might want to go back to them again.

‘Full cost recovery’ is the term given to making sure that all thecosts are included in project funding bids. For larger organisationsit can be difficult to fundraise for central management andadministration costs. Developing a management structure thatmeets the requirements of funding organisations, and which theyare prepared to fund, may be an important element in anorganisation’s development plans.

Coram’s Fields, calculates the full cost of the central managementbuildings, maintenance and other core costs and allocates a portionof these to each funding application.

More information on ‘full cost recovery’ can be found on theACEVO website listed in Appendix 2

Some projects spend a significant portion of their staff timefundraising and there is no doubt that security given by longer-term grants makes a marked difference to local provision. Long-term funding gives projects the opportunity to plan, market andpromote their services. If projects are having to spend resourcesand time on fundraising, these vital elements of sustainability maynot be possible.

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Short-term funding can create many problems, especially forsmaller organisations. It is sometimes more appropriate to lookfor long-term funding rather than trying to piece together fundingfrom a number of small short-term projects. Short-term fundingoften means that staff have to be employed on short-termcontracts creating instability amongst the staff teams. This is not good for the staff, the project or the children and makesorganisations very vulnerable. Recruiting and training new staff is expensive.

Increasingly, funding bodies want to know exactly what you hope to achieve with their money and how you will do it. In any approach to funders you will need to be clear about:

what you will spend the money on (inputs)what services you will be providing with it (outputs)how you expect the local children and families to benefit(outcomes).

Funders are then likely to ask you to show how you haveachieved this through a regular monitoring and reportingprocedure.

If funders are looking for matched funding this can sometimes bein the form of ‘in-kind’ equivalents but they may also want tomake sure funding is coming from other sources, for example,from corporate donors or trust funds.

When preparing funding applications, it is crucial that you are ableto fulfil the criteria they stipulated and answer all the questionsasked in the application forms.

If you do not have the expertise within your own project todevelop good quality funding applications it is very important toask for help or get training. This can save a considerable amountof time and energy and is less likely to result in failed bids.

Trying to combine the roles of manager and fundraiser can provetoo demanding for one person, so some projects consider thatinvesting in a dedicated fundraising post, full or part-time, isessential for their future sustainability.

Be very clear about what you are trying to achieve and how

Be sure the funders you apply to fund your type of work

Get help from people who have written successful funding bids

Check if you’ll need to have ‘matched funding’ and if this can be ‘in kind’

3 Fundraising tips 8/8/06 10:52

Get help from people who have written successfulfunding bids

The Log Cabin Adventure Playground employs a dedicatedfundraiser whose job involves researching funders, preparing bids,reporting on the outcome of the funding and maintaining good linkswith existing funders. The fundraising officer also helps out on theplayground from time to time. This helps with preparing bids andreports as she is familiar with the children and the services provided.

Maintaining good links with funders, meeting their criteria andreporting as required, is essential if the funders are to beapproached again.

There is no point building new facilities or installing newequipment if there is no money for, or commitment to, regularlychecking, maintaining and staffing it. All capital fundraising forbuildings and equipment, should be backed up with revenuefunding plans, showing how buildings, equipment and play spaceswill be regularly maintained. Organising work in phases, but witha clear picture for the longer term, can help with fundraising anddevelopment.

Fundraising tips from the projects

Always be positive and professional about the organisation and what it is doing for children.Know the organisation well, get to know the staff, the children and parents.Keep good financial records which are available for anyone who wishes to see them, including funding bodies.Make sure that the person writing your funding bid has goodwriting skills and is able to explain, concisely and clearly, what you are aiming to do and how you expect to achieve it.Only apply to funders whose criteria you meet. Do not submitapplications unless there is a strong chance that the funding body will support your project. It wastes both your time and the time of the funders.For larger projects which need funding from a number of different sources and organisations it can be worthwhile investing in a dedicated fundraiser. Fundraising is a particular skill and training is available for those who want to improve that skill.

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Fundra is ing t ips

Keep in touch with your funders

If applying for capital funding, know where the revenue funding will come from

The ABC Club is funded from fees paid

by parents.

3 Fundraising tips 8/8/06 10:53

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4 Meeting the needs 8/8/06 11:00

The primary aim of play provision should be to provide goodplay opportunities to local children and young people free ofcharge. Supervised play provision must be child-centred,fun, enjoyable, exciting and empowering.

New play provision usually emerges in response to local demandand is set up specifically to fulfil unmet need. Establishedprovision, however, may have been set up in response to olddemands and, to remain viable, may need to adapt and change tomeet current needs. Provision which cannot show it is respondingto the needs of local children and families is less likely to besustainable.

Childcare provision has to find a balance between meeting theplay needs of children and ensuring parents are confident theirchildren are safe and in the care of competent people. Childrenmay be spending most of their time in school and childcare so itmust meet the needs of all the family including the children. Goodprovision will also ensure that it is accessible to all local childrenwho want to use it including those who are disabled or have otherspecific needs.

Evidence you are meeting the needs of children and families is that:

provision is busy and well usedthere are waiting listschildren want to come back or come more oftenfamilies and communities know about supporting the provision

Amongst the projects in the case studies, the after-school clubsonly thrived if they were sufficiently flexible to meet the changingneeds and demands of parents’ working patterns and if thechildren attending were happy and enjoying themselves. For thespecialist playgrounds, word-of-mouth recommendations byparents and children ensured they could maintain viable numbersof children attending. The open-access play provision, staffed andunstaffed, was only sustainable if it was well used by children andyoung people – and this depended on its ability to attract, andmeet the needs of, the diverse groups of children and youngpeople in the local communities. The two support organisationsalso had to show they were meeting need through offering thetype of support, information and infrastructure needed by localproviders to, in turn, meet the needs of children, young peopleand families.

Meeting local need

31

4

I tried to set up somethingthat would be what I wouldwant and that my childrenwould be happy to go to

Manager of an after-school club

You’ve got to put the children first. It’s got to be for the children. It’s allabout the empowerment. If they’re happy then your numbers are going to increase and it will be sustainable

After-school club manager

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Meeting local needs

The Gloucester Resource Centre was a focal point for manycommunity activities, and saw its welcoming and inclusive nature asone of its main strengths.

The playbus and after-school clubs were meeting needs identifiedby local communities; and the bus, in particular, offered a focal pointfor adults and children in isolated rural communities to meet andsocialise.

Play provision can only be sustainable if it can show it is meetingthe needs of the children it is designed for. Open-access playprovision will be best used if it is offering children the freedom toplay in the ways they choose; a good variety of resources andexperiences to choose from; other children to play with; childrenfrom different age groups who can play and learn from eachother; indoor and outdoor space.

Keeping records of the numbers of children using open-accessplay provision is not always easy unless there are staff on thegate. However, many projects keep a record of who is using thefacility regularly and some offer organised activities for whichregisters can be taken. For second-tier support organisations,keeping records and being able to demonstrate theirorganisation’s value to local provision are also crucial.

Keeping records helps show if you are meeting the need

Staff at Coram’s Fields’ open-access playground know, throughpostcode monitoring, that 80 to 85 per cent of children using theirsummer activity programme are from the local residential areas.

Lambeth Play Association tries to make a point of monitoring itsimpact, through its support for local providers, on the number andquality of play opportunities for local children. It estimates that in2004 over 800 children were able to access provision through thedirect involvement of the Play Association with other projects.

Meeting children’s needs

Monitoring and keeping records

33

Meet ing the loca l need

Know the local child population

Understand the changing needs of local children and families

Find out what families want from

their provision.

It is impossible to know if you are meeting the needs of all localchildren if you do not have a detailed knowledge of thedemography of the local child population. Your local authority willhave information on the ages, ethnicity, levels of disability andspecific vulnerability of the children living in your neighbourhoodand should be able to give you this information.

There may be unexpected groups of local children

Coram’s Fields has worked with the local homeless families projectto ensure that children in temporary accommodation have access togood play opportunities.

Flexibility is also crucial to sustainability. Children grow up andfamilies move on. But often the same children stay in the samearea for their whole childhoods. As they grow, their play needschange and local provision must be sufficiently flexible to meetthese changing needs. When young families move into an area,they need facilities for toddlers. Later they need provision forolder children and teenagers. Eventually they will have no childrenand, until they have grandchildren, they might regard a play areaas a nuisance. It is vital that when a development takes place theplay and youth areas are well planned. They should provide avariety of facilities for a range of age groups without causing anuisance to the houses nearby.

Some clubs do regular surveys to establish what families wantfrom their provision. They consider they cannot be providingadequately otherwise.

Surveys help indentify needs

On behalf of Spelthorne Borough Council, Kids for Life iscontracted to undertake surveys every summer, their busiest time,and review their service in the light of the results.

The Log Cabin Adventure Playground did a survey a few monthsago and found there was 98 per cent approval of their service andvery positive comments. This not only boosted the morale of thestaff but was a useful tool when fundraising and renegotiatingfunding agreements with the local authority.

One of the best ways of knowing if children’s needs are being metis that they keep returning and tell their friends about the project.For one Kids’ Playgrounds project, the best indicator is thenumber of children using the playground with their school duringterm time who also want to come back during the holidays.


We get a lot of children whocome now who just want to bethere with their friends, it’snot just the fact that parentsare working.

ABC Club

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Making yourself visible

Fulfilling unmet need

South Lakeland District Playbus was set up in response to anidentified gap in meeting need. There were a number of ruralcommunities that could not sustain individual playgroups but stillneeded some type of provision. The Playbus project was set up andsuccessfully filled this gap.

Offering children new and interesting opportunities

In order to offer children as many new and interesting opportunitiesas possible, Coram’s Fields divides its space into different types ofplay areas aimed at children and young people of different ages andoffering them a variety of resources and equipment. This includessand and water, climbing and swinging equipment, as well as largeopen grass spaces and areas for ball games.Key to the success of the Kids for Life activity camps withinSpelthorne is their emphasis on offering children stimulating andexciting activities and on encouraging them to mix with children withwhom they would not normally have the chance to play.

