Dear Playwork Colleagues

At SkillsActive Playwork South East we are entering an exciting period with the advert for a new Development Officer appearing in the national and regional press around Christmas - all our readers will receive a copy in an e-bulletin so keep your eyes peeled as you may want to apply!

Preparations for our annual conference Spirit of Play are also underway, this year in partnership with Play England and led again by Milton Keynes Play Association.  Taking place on Saturday 1st March 2008, Spirit of Play will offer the same successful formula of speakers, workshops and exhibitors, and we look forward to welcoming both seasoned participants and newcomers to the event.  This year our keynote speaker is Camila Batmanghelidjh, founder of Kids Company; our afternoon speaker will be Alistair Black, a drama specialist whose message is that play is fun and the day we think we have finally grown up is the day to start worrying!

Remember that some EYDCPs will sponsor playworker places, so get in touch with them quickly to find out if you can be included!  Our website will be updated with details of speakers and workshops as they are confirmed, and also includes contacts for the EYDCPs, map of the venue and other useful information.

Not only that, but we are delighted to announce that Wendy Usher, working jointly with Milton Keynes Play Association, has been appointed to carry out development work for Re:Play over the next six months - we will be reporting on progress in our next e-newsletter.

We hope to see you at Spirit of Play, and in the meantime wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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CYWU: The Community & Youth Workers Union (part of the Transport & General Workers Union)  is the only specialist union for playworkers.  Doug Nicholls, National Secretary of the CWYU, gives an update on their work with our sector here.

Amicus: Unite the Union is the largest Voluntary Sector & Social Economy union in the United Kingdom and understands the distinctive nature of this sector, and the particular funding and development pressures faced within this field.

Unison: Unison also represents the Community & Voluntary Sector, with members working in non-profit organisations ranging from large national charities with hundreds of employees to small-grant aided projects employing one part-timer. They provide a range of services to local communities and campaign on all sorts of issues.

Unionlearn Climbing Frame: an innovative new electronic framework for learning was launched at TUC Congress at Brighton in September.  It will help learners to map out their learning pathways, it will allow workplace Union Learning Reps to track their members' progress, and can be aligned to support employers' development programmes.

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Children's Workforce Development Council Website - tell all your 9-17 year olds about their chance to have a say and win a prize!  Deadline 10th December.

Review of National Occupational Standards: SkillsActive is currently reviewing the National Standards for Level 1, Level 2 Activity Leadership and Level 2 Operational Services,  and needs your feedback. 

Hospital Play Spaces: Can you help in promoting the need for well maintained play rooms and play areas in hospital depts, such as the outpatients dept and A&E, around the UK? 

Do you mange volunteers?  The UK Workforce Hub are currently undertaking a project to review and refresh the Management of Volunteers National Occupational Standards (NOS) to ensure they meet the needs of managers in the voluntary and community sector through to 2014.

www.think-differently.org.uk: Children with autism are often misunderstood and for many this means a lifetime of exclusion. Help change this by supporting the think differently about autism campaign.  Visit the campaign website to sign up to a government petition and find out about other ways to support the campaign.

Every Disabled Child Matters: Take part in the supporter survery to tell EDCM what you think of their campaign and the work they have done over the past 18 months.

RAISE: Give your opinion on RAISE's Business Plan 2008-11 by 4th January by taking part in their very short questionnaire.

Join the Playday 2008 campaign and have your say!  Next year's Playday campaign will be around the theme of RISK.  This theme was unanimously agreed by the Playday steering group and follows consultation with Playday update subscribers and wider play networks. If you would like to help develop the campaign's key messages, contribute your views on risk and play by clicking the link.

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www.skillstories.org: Register for a new initiative designed to help employers work together on improving skills, launched by Business in the Community and DIUS. Along the line of FaceBook, this service enables employers to upload a profile that details their skills and training initiatives. Employers can then interact online and search through a database of resources, events and news for the skills sector.  You can also promote the work you are doing on skills, collaborate and share best practice online.

Everything you need to know about the first five 14-19 Diplomas: construction, creative and media, engineering, information technology, and society, health and development, to be taught from September 2008.

Diplomas Network : Ed Balls recently thanked the growing number of employers supporting Diplomas and challenged more businesses to come on board and help make Diplomas the future qualification of choice, welcoming the establishment of the new Diploma Employer Champions Network (DECN).

Diploma in Sport & Leisure - HE/FE Event : Following the successful HE/FE Forum at SkillsActive's offices in July, there will be a follow up consultation event on January 16th 2008 to discuss the content we have drafted for the diploma. Will the diplomas change the content of your degree course? Come along and discuss further.

Diploma in Sport & Leisure - Employer, Schools & Providers Event: On January 18th, we will be holding a joint event at SkillsActive with Schools, Providers and Employers to have a look at the drafted content and provide networking opportunities.

