06Annual Review

03 Chief Executive’s Report 04 Chairperson’s Report

05 Treasurer’s Report 06 Positive PlayGrounds 07 Out of School Hours Learning08 School Age Childcare Team08 Pathways to Excellence08 Finance Team09 Training Department09 Skills Active10 Fit for Play10 PlayQuest11 Reclaiming Playspace

12 Playday14 Who talked to us14 Extended Schools Team16 Staff List, Contacts, Sponsors & Funders

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It gives me great pleasure to report on thework of PlayBoard over the past year.Once again we have had an extremely busyand highly satisfying year. Finally, after manyyears of pioneering work to establish theimportance of play and play work, 2005brought the exciting news that theGovernment were committed to thedevelopment of a Play Policy for NorthernIreland. We were thrilled to be invited by theOffice of the First Minister and Deputy FirstMinister to work on this exciting initiative inpartnership with NIPPA, the Early YearsAgency. The process of policy developmentoverseen by the Office of the Children’sCommissioner (NICCY) and the IDG has been

highly informative and enjoyable, andundoubtedly enhanced by the range ofpartners involved. We eagerly awaitthe imminent launch of Northern

Ireland’s inaugural Play Policy.

Notwithstanding the significantwork associated with thedevelopment of the play policy,the Agency continued to lobby

and advocate for the play sectorand play professionals. We are

therefore very excited to be ableto expand our work through

investment by the Sports Council for NI in ‘Fitfor Play’. Additionally the Big Lottery AwardPartner Scheme, announced in June, enablesus to advance children’s participation throughplay. The programme titled the ‘Big Deal’ wasofficially launched in September. Working inpartnership with YouthNet, the Education andLibrary boards and the Northern Ireland YouthForum, PlayBoard will deliver ‘Play Quest’, the0-10 strategic programme.

In March, the Secretary of State, Peter Hain’sannouncement of a priority funding packagefor Children and Young People was welcome.It was opportune given the disappointingoutcome of the PEACE II Extension forchildren’s services, especially the PlayCareInitiative.

We also welcomed the recently announced 10year strategy for children and young people –“Our Pledge”. It establishes a favourableoutcome focus and policy context for positivechange to children’s lives.

All associated with the children’s sector havewitnessed considerable change anddevelopment over the past year. We were allextremely saddened to learn of the untimelydeath of Nigel Williams, the NI Commissioner

for children and young people. On a morepositive note, a number of significantadvances have been made in terms of thereview of public administration, the policyshift from Health to Education, and a numberof strategy and policy announcements e.g. FitFutures, Shared Future. We seek to workclosely with all stakeholders to advanceoutcomes for children, families andcommunities.

This is a brief synopsis of the agency’sachievements. I would encourage you toexplore fully the scope of the agency’s workin this report.

In conclusion, my role at the helm of thisdynamic agency over the past year has beenextremely rewarding, challenging and, at alltimes, exciting. I have been inspired andhumbled by the intrinsic commitment andoptimistic culture of both PlayBoard’s staffteam and Board of Directors. I look forwardwith optimism to another play-full year with all.

Jacqueline O’LoughlinChief Executive

Play is central to children’s lives and an essential ingredient of a happy childhood. Play is children’s culture.

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Welcome to our Annual Review, I hope you enjoylooking through it and learning more about whatPlayBoard has been up to in the past year.Working for the child’s right to play is PlayBoard’s‘goal’ and, while this right is enshrined in Article31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rightsof the Child, the need for children’s play to bepromoted, and indeed defended, at a local andnational level is becoming increasingly important.

Our front cover shows how play has beensqueezed out of children’s lives and how theyhave less space to play in traditional waysoutdoors. Obesity in children is on the increase,recently there has been concern about increasedreports of depression in younger children andmore and more young people are finding itdifficult to cope with the pressure of school workand daily life. For many of these children theopportunity to play could provide a simplesolution. Play helps children’s fitness and providesa release from pressure and a way of working outthe issues they may face.

We have been pleased this year to be involved ina number of new projects and initiatives that helpus in our goal and this has meant new staff andnew challenges. The one thing that quickly bindsthe team of people in PlayBoard together is theirrealisation of the importance of play.

PlayBoard works to promote play at all levels ofsociety and in the past year has developed andbuilt on a number of key partnerships.