For second-tier organisations, making themselves visible may not be easy as they do not necessarily have direct contact withlocal children and parents. This problem was alleviated for theGloucester Resource Centre by having a community venue thatoffers opportunities for the involvement of a wider community.The presence of a club for children, alongside facilities wheretraining and development courses are held and widely used bylocal professionals, has improved the Centre's profile.

Meeting children’s needs means being accessible to as manychildren as possible. Making sure that your services are attractiveand welcoming to disabled children is important not only for thechildren and their families but also because, increasingly, fundingorganisations want to ensure that provision does not discriminateagainst specific groups of children.

Good sustainable play provision is accessible and used by allchildren from local communities, including those who are disabledor have other specific needs. Accessibility should be an integralpart of all planning and should not be seen as an add-on merelyto allow specific children to be included. Changes to make playareas more inclusive do not necessarily involve large sums ofmoney and simple changes can be made.

Including all children

The Gloucester Resource Centre is not just

not just a play centre, it offers facilities to

the local community.


All provision can be inclusive

At Coram’s Fields changes are being made to ensure theplayground and premises are more accessible to disabled children.All grant applications describe how the money will be spent toincrease the inclusive nature of the playground and bids includemoney to ensure this is possible.

The policy of Kids’ Playgrounds is to make sure that, wheneverrepairs, refurbishment or major capital works are undertaken, accessand inclusion are taken into account. In addition, staff encouragelocal groups working with disabled children to use the playground sothat children are introduced to it. Specialist staff accompanyingchildren liaise closely with the playground staff.

Kids’ Playgrounds are open to all children who are disabled orhave specific needs and they have made it a principle not to excludechildren because of their behaviour. The playgrounds are the onlyplaces where some children and their parents feel they are welcomeand where they get good play opportunities with their peers.

Spelthorne Borough Council works closely with a local charity thatprovides opportunities for disabled young people. It is currentlyworking on a project to include disabled children in mainstreamholiday play schemes and after-school clubs. The play developmentofficer also supports an after-school club and a holiday play schemespecifically for disabled children.

Walsall Play Safety Team have conducted an audit of facilities andare currently altering many of their play areas to ensure they areaccessible to disabled children. Any new equipment is bought on thebasis that it will be used by all children. They are also making pathsleading to play areas more acceptable to wheelchair users.

Fundamental to the enjoyment children have in any play project isstaff responding to their specific needs.

At the ABC Club, a system was set up to ensure that when newchildren started they did not feel alone and isolated. This helpedparticularly shy children, who were known not to have many friendsat school, to make friends and integrate well into the project.

The ABC Club also paid special attention to the specific needs oftwo children, one with autism and one with diabetes. This meanttaking care when the children were involved in activities with others,for example if the boy with diabetes was cooking, the preparationand activity itself were adapted to the child’s specific needs. He wasnever excluded.

I would never describe it as an activity, in fact, wemake a point of telling parentsthat we’re not an activity club.The club is for the children. Bythat it means that it is theirchoice.

Manager of an after-school club

35


Coram’s Fields is working on its inclusive play

provision, particularly for disabled children.

Responding to children’s specific needs


Whether or not children use local play provision will depend ontheir parents’ views of the importance of allowing children timeand opportunity to play, and on their understanding of the natureand value of play provision.

Meeting the needs of children might include increasing theirparents’ understanding of the value of play to the children, forboth enjoyment and development. Many parents are worriedabout letting their children out to play on their own or with theirfriends for safety reasons. Persuading parents not only that theirchildren need to have time and opportunity to play, but that theywill be safe may be an important element in the sustainability ofmany local projects.

Parents may need information

Lambeth Play Association puts resources into publicity andawareness-raising campaigns that show parents the valuable work oflocal play providers. Many families in the area have never had goodquality play provision themselves and have not had the type ofexperience it offers. They may not therefore understand howvaluable good play provision with skilled staff can be to them andtheir children. Lambeth Play Association sees it as a crucial partof its role to show parents good play provision and encourage themto allow their children to use it.

Childcare designed to look after children while parents work andtrain must be sensitive to the working hours and needs ofparents. This has implications for the opening times of the projectwhich may need to be sufficiently flexible for children to arriveand leave when it best suits their parents.

Flexibility may be necessary to meet parents’ needs

Outsourcing the holiday provision to Kids for Life helpedSpelthorne Borough Council to better meet the needs of localfamilies. Lack of resources and time meant that the council couldnot meet the needs of the extended hours and attendance wasfalling. Kids for Life now operate from 8am until 6pm and remainfully subscribed.

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Meeting the needs of the familyChildcare for parents to work or train

Working with parents


From the parents’ point of view the main focus is on care, otherwise I don’t think we would be able to exist.

Manager of after-school club

37


Knowing children are safe, happy, well cared for and enjoying themselves

Time for themselves

Understanding and responding to parents’ needs requiresflexibility and initiative. Booking systems that allow for flexibilitycan be useful for planning staffing levels as well as meetingparents’ needs.

Solutions can be varied

The Missing Link after-school club was asked by parents if theycould pick the children up from school and take them to the club.The club manager made arrangements with local taxi and minibuscompanies to make this possible and therefore protect thesustainability of the provision. The club now owns two minibuses andan MPV to help transport the children.

The primary aim of any play provision should be to ensure thatthe children who use it are enjoying themselves and want to bethere. For many children the stability of play projects, where theygo regularly and meet the same group of staff and other children,can be an important element of their daily lives. If parents knowthat children are happy and enjoying the provision they are morelikely to encourage their children to use it.

Kids’ playgrounds have a well-developed system for liaising withparents and making sure all staff at the playground have a goodunderstanding of the specific needs of different children. All childrengo through a formal referral process, which involves discussions withthe parent or carer and completion of an information form to build apicture of the particular needs of their child. This includes, forexample, food preferences, toilet habits, likes and dislikes, andcommunication needs.

Play provision can also give parents time to themselves and toaddress their own needs even if they are not in work or training.Many parents, including those who are not in work or training,occasionally need time and space for themselves. Play provisioncan offer these parents what they need by ensuring that they areconfident their children are being looked after and enjoyingthemselves. This can be particularly true for lone parents and isan important role for free, open-access play provision.


Being seen as an asset by the local community is very importantin the sustainability of any project.

A good after-school club, play scheme or other type of playsetting can benefit the community by ensuring children are safeand enjoying themselves out playing and are not confined to theirhomes in front of the television or computer.

Whole communities can benefit from play provision

The South Lakeland Playbus is meeting the needs of childrenliving in isolated rural villages who would otherwise have nodedicated play provision. Children, parents and communities allbenefit from the presence of the bus in their local villages. Childrenget play opportunities they would not otherwise have and parentsare able to learn more about the value and importance of play totheir children.

One of the most important ways for any project to make itselfwelcome in the community is to make sure that, if local peopleuse the building or premises, they are welcomed and able to feelproud of the resource in their local community.

Community benefits come in different ways

The manager of the Gloucester Resource Centre considers thereception that people receive when they come to the Centre to bekey in ensuring the local community’s involvement. The Centre’sstaff place great importance on providing a welcoming atmospherefor visitors.

As well as meeting the needs of the local community organisationslike the Gloucester Resource Centre and Lambeth PlayAssociation must be able to meet the needs of their membershiporganisations and those they are set up to support. For example,Gloucester Resource Centre has a membership of over 1 000groups from across the county. Member organisations pay a fee thathelps towards the income of the project. Being able to understandthe needs of these groups and provide information, resources andservices they find useful is key to their survival.

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The Gloucester Resource Centre works hard

to ensure a welcoming atmosphere.

Meeting the community's needs


There are also other ways of finding out about community needs.Using local networks and contacts and finding out what they knowabout the local community can be important contributions toinformation gathering. Keeping a record of enquiries andcomments made by the public to the service can identify localissues. Knowing about local employment and workforcedevelopment issues can be a good source of information for thoseproviding childcare and play facilities to parents who want to workor train.

Active links with community groups brings mutual benefit

The Gloucester Resource Centre supports the needs of peopleacross the county through a variety of services as well as by offeringworkshops for people working in the arts, play or education, helpingthem learn new skills to take back to their local communities.

The Gloucester Resource Centre has tried a number of differentways to meet the needs of its member organisations. At one pointthey tried providing services in different parts of the county butactually found that people wanted to visit the main centre to accessthe full range of services. As a result, these outreach projects didnot continue and the centre found it could meet members’ needsmore effectively from its main centre.

One way of identifying local need is to hold trial sessions and see how popular these are before opening a full service.

Trial sessions help identify need

The South Lakeland Playbus team felt that one local market townwould benefit from regular visits once a week. They planned to havea trial run for approximately six weeks to work with the school andrun a playgroup. If people wanted to use the bus they wouldcontinue to provide it but, if not, they would take the bus to anotherarea where it was definitely needed.

The Playbus team makes a point of not opening a service wherethere is already good provision. They will, however, supportprovision in areas where there is little or nothing. One area visitedby the Playbus has a population of 13 children. It is unlikely thatthis area could ever support a viable after-school or toddler group,and the weekly visit from the Playbus gives children the chance toexperience what other communities have.

39


The Gloucester Resource Centre offers a

variety of services to the community.


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5 Strong management 8/8/06 11:02

I think we were lucky that somebody a long time ago with a lot of visionout this in place.

Project manager

Strong management and financial control

41

5

Good day-to-day management

Play provision can only flourish if it is welcoming andattractive to children, feels safe, is well maintained and is a place where children want to be. This does not ‘justhappen’. It depends on good planning and management.Strong management and the efficient running of provisionare crucial to the long-term survival of projects or services. This involves, in particular:

good day-to-day and financial managemententhusiastic managersa systematic business approach to management

Many people running play projects become managers ‘accidentally’.They enter the world of play or children’s services to look afterchildren and soon find themselves managing others and jugglingbudgets. Managing staff and money is a skill and most peoplebenefit from training to help them do a good job.

For those offering direct services, good management involves:knowing what children and young people want and need andbeing sure to provide this consistentlyhaving a defined management structure with clear lines of accountability and responsibilityensuring that all staff are clear about their roles andresponsibilitieshaving agreed policies, procedures and standards for key functions, including child protection and maintenance ensuring that all problems and issues are followed up quickly and effectively.