Train to Gain Funding Boost: The government has outlined its plans to increase funding for the Train to Gain scheme, as part of the £11bn investment in skills.

Foundation Degree in Playwork Update: announcing an open day event to discuss the degree and find out how the first cohort got on during their two years of study.

National Skills Academy: latest newsletter from Skillsactive.

The QCA looks at the place of Every Child Matters within the whole-school curriculum, and at the types of learning experience - both in and outside lessons - that schools can design to meet each outcome.

Common Threads are now putting the final touches to their 2008 publications catalogue - there will be some great new 'Buskers Guides' as well as new resources for trainers and practitioners.   Don't forget also that once you are signed in to the Common Threads website you can also download Playwords for free - the first fully-free-and-downloadable issue is available on-line now!

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World Café Possible Futures for Playwork: play workers, -trainers, -educators, -managers and -development officers are invited to attend the first event in a project for the playwork sector to debate its own future on 17th December. This World Café style event on will debate the key question: What should the future for playwork be?

Out2Play, SkillsActive annual conference will take place on 5th March 2008.  A 'not to be missed' event with guest speakers, workshops and an array of exhibitors.

Risk & Play:  A London seminar in January looking at the film, Pushing Eddie in the Nettles with Connor, developed as a tool to accompany new playwork qualifications being developed by Play Wales.

Play England is holding a series of free events to demonstrate - through both policy and good practice - the potential for joint work between the play sector and children's health services. For more information and to book your place, click on the link.

PIP National Annual Conference Aiming Higher for Inclusive Play: On 26 February in Birmingham, this event will focus on the impact of 'Aiming Higher for Inclusive Play' and look at how the Playwork Inclusion Project can support the sector to achieve the inclusion of disabled children in universal play and childcare services.  For more information, contact pip@kids.org.uk.

Advance Notice:  "Places to Go? Place shaping and sustainable transport for an accessible, child-friendly public realm".  A national conference by Play England, National Children's Bureau, Sustrans and Living Streets on 20 May 2008 in London.  Full details available in February, but expressions of interest to RBarnes@ncb.org.uk.

Spirit of Play: our annual playworker conference will be on Saturday 1st March 2008 - full details on our website.

You can find a comprehensive list of both regional and national events on our website,

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Milton Keynes EYDCP recently held a conference, with keynote speaker Jo Salter, the UK's first female Tornado pilot, calling on childcare workers in Milton Keynes to reach for the skies in their efforts to make life better for young people in the city. 

Projects for the 11-16 age group:  If you would like ideas on how to attract young teenagers to your clubs, and keep them interested, have a look at what Runnymede runs in their borough.

www.doyouthwork.com: a new online information portal from Surrey CYVS, providing the ins and outs about youth work, including advice on getting start in youth work, information on training, qualifications and funding, and adverts of the latest youth work volunteering and paid opportunities within Surrey.

If you have any regional news that you would like to share with our readers, please email details before the end of January 2008.

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The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS) in conjunction with National Council for Voluntary Child Care Organisations (NCVCCO) has launched a free guide outlining sources of funding to support the development of the voluntary and community sector children and young people's workforce. Download a free copy from their website by clicking the link above, or by e-mailing nichola@ncvys.org.uk.

SkillsActive Funding Newsletter: latest edition with details of all the funding opportunities available at the moment.

Playful Ideas:  This programme is so far under-subscribed, which is a great reason to get a bid in before the deadline of 31 December!  Open to voluntary and community groups, as well as social enterprise, town and parish councils, for projects that focus on innovation in providing children's play.

Improving Reach: this new programme will fund activities that build the capacity of sector support organisations and is now open for applications, deadline 28th January 2008.

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Re:Play Update:  Re:Play, the play association for the south east, is delighted to announce the appointment of Wendy Usher, working in partnership with Milton Keynes Play Association, who will be carrying out a contract of work over the next 6 months.

PEC (CPC) AGM: Pam Perry of the Re:Play Steering Group attended this event, where it was agreed to rename CPC the Play England Council (PEC) - read her report here.

Seen and Heard: Reclaiming the public realm with children and young people: is a new report from the Play England Council (previously CPC), which draws on six case studies to explore the everyday experiences of children in public.  With a range of recommendations designed to empower frontline professionals and young people, this pamphlet offers practical steps to create communities that are welcoming for all.

Play England SE - an update from the region's Play England team, including news of their next regional event in January.

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School Business Managers: Extended services are set for a boost with the introduction of two types of school business managers in primary schools.  The National College for School Leadership (NCSL) has announced plans to develop the role of business managers from a non-teaching background who could save head teachers' time.

Playwork in Extended Schools: a SkillsActive guide for local authorities and advisors.

Best Practice: The TDA and DfES are compiling examples of best practice in extended schools in a range of areas.

Policy into Practice: Download 4Children's briefing sheet supporting childcare providers to get involved and develop their services as part of the extended school programme.

Four Nations:  A summary of Extended Schools services across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

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