Depending on the size of the project, day-to-day managementtasks vary widely. In a small project, the manager may beinvolved in everything from planning each session, holding teammeetings, doing regular health and safety risk assessments,liaising with parents over children’s needs or problems, takingregisters of children, taking bookings, organising the finances,fundraising and organising time sheets and the payroll. In largerprojects, the tasks are likely to be spilt between different people butthe manager still has overall responsibility for how everything is run.

Good managers work with their staff to develop ideas and newinitiatives, giving them space and time to express their views andtaking these seriously in planning and development. Good staffrelations and showing respect for the ideas and initiative shownby staff is essential to create an atmosphere where children arehappy and able to enjoy themselves. Children quickly detecttension between adults and this can manifest itself in difficult or unhappy behaviour.

Good day-to day management involves structure, organisationand good communication. Chaotic leadership leads to chaotic andpoorly run provision, with dissatisfied staff – making it very hardto offer children a safe, welcoming space.

The manager’s role can be very wide

Coram’s Fields has a full-time manager who describes her job as‘managing the playground’. This involves making sure the basictasks and maintenance (like picking up litter, cleaning the pitches,dealing with broken windows and fences) are sorted out quickly;managing the staff; being responsible for the premises; handlinghealth and safety issues; complying with all the appropriateregulations; generating income and fundraising; and liaising withoutside bodies, such as the local authority, and taking an active part in local community and voluntary sector networks.

Good staff management often means maintaining a balancebetween a professional and friendly relationship with staff on theone hand and keeping and giving them respect on the other. Thisis particularly important where there is a diverse community ofchildren, staff and local families. However, a professional attitudealone does not guarantee a happy working environment. In oneproject the change from a ‘professional’ manager, who ran theproject efficiently, to a manager who was able to combineprofessionalism with a sensitive attitude to the staff and childrentransformed the project into a successful, happy workplace with agood, strong team of really dedicated, trained playworkers keento come in and work in what is sometimes a difficult job.

Whether through management committees or managementstructures in hierarchical organisations, all projects need to besupported by managers who understand and agree with the aimsand ethos of the project and who are skilled in managementtechniques.

Good project managers need the support and advice of strong,supportive line-managers or management committees who areprepared to back them and help them through both good anddifficult times. One project manager highlighted this by saying:

There were five committee members and two key staff set up thisproject. And we were all prepared to change tack if it didn’t work. Weknew that we would support each other if we failed, because you do failsometimes. The best entrepreneurs in the world fail loads of times andjust keep getting back up and doing something else. We seem to beunable to accept failure. Maybe that’s what’s important, to accept theremight be several failures. We need a bit more tolerance of things notworking. Try something. If it doesn’t work so you do something else.

It’s always worth thinkingabout all sorts of possibilities however mad and weird theymight be because we often think very narrowly. We couldhave shut the door and not done any of this if we hadbelieved that we were being over ambitious and wecouldn’t do it.

Project manager

42

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Strong management support


43

Strong management and f inanc ia l contro l

South Lakeland Playbus

Managers of projects cannot be expected to carry all theresponsibility for their services. Making sure that the people onthe management committee have the correct mix of skills andinterests, combined with an understanding of the level of supportand management required by the team, is crucial to thesustainability of any voluntary or community sector project. Forexample, much-needed support for project managers and staffcan come from having local groups, parents of children who usethe facility, and people with management, legal and financialexperience represented on the committee. Voluntary members on management committees might need training to help supportprojects effectively.

Although not always easy it is important to develop localmanagement committees that are well constituted, self-sustaining,and sufficiently welcoming to allow new people to join. Problemscan arise if management committees develop into small close-knitunits of a few people who do everything and on whom the wholestructure becomes dependent.

Strong supportive management committees are invaluable

Although the administrator at Coram’s Fields has delegated powerto run the playground and develop programmes, strategies andfunding bids, she considers it is very important to have close contactwith the Executive Committee and Council of Management andunderstand their aims and ambitions for the project. Staff are alsoable to put their ideas to the Executive Committee through theadministrator and their representatives on the Council ofManagement. The playground staff and administrator value theopportunity to discuss their ideas and difficulties with this voluntarymanagement structure.

A strong management committee can bring caution, support and a more objective assessment to the development of ideas.Sometimes management committees have to take brave stepsand support their staff teams in what might sometimes seem riskyand courageous ventures. However, they do also need to be ableto bring a sense of realism as, ultimately, they are likely to haveto take responsibility for initiatives which fail as well as those thatsucceed.

Management committee members who show a real interest in theproject – visiting, attending special events and making sure theyattend management meetings – can ensure that staff feel valuedand supported in their day-to-day running of the project.

However, good project managers need a degree of autonomy andspace to make their own decisions and act on them. Over-controlling line managers or committee members can underminethe confidence and practice of good project management andstaff, leading to long-term problems.


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Good financial procedures are imperative. In larger projects,where there are a number of different funding sources, it is worthinvesting in specialist financial expertise if this does not exist inthe staff team. Ensuring that someone on the managementcommittee has financial management skills is essential to thesuccess of voluntary and community sector projects. This personshould have regular contact with the project’s manager andbookkeeper or accountant and help liaise with legally appointedauditors.

Financial knowledge is essential

Coram’s Fields recruited financial consultants who worked withthem for up to about a year on a two- or three-day-a week basissetting up a computer system and training key staff in how to use it.

The Log Cabin Adventure Playground employs a bookkeeper fora few hours a week, and an auditor, and has a financially trainedtreasurer on the management committee.

Although the main cost in any staffed provision is wages, goodfinancial planning must also take into account seasonal costs.These costs may vary with, for example, additional energy costsfor heating buildings in winter and extra staff costs in summerwhen there may be more children attending.

Budgeting must be realistic

Kids’ playgrounds have annual budgets that are based on the levelof grant they are likely to receive. Basic budgets are based on theprevious year’s expenditure and, therefore, ensuring that they areworked out sufficiently far in advance allows time for fundraising forpotential shortfalls. The cost of transport for disabled children usingplaygrounds, whether specialist or mainstream, is often a hiddencost and must be factored into financial predictions. Kids estimatesthat approximately 10 per cent of the budget for a specialistplayground for disabled children needs to be allocated to transport.

Another cost easily overlooked in planning is that of the CRB(Criminal Records Bureau) checks for all staff. There are alsocosts associated with the Ofsted inspection framework and qualityassurance schemes if they are being used. Budgets must alsotake account of the staff time involved in preparing financialstatements and reports of funding organisation.

Good financial management and control

All projects, whatever their size, should have a development planand fundraising strategy. Long-term strategic planning and thedevelopment of a robust business plan are important, especiallyfor larger projects.

Good financial management and planning involves havingdevelopment plans, evaluating the implementation of the plans,allowing for flexibility, and ensuring that you understand all therunning costs and potential expenditure of the project. Having afull understanding of costs in relation to expenditure, and the costof providing for each child, can be important in the effectivenessof future funding.

Strategic planning helps understand financial control

Coram’s Fields has a ten-year strategy that gives it a focus fordevelopment and fundraising. This allows everyone involved – staff,parents, management council, executive committee, and current andpotential funders – to know how the project hopes to maintain anddevelop its services and priorities over the next ten years. This hasbeen consolidated into a business plan to support fundraising formajor grants and to ensure the efficient running and security of theproject in the future.

The fundraising strategy separates out fundraising for capitalprojects from that for revenue budgets. Capital projects can be veryexpensive and so appropriate charities and trusts are contacted forthis. Fundraising for revenue budgets is linked to specific projectfunding to cover staff costs, and to grants from the local authority toprovide children with local places to play.

Organising work in phases, but with a clear picture of the longerterm, can help with fundraising and development.

‘Phasing’ big projects makes financial management easier

The Gloucester Resource Centre had been operating for ten yearswhen it launched an initiative to raise capital funding for purchasingand refurbishing City Works as a community venue. It developed itspremises in a series of discrete phases leading to a potentiallyvaluable income-generating asset. Initially, they tried to securefunding to develop the entire premises in one phase but were turneddown on the grounds that they were being over-ambitious. Althoughdisappointed at the time, they now see that setback as having beenfortuitous. As a result, they divided the planned development into

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A development plan and funding strategy

Coram's Fields has a ten-year development

and fundraising strategy


discrete and less ambitious phases. Once the building was in use,the team raised funds for phase two of the building programmewhich involved completing the refurbishment of the ground floor toprovide communal space, and eight small units. This allowed themanagement to identify how the space would be used and whatpotential clients really needed in terms of room and space. Phasetwo cost the project £95,000, which they were able to raise throughcharitable trusts. The final phase – phase three – was the biggestand refurbished the entire first floor of their building. It gave theman extra 19 units, conference and meeting spaces, and a dancestudio. They also refurbished the outside car park, which had been abit like a waste area. This phase cost £462,000, which was providedby large charities’ boards including the National Lottery. The fundersagreed to give the money because they could see from the previoustwo phases and development of the project that the managementwould be able to deliver a successful project.

The value of starting small and building from firm foundations wasalso highlighted by the manager of an after-school club.

Good financial management must include an element ofdepreciation of major capital resources, especially for mobileprovision. For example, to replace an old playbus can be veryexpensive and, if no allocation has been made for thedepreciation of the old bus in annual accounts, the project couldclose when the existing bus is no longer viable.

Planning helps projects develop new services

The Log Cabin Adventure Playground has a three-year businessplan and a development and fundraising strategy. It is looking atways of developing its services to include older children – openingup opportunities for more local families and for fundraising.

Parents want to know that they can leave their children inprovision which is legally registered or professionally run.Whatever the size of the project, good management requires thedevelopment and implementation of policies and procedures whichensure not only that legislation and guidance is implemented butthat all staff are working to the same agenda and that the projectcan run smoothly and transparently. This allows staff, children andparents to know what to expect and to understand the ethos andpurpose of the provision.

Start off reasonably small,then build yourself up and geta good reputation. People willstart to use your service moreand recommend it to theirfriends. You can build, developand grow the service fromthere.

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Policies and procedures


Developing and implementing policies and procedures requirestime, knowledge and expertise from managers.

Policies and procedures can be wide ranging

Kids’ playgrounds has comprehensive policies and procedurescovering its functions and activities. These include child protection,transport for children, trips to other venues, administeringmedication, first aid, health and safety and risk assessment.

The Log Cabin Adventure Playground is regularly inspected byOfsted, uses an approved quality assurance scheme and hasappropriate policies and procedure documents. This is seen ascrucial to the future of the project and its relationships with outsideorganisations, including the local authority and other funders.

The role of the manager of the Walsall Play Safety Team involvesensuring that all the play areas are inspected regularly and therepairs are carried out as quickly as possible. This meanscontinuously looking for good, reliable suppliers providing spareparts at a competitive price and training and equipping teams ofrepair technicians to repair as much equipment as possible withouthaving to resort to expensive contractors who may take time toarrive and complete works. His team are trained to do all the basicrepairs including welding, repairing rubber safer surfacing, anddismantling and replacing spare parts. If more complex repairs arerequired, local contractors are employed but supervised by themanager. Smarter procurement strategies and stock control are inplace to ensure that predictable requirements for spares are met asthey arise, and downtime of facilities is minimised.

Maintaining play areas does not necessarily always meanrefurbishing old sites. There should be a continuous reviewprocess for confirming that the site, locations and focus of theplay areas is still appropriate and meeting the needs of localchildren and young people.

Walsall Play Safety Team have found that community involvement in the refurbishment of play areas helps reducevandalism and damage.

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When redesigning or building new play areas consideration mustbe given to the vandalism potential of surfaces and equipment –trying to achieve a balance between protection of equipment andfun for children. The siting of facilities is also very important totheir maintenance and sustainability. For example, in Walsallfacilities for teenagers are near play areas but in a differentspace. This reduces the amount of daily cleaning and maintenanceof the play area itself.

Good managers care about their project and the children andfamilies they are serving. They also feel personally involved intheir work. As one manager of an after-school club said:

I think it is very important to have a personal interest in what you aredoing. The fact that ours is a private club means that we have a greatstake in the sustainability of it.

The personal enthusiasm and commitment of the project managercan be crucial to maintaining a project’s sustainability. Strong,enthusiastic managers ‘keep fighting’ for resources to secure thefuture of the provision or service. The training and qualificationsof the manager are also important.

Projects should be able to survive when enthusiastic people moveor change jobs however, and their success should not be entirelydependent on the personal enthusiasm of one or two people. Theenthusiasm of one person is not enough to carry large projectsthrough to the future. Large projects needs to have enthusiasticpeople forming senior management teams who can support andcomplement each other’s work and roles. When one personleaves, the others should be able to keep the project goingsmoothly and efficiently because they all know their own areas of work and expertise.

Enthusiastic managers infuse and inspire their staff and have animportant role in helping staff develop their own knowledge skillsand ability through example, training and commitment. Parentsand children know very quickly if management or staff do not feelenthusiastic or committed to the project.

The Enthusiasm of the project manager can be

a key issue in a project's sustainability.

Individual enthusiasm

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A skilled, trained workforce

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6

A skilled staff team

The presence of a skilled, qualified workforce is essential tothe future of play provision. This means:

having a skilled trained staff teambeing able to keep good staffoffering access to staff development and traininggiving access to volunteers.

However, it is not always easy to find and recruit trained staff. Thelow pay and insecure funding arrangements are a problem forsome and a lack of enough qualified people locally, to meetinspection requirements, is a problem for others. Supporting anddeveloping the workforce and ensuring staff are trained to therequirements of the inspection process as well as in playwork arealso important.

The number of staff in any project not only varies according to thesize of the project and the number of children it serves but alsoaccording to the time of year and the services being offered.Fluctuating staffing levels, dependent on specific short-termproject funding, can be difficult to manage both for themanagement and for the staff. Some organisations are careful tomaintain their fundraising and staffing levels at manageable levelsso as not to fall into the trap of having large peaks and troughs intheir fundraising and spending.

Staff numbers often fluctuate

Coram’s Fields has 12 full-time and eight part-time staff as part ofthe core staff team but during the summer holidays they mayemploy as many as 30 or 40 extra staff. For the core staff team,who are employed on permanent contracts, the project fundraisingmust ensure there is sufficient money to pay their wages and thecosts even at quiet times.

The ratio of staff to children also varies depending on the childrenwho are using the project. If there are young children or disabledchildren the staff ratio is likely to be higher.

All staff must be trained in the project’s policies and procedures,especially those relating to child protection and confidentiality. Thesafety and protection of children must take priority overeverything else.

‘Multi-skilling’ your staff, with good training and qualifications,helps provide the sort of flexible provision children need.

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Expanding staff skills increases flexibility

At the after-school ABC Club, three of the staff have achieved aDiploma in Playwork while working at the club and the manager isundertaking a degree in playwork. Also, although evening meals areusually prepared by the school’s lunchtime cooks, six of the after-school club staff have undergone food hygiene training so are ableto cook with the children and prepare meals if necessary.

Although it is important that staff are well-trained, fundraising fortraining budgets is not always easy and should be added into thecore costs of any project for fundraising purposes.

Keeping good staff not only helps sustainability but is also anindication of a well-run project or service.

Staff are most likely to stay in their jobs if they enjoy their work,feel appreciated and can see they are providing a service valuedby children, parents and the community. Making sure there areopportunities for children and parents to show their appreciationto staff can be an important part of management.

People working in playwork and childcare are notoriously poorlypaid and arguments must be made in fundraising bids and servicelevel agreements to ensure that sufficient money is raised to paystaff properly according to their qualifications and training.

Ensuring that staff have good access and opportunities fortraining and development is a key part of good management andsustainability. Having a thorough understanding of the skills andprinciples of playwork, and being able to apply these throughreflective practice, are fundamental to ensuring that children aregiven good play opportunities rather than organised activities.

Play and childcare provision is now covered by more rules andregulations than ever before. This means that staff, in order tomeet legislative requirements and also to meet the needs ofchildren properly, need to be able to show they have appropriatetraining and qualifications. Projects need to be able to supportstaff training, both in-service such as NVQs, and external such asspecialist training courses or further and higher qualifications.

Being able to keep good staff

Staff development and training

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A ski l led , tra ined workforce

Training needs vary between projects

South Lakeland Playbus tries to employ playworkers who can alsodrive the bus. Training a driver for a bus can be very expensive andneeds to be budgeted into forward planning and fundraisingstrategies.

Ensuring staff are properly trained must be reflected ininformation about the project and also in pricing as well asfundraising. Training and development involves theoretical andpractical training and also ensuring the staff are able to attendrelevant conferences.

Training should not only cover essential issues such as childprotection, health and safety, and playwork but also needs to lookat the other experiences of the child using the facility.

Staff training together can support each other

In the ABC Club the training of the staff team in food preparationhad a major impact on the sort of food offered to the children whowere staying late. Healthier snacks and meals were introduced.

The three staff at the club who were doing the same training coursewere able to compare notes and share their ideas. They found thisvery useful and it helped them all improve their practice.

Larger projects, in particular, need to have staff training anddevelopment plans as part of their overall supervision of staff butalso as part of their long-term strategic development. Whereexternal training does not exist, projects may need to developtheir own in-house training.

Some projects develop their own training

Coram’s Fields has developed its own in-house training programmefor the staff who oversee the grounds, play areas and playingpitches. The managers are also looking at the possibility of offeringthe ground-staff training in conflict resolution and anti-bullyingstrategies so they can work with the children in unobtrusive andsupportive ways.

Spelthorne Borough Council are currently arranging trainingwithin the borough to support local play provision and playworkers.The training programme provides localised training at minimal costand encourages continual development. The programme includespaediatric first aid, safeguarding children and playwork basics plus.

6 Skilled trained workforce 8/8/06 11:05

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In some areas local Sure Start and Early Years Partnerships offerfree, or subsidised, training to staff in local play and childcareprojects. For example, the staff from the South Lakeland Playbusare able to access training from the local Sure Start unit who offera wide variety of courses.

Much play provision runs with the help and support of volunteers.Offering volunteers opportunities for training and developmentcan be an important element in increasing the sustainability of theproject.

Contacting local colleges and offering places for students to gainpractical experience can be a valuable way of finding volunteers towork in projects. These students, however, need to be given highquality support and training as part of their work with the project.

Playwork students can make valuable volunteers

The ABC Club attracted a volunteer doing a CACHE level 2 playworkcourse. The manager and staff at the club felt this had a positivebenefit to the children, staff and students.

Many projects also encourage young people who have previouslyused the provision, but are now older, to return and help asvolunteers. This helps them gain new skills and a sense ofresponsibility as well of being of great value to the project andstaff team.

For more information about playwork training and educationcontact SkillsActive at: http://www.playwork.orgThe ABC Club encourages volunteers

to undertake training.

Support and training for volunteers

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Involving children and young people,their families and communities

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7Involving local children, families and community groups inthe planning and development of provision can supportsustainability in a number of ways. Consulting and involvingthe community in developing facilities helps ensure they feela sense of ownership and are more prepared to supportattempts to sustain the provision. Good play provisionpromotes the feeling that something good is going on in thelocal community. Promoting the benefits of local provision tothe community helps develop community approaches.

Involving local people helps them develop a sense of ownershipand responsibility towards local provision, which can be anadvantage in longer term fundraising and sustainability.

Friends groups support some play areas

One of the most active services in promoting communityinvolvement is the Walsall Play Safety Team who work closelywith Friends groups in some of the parks and play areas theymanage. These Friends play a very active part in fundraising and inmaintaining interest and a sense of ownership amongst local people.

In another area, the play service manager was concerned thattokenistic involvement of children and young people by their localauthorities was leading to disillusionment which was reflecting on theplay service’s desire for the greater participation of children andyoung people.

Listening to children and observing how they play is fundamentalto meeting their needs and supporting the sustainability ofprovision. It is not uncommon for significant amounts of money tobe spent on play areas and play equipment which are then notwell used. Conversing with children, identifying how they want toplay and meeting those needs leads to more valued and betterused provision.

Children’s views are vital

Lambeth Play Association is committed to working in partnershipto develop play spaces which more fully meet the play needs ofchildren. It is also committed to ensuring that children have a say inhow new and existing play provisions are developed. It seeschildren’s participation as the essential factor in creating a goodquality play setting.

Involving local children and families

I can’t stress enough theimportance of getting the localcommunity and especially thekids involved at the outset, so they have a degree ofownership and feel it’s theirs.Walsall Play Safety Teammanager

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Children enjoy being involved

Children in the ABC Club were very enthusiastic about the possibilityof getting involved in a Children’s Council to help decide the pro-gramme for the club and to develop posters and materials to advertisethe club to their friends. The children are also regularly involved inhelping plan activities and play opportunities. Children are encouragedto play together and help each other solve problems rather thanalways referring to staff for ideas and activities. This approach evolvedwhen staff began to notice that if adults helped the children they tend-ed to take over the activity and the children were more likely to feelthey couldn’t do it themselves.

Involving children in consultations over, for example, localauthority policy should be approached cautiously and childrenshould be kept informed of the results. Raising children’sexpectations when, in reality, there is little prospect of actionbeing taken can do lasting damage to their confidence in theparticipation process.

Consulting with children and young people and families is not onlyimportant to make sure you are going to be meeting their needs,it is increasingly a requirement of funding applications. This cancreate problems if local people are consulted but the fundingapplication is denied. Developing a process of ongoingparticipation and communication with local people can help withthis to some extent. If they are more involved they are more ableto understand the process.

There are important differences between consultation andparticipation and these must be recognised. Consultation involveseliciting the views of children and young people in order to informa process or decision. Participation means that the children andyoung people are actively involved in the process, developmentand implementation of an idea or project.

Junior friends groups help design play areas

Walsall Play Safety Team works closely with Friends groups in anumber of parks. In one park there is a Junior Friends Group. Theadult groups tend to focus on practical issues like cleaning andmaintenance, but the children’s group are more concerned abouthow much the park meets their needs for fun and enjoyment. Whenconsulting children about new or refurbished play areas, childrenhave been taken to other play areas to find out what they mightenjoy and what would not be interesting to them.

The Play Safety Team are convinced that, in addition to keeping playareas well maintained and looking well cared for, the involvement oflocal children and other community members is an importantelement in reducing vandalism and sustaining good quality play areas.

Fostering good relations with the local community can also bringin extra funding. The manager of one playground said:

Unsolicited funding is extremely welcome. It’s always lovely when acheque comes. The fact that we’re generating goodwill is terrific, so wetry and foster good relationships with local people.

Turning local complaints into positive action can also bring majordividends. If local people are sufficiently motivated to make acomplaint to the local authority about lack of play provision thereare ways of turning that energy towards solutions. Finding ways ofsupporting local groups to develop their skills and commitment todeveloping local spaces for play is a good way of galvanisingaction and improving community cohesion. Once people feelinvolved with, and responsible for, a play space they are morelikely to help ensure its sustainability.

Working with local groups brings mutual benefits

Bringing local groups together and encouraging them to learn fromand support each other offers mutual benefits. Helping Friends’groups survive and thrive is seen by Walsall Play Safety Team ascrucial to the sustainability of play areas.

Walsall Play Safety Team operates alongside a Green SpacesImprovement Service aimed at increasing the participation of localresidents in the development of play services for their children andyoung people. Staff from the Green Spaces Improvement Servicehelp local groups gain the skills and knowledge required to supportlocal provision. This involves fundraising, developing ideas andhelping implement them. Some funding streams useful for local playprovision are only accessible to voluntary and community sectorgroups. By supporting these groups, the play service is able tomaintain its provision in conjunction with the Friends groups. TheGreen Spaces Improvement Service team help local groups arrangemeetings, constitute themselves as charitable organisations anddevelop funding bids.

These Friends groups play a crucial part in the development,maintenance and sustainability of local play areas. Local peoplecreate and join Friends’ groups, help raise money for play areas andalso raise the profile of the area amongst the community. This raisesthe level of community ownership and community involvement inthat piece of open space. Groups run activities like ‘fun days’ and‘litter picks’. Friends groups develop a sense of ownership and pridein the area. In Walsall this has resulted in refurbished play areas,which are well supported by the community.

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Invo lv ing ch i ldren and young people , the ir fami l ies and communit ies

Support from local people

7 Involving children etc 8/8/06 11:06

Friends groups also help with sustainability through carrying outsimple maintenance checks. For example members regularly visitthe play areas as part of their daily activities – like dog walking.They then report to the council if something has been damaged.This means problems can be reported more quickly than if relyingonly on the weekly maintenance checks of the council maintenanceteam.

The Play Safety Team currently works with approximately 15Friends’ groups and the council website supports the programmewith information accessible to anyone interested. The front page ofthe council’s website highlights the programme.

Local representatives on management committees, bothprofessional and lay, can also be an important source ofinformation about local needs.

Local people play a valuable role in managementcommittees

Coram’s Fields has local community representatives on the councilof management and regularly works with community organisationson joint projects.

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7 Involving children etc 8/8/06 11:06

Working in partnership with other organisations and services

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8Working in partnership with local organisations is importantfor continued development and sustainability. Working inpartnership allows projects to access funding streams whichmight not otherwise be available to them, for example somenational and local government funds. Partnership workingalso helps ensure that the needs of children are being metholistically rather than piecemeal. When play projects workin partnership with other local organisations or statutoryagencies it is to their mutual benefit.

Working in partnership and developing strong networks with otherlocal organisations can help smaller projects develop new ideasand help larger schemes to bring resources from unfamiliarsources into a project.

For community and voluntary sector projects some of the mostimportant partnerships can be those with statutory agencies whoare able to offer support and information in a number of differentways.

Taking an active part in local partnerships is a vital way to helpthe sustainability of local voluntary organisations. Making sureyour project is known to the local authority and other localpartnerships can be important when trying to raise funds orprovide services for the local authority. Local authorities do notalways actively seek out voluntary sector partners, so projectsmay need to take active steps to ensure they become known andpart of decision-making groups and partnerships.

Being invovled in local partnerships can bring varied benefits

The manager of Coram’s Fields represents the local voluntary andcommunity sector on a number of local partnerships and steeringgroups, including the Children’s Fund Partnerships steering groupand a Positive Action for Young People steering group. She is alsoinvolved in a local group working on restorative justice, as she feelsthis helps build her knowledge and skills in relation to children’sbehaviour and preventing bullying in the playground.

Close links with local authority services can help smaller projectsto develop policies and procedures in line with local authoritypolicy. They are then more able to meet local authorityrequirements when delivering services paid for by the authority.

Working with statutory agencies

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Links with other play, recreation and childcare provision

Taking an active part in local partnerships can be an importantway of bringing resources into play projects. It is vital to establishgood working relationships with people at different levels and indifferent sectors of the local authority structure. This mightinclude local authority play or leisure services, Sure Startprojects, Early Years Partnerships, under-fives coordinators andextended school coordinators.

Local authorities may support staff training

The Log Cabin Adventure Playground works closely with the localauthority play service in identifying training and workforcedevelopment needs. The local authority can then develop training tosupport the training needs of staff on the playground alongside localauthority staff working with children. The Log Cabin AdventurePlayground has a workforce development programme agreed withthe local authority.

Networking with other local providers can help share expertiseand information. Small projects can benefit through partnershipswith other organisations, for example by joining together fortraining, learning about quality assurance and getting other typesof informal support.

Working with others enriches children’s experiences

The ABC Club arranges visits to other clubs and invites them backin return. This benefits both the staff and children, offering differentexperiences and opportunities to learn.

Spelthorne Borough Council supports the development of all playprovision within the borough and has worked with other providers todevelop their provision. The play development team has recentlyworked with an organisation called Skoolz Out to set up their ownplay scheme in an area of deprivation.

South Lakeland Playbus has worked in partnership with a localarts project. This offered children opportunities they would nototherwise have to work with and learn from skilled artists. ThePlaybus team are also planning to work in partnership with anothermobile bus service running music workshops, to offer children anopportunity to work with skilled musicians. They have also worked inpartnership with the local speech and language projects to supportchildren identified as having speech difficulties. The Playbus servicealso works closely with the social services department and the localprimary care trust and are part of an active networking group calledthe South Lakeland Children and Young People’s Network. This is amultidisciplinary group that meets four or five times a year, sharesideas and expertise, and is an invaluable asset to the Playbusservice.

The South Lakeland Playbus expanded

its provision by working in partnership

with a local arts project.

8 Working in partnership 8/8/06 11:07

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Working in partnership with other organisat ions and serv ices

Creating links with other local agencies can provide opportunitiesto give children experiences they would not otherwise have.

Partnerships offer more opportunities

The ABC Club has links with the local RAF base offering children the opportunity to learn about the RAF police and fire service. The RAF club recently donated some clothing for the children’sdressing-up box.

At Coram’s Fields, the local Kings Cross Neighbourhood Associationwith the Camden United Project, a football project, bring youngpeople from different cultural backgrounds together to play footballand do residential activities.

Coram’s Fields has also worked closely with the local Bangladeshicommunity and hosted the annual Mela, a Bangladeshi culturalcelebration of dance, music, arts and food.

Working in partnership with other voluntary organisations enablesprojects to identify services that are really needed and providesinformation which they can pass on to families and otherprofessionals about local requirements.

Working with others improves services for childrenand parents

South Lakeland Playbus works closely with the local Children andYoung People’s Network who put it in touch with a family mediationservice provided by a national charity. It has since been able to giveparents information about this service.

The Log Cabin Adventure Playground works closely with theDisability Pathfinders Trust who link service providers for disabledchildren in the area. The idea is that parents with disabled childrenshould be able to go to one central service to discuss issues abouthousing, education, play and other areas of interest and concern.This is very important for families with disabled children as theyfrequently need a number of services to support their child’s healthand development. The fact that the Log Cabin Adventure Playgroundis part of this network reassures parents that they are linked intoother necessary services and their children are able to get the rangeof provision they want and need.

Working with voluntary agencies


As local schools become more involved in the government’sExtended Schools programme and start offering childcare from8.00am to 6.00pm all year round, local play projects mightbenefit from developing partnerships and working links with theschool.

Children will need spaces and facilities for free play and the localplay sector is well-placed to provide these.

As well as working in partnership, general networking with otherlocal organisations in the voluntary and community sector andthose providing specific services for children and young people isimportant to sustainability. Networks allow projects to learn fromeach other, support each other’s work, and increase the potentialfor partnership working.

Learning about and making links with local groups andorganisations can take time but is worthwhile. Local groups canexchange information and ideas and learn from each other’sexperience. Working with others can encourage people to think innew ways and help them test their ideas with sympatheticcolleagues.

If play provision is not well-networked with other localorganisations it can be very insecure. Making links with otherorganisations can result in consortium bids which are oftenfavoured by funding bodies. Partnership bids between thestatutory and voluntary sector are often attractive to fundingbodies. Working with others also provides opportunities forinnovative working and expanding services to meet the needs notonly of the children but of the other people in the community.

Working together reduces competition for funding

One important reason why Coram’s Fields works closely with otherlocal voluntary organisations is to ensure they are not all competingfor the same funding but that their funding bids are complementary.In this way projects are likely to be more sustainable because theycan show they are meeting a range of local needs and not providingexactly the same activity or service as another local project. In theKings Cross area, served by Coram’s Fields, there are six or sevenlocal organisations that work together on a regular basis andsometimes submit joint funding bids.

Partnerships with schools

Local networkingMutual support

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Making use of support available locally

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9Voluntary sector support services can be very important inhelping individual play projects to develop their networksand increase their potential for sustainability. Local supportand networking also increase opportunities for sharing goodpractice and learning from each other.

Support from local play associations can be especially importantfor small providers. Play associations can offer advice, trainingand support and sometimes help with funding issues andapplications.

Play associations across London often work closely together withthe support of the Regional Play Association, London Play. Theassociations try and share as much information as possible andlearn from each other.

Support organisations such as Lambeth Play Association andGloucester Resource Centre can only thrive and survive if theyunderstand the needs of the organisations they support. This onlyhappens if they work closely with them and offer them theopportunity to discuss issues, express their needs and share goodpractice.

Play Associations offer important support

Lambeth Play Association has a dedicated ‘capacity builder’ whoworks with the 16 local adventure playgrounds offering them supportwith fundraising, staffing issues, operational issues, developingpolicies and procedures, writing business plans, finding key staff andnetworking. The Play Association also facilitates an AdventurePlayground Network that brings together the staff from voluntarysector and local authority adventure playgrounds.

Valuable infrastructure support – including access to staff trainingand development, the existence of a local play policy or strategy,and support from play associations and networks – is available inmost areas but not always accessed by smaller providers.

Local support agencies offer a variety of services

Lambeth Play Association and Gloucester Resource Centre arelocal support agencies. In Lambeth, much of the play provision hasbeen contracted out to the voluntary sector and the PlayAssociation has a crucial role in helping develop, support andcoordinate this. This support involves help with fundraising, training,registration and linking in with local planning agendas. TheResource Centre offers a similar service to organisations acrossGloucestershire.

Support from play associations and networks

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In South Lakeland, the Playbus project, provided by the DistrictCouncil, benefits from its links with the local Leisure Trust who valuethe service as a support to the leisure opportunities of children andfamilies living in the area.

Good networking can be informal as well as formal

Within Gloucester Resource Centre’s City Works building, where arange of organisations have units and use the facilities, informalconversations in corridors and over cups of tea provide a lot ofinformation and exchange. Being able to meet people from otherorganisations informally can be as beneficial as structured meetingsand committees, if not more so. Tenants include community, artsand private sector businesses and this cross-sector mix bringsbenefits to all.

Ensuring that the project is recognised in the local play policy andstrategy can be important to its sustainability and is likely to beeven more so in the future. The strategic development of playprovision across the local authority area helps ensure that all localneeds are met and that there is no duplication of provision. Also,the value of being linked to and involved in local strategicplanning, both for whole-authority services and for morecoordinated provision for children and young people, is important.

Projects benefit from being central to local planning

Coram’s Fields is cited as an important resource for children’s playin the Camden Community Plan and the Young People and Children’sStrategy. This raises the profile of the project with councillors andother council officers as well as being an important element inforward planning.

Where projects are partly dependent on local authority funding, itis important to work closely with council officers in order to knowand understand their priorities and develop joint solutions.

Working within a local policy or strategy

Local authority officer support

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Making use of support ava i lab le loca l ly

Coram’s Fields works with different sections of the local authority,including those developing arts, tourism and sport.

It is often hard for after-school clubs and similar service providersthat charge parents, to survive merely on the fees charged.Therefore many clubs are in part dependent on places bought bythe local authority for children in disadvantaged circumstances.

In Spelthorne the play development officer provides support to alllocal play providers, which can be an important asset in promotingthe development and sustainability of the clubs.

Good liaison with local authority officers often depends on buildingup professional and trusting relationships. Local authority officersneed to know what they can expect from your service and beclear about what support they might be able to offer you. Goodprofessional relationships can usually withstand disagreementsover policy that may arise between voluntary sector organisationsand local authorities.

In some areas, local authority staff change frequently and newrelationships have to be developed and nurtured. This can betime-consuming for small projects but, if the local authority is oneof the main funders of the project, taking the time to build andnurture these relationships is crucial.

High visibility local authority projects, like the South LakelandPlaybus, can be a real strength as the council is seen to beproviding a valuable service in remote areas.

Councillors are there to ensure that the communities theyrepresent get the services they require. For many communitiesthis will be play provision and more and better free-timeopportunities for local children and young people. If you can helpcouncillors to find a way to show that they are taking thesematters seriously, it can help with political support andsustainability. For council-run services, political support is alsoimportant for the future of the service.

Every county and unitary authority has a director of children’sservices and a ‘lead member’ for children and young people’sprovision. District and borough councils should liaise with thesemanagers in respect of the service they provide, including play

Political support within the council

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services. Making contact with these officers and councillors willhelp raise the profile of play in their agenda and help gain politicalsupport. Inviting them to visit the provision and hear children talkabout its value to them can be very effective.

Any voluntary organisation should know its local politicians andcreate good relationships with them if possible. Local politicianscan be important champions in local authority decision-makingand can affect, in many cases, decisions about how local authorityfunding is allocated.

Encouraging local councillors and members of the executive of thelocal authority to come and visit projects and talk to the childrenand families using them, can be a powerful tool in getting supportfor funding and other types of sustainable resources.

Involve local politicians in the project

Local councillors take an active role on the Council of Managementof Coram’s Fields. The local Member of Parliament is Chair of theCouncil of Management and plays a vital role in championing theplayground and the needs of local children and young people.

Where a service is provided by a district council, creating goodrelationships with the county councillors representing the area canalso be a powerful way of getting support.

Background research to identify which councillors are interested inservices for children and young people, or leisure play andculture, and creating links with these councillors can help raisethe profile of play both with them and in the council generally. Ifthe project has no support from elected members it may sufferwhen funding allocations are being decided.

Support from local authorities does not always have to take theform of money.

Camden council provides Coram’s Fields with sports’ tutors andcoaches, so the project is able to offer free basketball and footballcoaching.

Working closely with the local authority and understanding theiragenda, without compromising the basic play provision beingprovided, can help with funding and sustainability.

Other local authority involvement

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Coram’s Fields, while offering free, open-access play in theplayground and playing pitches, also rents out space for the localeducation department to run computer classes for young people andfor the play service to run an after-school club.

Information support and advice is also available from Play Englandand the Children’s Play Information Service (CPIS). Funded by theBig Lottery Fund, Play England is a project of the Children's PlayCouncil, part of the National Children’s Bureau, which is designedto provide a comprehensive range of information, facilitation andenabling services for all those involved in the development andimplementation of local play strategies. Play England will beworking with other regional organisations to offer help, supportand advice to local play providers.

The CPIS, at the National Children’s Bureau, provides a referencelibrary and information service to all those interested in children’splay. It has a variety of factsheets and other resources of use toplay providers.

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Play England and CPIS

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Evaluating and monitoring the service provided

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10Projects are now being asked to show how they are meetingthe needs of children and young people or their families.Day-to-day monitoring and evaluating the impact of playprovision is becoming more important in its sustainability.Implementing quality assurance systems helps indicate topotential funders that a project is well run, as well asensuring a better service for children and young people.Being part of an inspected service can be an advantage as itenables providers to show they are running their projectsefficiently.

For those projects subject to external inspection, through Ofsted,gaining a positive result is becoming increasingly important – aslong as the inspectors understand the play ethos of the projects.

Setting up new initiatives does not always work and carefulmonitoring will see whether or not it is worth continuing withthem. In the long run it is more sustainable to end an initiativethat is not working than to try and perpetuate it because italready exists.

The use of quality assurance schemes for self-assessment andmonitoring is becoming popular, and is often a requirement whena local authority funds voluntary and community sector projects.

Quality assurance improves practice

Coram’s Fields uses a quality assurance scheme developed forsmall voluntary sector organisations, called PQASSO, which isapproved by the local authority. In addition, the playground regularlycollects statistics and information about the children using theplayground and its services, which they are then able to report tocurrent and potential funders.

The Log Cabin Adventure Playground use Quality in Play as theirquality assurance system. This helps them improve their practices,contributes to their inspection results with Ofsted and is very usefulwhen compiling funding proposals.

Implementing quality assurance schemes can be time-consumingfor staff and sometimes costs more money than small projectscan afford but working with others can help.

Quality assurance

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Lambeth Play Association supports small projects inimplementing quality assurance by encouraging them to supporteach other to share ideas and information.

For eligible provision, achieving good Ofsted inspection results isimportant for sustainability. However, being able to show Ofstedinspectors the value of offering children free-play opportunities, asopposed to always offering organised activities, might be part ofpersuading them that the quality of the experience a child ishaving is beneficial.

Being inspected by Ofsted is seen by many providers as a way ofimproving the quality of provision and also of showing publicfunders and local authorities that they are providing a valuableservice.

Regularly monitoring the success of the provision with children isone way to know whether or not you are providing them with thesort of opportunities they enjoy.

Observing children helps indentify what they enjoy

At the end of each session, staff at the ABC Club complete amonitoring sheet and keep a record of what activities and provisionchildren have and have not enjoyed. The staff then adjust the toys,activities and resources they make available based on theirexperience and observations of what children enjoy.

Regular monitoring provides valuable information

Kids’ playgrounds, managed by the organisation’s London region,organises the monitoring of each project centrally. There are twotypes of monitoring. Playground staff routinely monitor the numberof children using their project via the daily registers. Kids alsoconducts an annual census of all the playgrounds’ current registeredusers in order to assess annual trends in the use of their services.This information is used to plan for the future; and to indicate tofunders and potential funders the value of the service and thepotential and real demand for it.

Good results from Ofsted inspections

Other internal monitoring

The ABC Club keeps a record of successful and

unsuccessful activities

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The South Lakeland Playbus regularly monitors the number ofchildren using the bus. Every half-term it undertakes an evaluationto assess where the bus has been, what services it has offered, thenumber of children using it and the impact on those children andtheir families. The information gathered in these regularassessments helps future planning of the location and need for the services of the bus in different areas. The council is then able toassess how to spend the limited resources to the best advantage ofthe children in the area. Because so many communities in the SouthLakeland area are very small, monitoring and evaluating the successof the project does not only depend on the numbers of childrenusing the bus at any one location. The regular monitoring andevaluation is reported to the area committee for the area visited bythe bus, so all councillors in South Lakeland are aware of services totheir own and other parts of the area.

In many play areas a number of different inspections may benecessary to ensure the high quality and safety of the equipmentand resources.

In some projects there are complex inspections

In Coram’s Fields the sand and water play areas have daily,weekly, monthly, six-monthly and annual inspection andmaintenance routines. The sand is cleaned every day and sifted oncea week. It is renewed every 18 months. All the play equipment andother resources have routine safety inspections from externalinspectors and the small city farm is inspected by animal welfareinspectors. The nursery is also inspected by Ofsted. Getting goodresults in all these inspections is seen as important for providing ahigh quality service to children and the local community and also forshowing current and future funders that the project is well run andprovides a suitable environment for children to spend their time.

It is becoming increasingly likely that, in the future, play provisionwill be included in Joint Area Review inspections of Children’sServices or Audit Commission inspections. When this happens,play providers will need to demonstrate that they are achievingagreed quality standards.

Recognition in local authority inspections

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11 References 8/8/06 11:13

DCMS (2004) Getting Serious about Play: A review of children’splay. London: Department for Culture Media and Sport.

EQUIPE (2004) Enterprising Play Report. London: EQUIPE.

W Russell (2005) External Evaluation of the EQUIPE Quality inPlay project. London: London Play.

London Play (2002) Quality in Play: Quality assurance forchildren’s play providers. London: London Play.

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Appendix 1The case study projects

Kids’ playgrounds The national voluntary organisation Kids operates eight adventureplaygrounds in London. The playgrounds are primarily for disabledchildren but are also used by their brothers, sisters and friendsand sometimes other local non-disabled children. The bulk of theservices focus on out-of-school play and childcare provision,typically offering a four-nights-a-week service from 3.30pm to6.00pm. Some of the playgrounds are also open on Saturdaysduring the school term and the holidays.

The playgrounds also operate in the school holidays, opening fortwo weeks at Easter, six weeks in the summer and for the threehalf-term holidays. During this time the playgrounds offer playschemes to disabled children and their friends and brothers andsisters.

The playgrounds are open to children from five to 16 years oldand are registered with Ofsted. The playgrounds are used byapproximately 2,000 children of whom just over 1,000 aredisabled. During one year there are in excess of 38,000 child-visits to the Kids’ playgrounds. In most areas children arebrought to the playgrounds by minibus if they cannot get therewithout this help.

Coram’s FieldsCoram’s Fields, at the south end of the London Borough ofCamden in inner-city London, is a seven acre site divided intosports pitches, a playground and a number of buildings withdifferent uses. The sports pitches cover approximately two acresand can be used for a variety of games, including football, hockey,cricket and athletics. The playground also hosts a play scheme forthe local authority, a youth centre, and provides a nursery and adrop-in centre for children under five and their parents. There isalso a small city farm.

Coram’s Fields is open every day, except Christmas Day andBoxing Day, from 9.00am until 8.00pm in the summer and from9.00am until dusk in the winter months. The sports pitches arefloodlit and are open until 8.00pm in the evening throughout theyear. The play centre is run by the local authority as part of theirplay and childcare service but works in close liaison with themanagement and staff of Coram’s Fields. The play centre uses oneof the buildings and the children have free and open access to thewhole of the playground area.

Coram’s Fields is used by children from birth to 16 years old; andyoung people over 16 years old are allowed to use the site if theyare using the youth centre. The outdoor playground space offers apets’ corner, fixed play equipment, open spaces and grassedareas, sand, water and a nature garden.

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During term time, Coram’s Fields is used by 500 to 600 children aweek and during the holidays from 1,000 to 1,500 children enterthe playground depending on the weather. Adults are only allowedinto Coram’s Fields if they are accompanied by a child.

Log Cabin Adventure Playground: West EalingThe Log Cabin Adventure Playground is an adventureplayground primarily for disabled children. It is also open to thechildren’s friends and brothers and sisters and on some days ofthe week local children can use the playground. Approximately 70per cent of the children using the playground are disabled or havespecific needs.

The Log Cabin Adventure Playground has a large outdoor spacewith a variety of fixed equipment and natural features. In thesummer there is a sandpit and also a ‘bed swing’ for childrenunable to use a conventional swing. There is a quiet room,sensory room, soft play room, and other indoor rooms and spaceswhich contain a pool table and other toys and equipment forindoor play. The playground also has a large kitchen and providesthe children with a two-course meal every day at the after-schoolclub. The outdoor space is approximately one acre. All thechildren coming to the playground must have places booked forthem in advance.

The Log Cabin Adventure Playground provides an after-school clubduring term time; and holiday play schemes throughout theschool holidays. The playground is open all year round except forthe Christmas holiday and bank holidays. It does not open atweekends.

The children who use the playground range from four to 15 yearsold and buses are provided to bring children who have difficulty intravelling by other means. The playground owns two buses and ifthey need more spaces they hire an additional bus from the localcommunity transport organisation.

Approximately 50 children attend the play schemes regularly andthe after-school club is used by 35 to 40 children each day. Theplayground has a waiting list – especially for children needingone-to-one support – of local families and families across Ealingwith disabled children.

The Log Cabin Adventure Playground has been running for 25years and is based on a building that looks like a log cabin.

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Walsall Play Safety TeamWalsall Play Safety Team currently manages around 60 playareas (not staffed by playworkers) offering free, open-access playopportunities to local children and young people. Some of theseplay areas have existed for 30 years and some are in unsuitablelocations insufficiently overlooked and too far from busy areas tobe safe for children. Fortunately, a recent bid to the Big LotteryFund has resulted in the ‘Transforming Your Space’ programme forWalsall. This initiative has enabled the funding of over 40schemes, including the provision of new play areas, multi-usegames areas, skate parks and youth shelters across the entireborough. This, combined with a recent review of play areas,means that the number will be reduced to approximately 55 or 60but they will be of higher quality and in more appropriatelocations. One of the key functions of the Walsall Play Safety Teamis to maintain play areas on a regular basis and ensure that theyare not only safe but good places for children for play.

The team tries to offer play areas suitable for children of differentages, as they see this as more sustainable than providing only forchildren of one particular age group. There are equipped playareas for children up to 12 years old; and for older young peoplethere are multi-use games areas, skate parks and otherappropriate provision.

The borough has approximately 250,000 residents and the playareas range from small doorstep sites, with a few items ofequipment, to major parks, where there is a wide range offacilities for children and young people of all ages. Three of theplay areas include open-air swimming areas, which are filled withwater during the school summer holidays. These are staffed whenthey are open for use.

South Lakeland PlaybusSouth Lakeland Playbus is a mobile play facilitiy which goesround to small villages in the southern Lake District, with trainedplay and childcare workers offering children play opportunitiesthey would not otherwise have. It is a double-decker busequipped with resources and equipment for children of preschooland primary school age. The bus has a home corner and a sandpitamongst its resources.

As well as visiting villages on a regular basis, the bus goes tospecial events within the district when it is open for all children atthe event to use. However, the bus does not allow unaccompaniedchildren to use its provision and most of the places are booked inadvance by parents.

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The Playbus started off as a mobile sports project which tooksports equipment to village halls. It then transformed into aPlaybus. The bus visits each village on its list one day each week,possibly for a school term. It also visits villages during theholidays. Sessions usually last for two hours but are sometimeslonger depending on the needs of the community. The project hasbeen running since the 1980s.

The children using the project vary in ages, depending on wherethe bus is visiting and the local need. During term time the busoffers play provision to approximately 90 children and in theholidays about 125.

Approximately 3,000 children used the bus in the last financialyear.

The Playbus is part of the South Lakeland District Council sportand recreation department which part-funds it. It also runs aparents and toddler session as well as after-school clubs. The bus is easily recognised in the South Lakeland District.

Lambeth Play AssociationThe Lambeth Play Association was set up in the inner-Londonborough of Lambeth in 1999 to act as a support and resourcestructure for local play provision. In the borough, much of theplay provision is run by the voluntary and community sector. This means that the demand for support information and trainingfrom voluntary organisations is high and the Play Association isexpected to meet this need. The Play Association has amembership scheme with about 140 members, although itprovides advice and information to many more individuals andorganisations.

Gloucester Resource Centre The Gloucester Resource Centre is a social enterprise thatsupports many children’s organisations from across the county ofGloucestershire. Those using the Centre include groups ofdisabled people, youth clubs, community projects, arts, dance andtheatre projects, and training organisations. The City ofGloucester is one of the country’s multi-ethnic cities and theResource Centre provides appropriate services and support toensure local organisations are able to meet the diverse needs oflocal communities. There are opportunities within the building formany local groups to undertake their own activities, includinglocal groups who operate out-of-school clubs and holiday playschemes.

The Gloucester Resource Centre has been operating since 1986.The project grew from a small base to the size and strength it isnow. Throughout its gradual growth and progress, the skills of the

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staff developed and they were able to increase their fundraisingover the years. Though starting small, they developed a businessplan that included buying a building which had potential forincome generation.

The Centre now owns its own premises and is able to let outrooms to generate income. Initially the building was considered tobe too big but, with perseverance and a collective vision andsupport from their management committee, they were able toraise the funds and buy and refurbish the building. The projectgrew and developed slowly over time at a pace the staff andmanagement committee could manage.

The Centre supports projects in all areas of Gloucestershire,including the predominantly rural areas of the county where thereare many communities facing disadvantage due to geographicalisolation and lack of local services.

The Gloucester Resource Centre is a membership organisationwith a diverse range of members totalling in excess of 1000 (inFebruary 2006).

Spelthorne Borough CouncilSpelthorne Borough Council is a local authority providing playprovision across it’s district on the border of West London. It hasrecently taken the decision to contract out local play schemeprovision. Kids for Life run three holiday play schemes during thesummer. They provide a total of 1560 spaces. The local authorityconsiders that contracting out the service enables more places tobe provided more efficiently.

Holiday play schemes provide a wide range of activities includingart, crafts, sports, games and play. As well as offering free playthere are structured activities if the children want them. Childrenfrom five to 11 years old attend the schemes. Places have to bebooked for the children although they are open to all the childrenin the borough.

Missing LinkMissing Link after-school club is a privately owned and run after-school club. Staff from the club collect children from a number ofdifferent schools and take them to the after-school provision.During term-time the club is registered for 60 children and in theholidays the play scheme is registered for 40 to 50 children. Theclub was set up approximately 15 years ago with assistance fromthe local social services department although, as a result ofchanges, this support no longer exists. Children attending theprovision are between five and 12 years old.

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ABC ClubThe ABC Club is an after-school club taking place in a primaryschool. The club takes place inside the school buildings, in a largehall, and the children are allowed to use the playground ifaccompanied by members of staff. The club only takes placeduring school term-time at the request of the school staff.Approximately 60 children use the club each week with anaverage of 32 each day. The club offers activities and games withan arts and crafts table, a book corner, sometimes a televisionand music. There is also a snack table and a drawing table. Thechildren are allowed to play freely and do whatever they wantfrom the choices available. In the playground there is also aclimbing frame.

The ABC Club has been running since 1996. The school is theregistered owner but the club is run by an independent manager.It is paid for through charges to parents and there is no additionalfunding. Although all the places are booked and paid for, the clubalso provides space for children whose parents are unexpectedlylate picking them up from school.

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Appendix 2Useful websites

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Acevo Full Cost Recovery: A guide and toolkit on cost allocationby Caroline Fiennes, Cathy Langerman and Jeni Vlahovic (NewPhilanthropy Capital 2005). The interactive CD-ROM contains allthe information that is in the Full Cost Recovery publication andalso guides you through the cost allocation template electronically.Available, price £20, from the ACEVO website:www.acevo.org.uk/main/publications.php?content=pubcatalog

Arts Councilwww.artscouncil.org.uk/Government agency promoting the arts, including community art,across England.

Association of Charitable Foundationswww.acf.org.uk/linkstrusts.htmSupport organisation for grant-making trusts and foundations ofall types, including many of the major trust funds.

Awards for Allwww.awardsforall.org.ukAwards for All is a grants programme set up to help small groupsand local communities. Awards for All gives grants of between£500 and £5000 in a simple, straightforward way.

Biffaward (Landfill Tax Credit Scheme)www.biffaward.orgThe Biffaward offers grants (from £250 to £500,000) to projectsthat provide and improve public amenities for communities withinten miles of a Biffa operation.

Big Lottery Fundwww.biglotteryfund.org.ukBig Lottery Fund is one of the major organisations that hands outmoney for good causes on behalf of the National Lottery.

Claiming Your Share: A guide to external funding for parks andgreen space community groups (GreenSpace 2003)A guide for community groups on funding for parks and greenspaces. Describes the main types of funding available, and givesadvice on how to make successful applications). Available fromthe GreenSpace website at www.green-space.org.uk/library/gspublications.htm or phone 0118 946 9060.

Children’s Play Councilwww.ncb.org.uk/cpcAn alliance of national and regional voluntary organisations, localauthorities and partnerships researching and promoting children’splay in England since 1988.Phone: 0171 843 [email protected]

Children’s Play Information Servicewww.ncb.org.uk/library/cpisCPIS is a specialist library and information service managed bythe National Children’s Bureau. It has a large reference collectionof materials on children’s play and its services include atelephone, letter and email enquiry service, details oforganisations working in the field of play and free factsheets.Phone: 020 7843 [email protected]

Cleaner Safer Greenerwww.cleanersafergreener.gov.ukA government-run initiative providing much practical informationabout improving Britain's environment.

Creating Excellencewww.creatingexcellence.org.ukSearchable online database giving information about fundingsources for projects in the voluntary and community sector in thesouth west.

CSVwww.cvs.org.ukCSV involves people in high quality volunteering and trainingopportunities that tackle real need and enrich lives. They can findvolunteers or help you create a volunteer programme and alsooffer professional development opportunities.

Department for Culture Media and Sportwww.culture.gov.ukGovernment department with responsibility for developing policyon children’s play.

Environments for Allwww.btcv.org/efaEnvironments for All is dedicated to giving more people thechance to look after their local environment, including providingthe money needed to do this. Environments for All aims to workwith over 18,000 people and 5,000 community groups in the firstthree years and is keen to involve people of all cultures andbackgrounds.

Funderfinderwww.funderfinder.org.ukHomepage for trust-finding software. Full of helpful tips plusadvertising.

Funders Onlinewww.fundersonline.orgProvides a range of information on funding, including a directoryof the websites of European foundations and corporate funders.

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Funding Tipswww.caf.ie/fundingtips.htmGuide to successful small-project funding.

Fundraising for Dummiesby John Mutz (Hungry Minds Inc, US, 2000) A straightforward anddetailed guide to the basics of fundraising. Available from Amazonand bookshops, price £18.99.

Government Fundingwww.governmentfunding.org.ukA government website which summarises all the different grantsavailable.

GreenSpacewww.green-space.org.ukAn organisations set up to help groups wanting to create andrestore public spaces. This site has useful funding links.

Hanson Environment Fund (Landfill Tax Credit Scheme)www.hansonenvfund.orgOffers grants (from £250 to £25,000) to projects that improvepublic amenities within ten miles of a Hanson operation. Inaddition, it funds projects that increase or maintain biodiversityand certain projects that promote or implement recycling and thereuse of waste.

Heritage Lottery Fundwww.hlf.org.uk/Distributes funding for projects which help protect the country’sheritage.

It’s Your Spacewww.itsyourspace.org.uk/tran_getsomemoney.aspA good source of funding links, especially for public parks, play areas and open spaces.

Lloyds TSB Foundationwww.lloydstsbfoundations.org.ukA grant-making trust which aims to support and work inpartnership with charitable organisations that help people,especially those who are disadvantaged or disabled, to play afuller role in communities throughout England and Wales.

Moving Vision to Actionwww.arc.gov/index.do?nodeId=908A nine-step planning process for community and institutionalchange.

Nationwide Foundationwww.nationwidefoundation.org.ukMakes charitable grants to UK-based organisations that aim toextend the range of opportunities and improve the quality of lifefor those in need. Through their grants they seek to promotesocial inclusion and achieve real and sustainable benefit tocommunities.

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Play Englandwww.playengland.org.ukPlay England, funded by the Big Lottery Fund, is a project of theChildren's Play Council, part of the National Children’s Bureau,designed to provide a comprehensive range of information,facilitation and enabling services for all those involved in thedevelopment and implementation of local play provision. Phone: 020 7843 [email protected]

People’s Places Award Schemewww.btcv.org/ppawardsOffers local people the chance to make a difference to theircommunity by creating or improving a ‘people’s place’ such as apocket park or sensory garden. Awards are targeted at areas ofdeprivation and disadvantaged groups. Funds offered are between£3,000 and £10,000.

Profundingwww.fundinginformation.org.uk/ProfundingHome.htmlAn online fundraising information resource for charities, voluntaryorganisations, community groups and other not-for-profitorganisations throughout the UK.

Public Parks Initiativewww.hlf.org.ukHelps not-for-profit organisations with the restoration andregeneration of historic parks and gardens, as well as urbansquares and cemeteries.

Sport Englandwww.sportengland.orgPromotes community sports across England and distributes somefunding from the National Lottery.

The Southern Association of Voluntary Action Groups in Europewww.savage-europe.org.ukProvides up-to-date information about European funding andoffers impartial and independent advice and technical support forall voluntary and community organisations seeking funding fromthe European Social Fund (ESF).

Top ten fundraising tipswww.eastherts.gov.uk/grants/top_ten_tips.htmGood ideas for fundraising.

Towards sustainabilitywww.towards-sustainability.co.uk/infodir/fund.htmlUseful links on finding funding.

Trust fundswww.trustfunding.org.ukA subscribable website run by the Directory of Social Changeallowing different searches for funding organisations.

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UK fundraisingwww.fundraising.co.ukOne of the best fundraising sites with information and resources.

Viridor Credits Environmental Company (Landfill Tax Credit Scheme)www.viridor-credits.co.ukOffers funds under the landfill tax credit scheme to projects withina ten mile vicinity of Viridor Waste Management Landfill sites.They particularly seek projects that help local people improvefacilities and enhance their local environment.

Woodland Grant Schemewww.defra.gov.uk/erdp/schemes/wgs/default.htmGives grants to create new woodlands and manage existingwoodlands. The Scheme also offers Challenge Funds, which youcan bid for in order to carry out work in existing woodlands inspecified areas of the country.

Youth Funding Guideby Nicola Eastwood (Directory of Social Change, 2002). Offerspractical advice on fundraising for youth-related causes, withdetails of sources of funding, including grant-making trusts,companies, government, and the European Union. Available fromDSC Online atwww.dsc.org.uk/acatalog/Funding_Guides.html

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playingonin other areas mobile play provision, including play buses, mobile skate parks and other...

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