We have been able to promote play from theGovernment/strategic level by developing a PlayPolicy for Northern Ireland in partnership withNICCY and NIPPA; we have entered intopartnerships at school level with the ‘PositivePlaygrounds’ project; and at community level withour ‘Reclaiming Play Space project’.

We have also supported Playworkers inencouraging children’s health and well beingthrough the ‘Fit for Play’ Award and many clubshave achieved our ‘Pathways to Playcare’ QualityAssurance mark. Our new ‘Big Deal’ initiative inpartnership with Youthnet and the Youth Forumwill allow us to work more closely in partnershipwith those that matter, the children themselves.

Harmon Killebrew (a U.S. baseball player) tells thisstory of how his father used to play with him andhis brother in their backyard. His mother wouldcome out and tell them off for tearing up thegrass, but his father would always reply, 'We’renot raising grass, we're raising boys.’

There are many games we have won but thetrophy won’t be ours until the children’s voices arelistened to and their need for play to be takenseriously.

Barbara McIlwrathChairperson

Every child has the rightto rest and leisure, to

engage in play andrecreational activities

appropriate to the ageof the child and to

participate freely incultural life and the arts.

That membergovernments shall

respect and promotethe right of the child to

participate fully incultural and artistic life

and shall encourage theprovision of appropriateand equal opportunities

for cultural, artistic,recreational

and leisure activity.

Article 31 of theUN Convention

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PlayBoard have had a very successful year in 2006. We have attractedmajor funding from a variety of sources and for a wide range ofexciting play projects – some old, some new. Major new projects in2006 have been funded by Big Lottery, Department of Health andSocial Services, Esmée Fairbairn and Sports Council for NorthernIreland.

Attracting such funding is a testament to PlayBoard’s expertise, whichis clearly evident in the dedication and enthusiasm of the PlayBoardstaff team. I would like to thank each individual who makesPlayBoard the success that is it.

Whilst we have been successful in attracting funding for a varietyof projects, the Board of Directors seeks to move the Agency to amore secure core funded position. It is a time of great changein Northern Ireland. Like all voluntary agencies, we follow withinterest the developments of the Review of PublicAdministration and local assembly. We will continue to workwith our partners and government to ensure that supportand funding is made available for play in Northern Ireland.

Given the significant role of play for the 0 – 10 age rangewithin the youth sector, we are confident that PlayBoardwill continue to play a major role in the Youth Strategy forNorthern Ireland. We are optimistic that the current reviewwill bode well for the agency.

I would also like to thank Grant Thornton, our auditors, fortheir hard work and support for the organisation, in particular

David Hall, Andrew Ervine and Trevor Blayney.

I would also like to say a big thank you to our funders, sponsorsand partners. PlayBoard is indebted to you all.

David RaymondTreasurer

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Over the past year schools across theprovince have been bracing themselves forthe delivery of Positive PlayGrounds. InJanuary this year the project, which isfunded by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation,was launched. The first ten schools toparticipate in this pilot are now engagingin the exciting programme which aims toimprove the play opportunities for childrenwithin the school playground.

Research this year has indicated thatopportunities for playing outside are nowlimited to around the home for manychildren. School playgrounds therefore areincreasingly the only spaces where childrenhave the opportunity to make friends,

develop physically and have a good oldrun-about!

The interest and demand for PositivePlayGrounds has been fantastic andPlayBoard are exploring partnerships withother agencies in delivering further trainingfor the school playground environment.

This year pilot training was facilitated infour schools on behalf of the EasternPhysical Activity Co-ordination Group.This training highlighted the importanceof positive physical activity in the schoolplayground and was very successful.It gave the schools involved ‘food forthought’ and provided remedies forimproving their outdoor environment.

Positive PlayGrounds

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Out of School HoursLearning InitiativeThe Out of School HoursLearning (OOSHL) initiative hascome to a close after 3 verysuccessful years.

The initiative was funded by theNew Opportunities Fund throughthe Big Lottery. This fundingenabled 7 school age childcareprojects and their associatedprimary schools from acrossNorthern Ireland the opportunityto participate in activities whichencouraged learning throughexperiential play. Over 2500children aged 4 – 11 yearsbenefited from being involved inthe initiative.

Feedback from participants hasbeen very positive. Childrenengaged in a range of fun

activities such as drama, guitarlessons, computer clubs, cookerylessons, art clubs, and sportingactivities. Feedback identified anumber of benefits for thechildren including increased selfconfidence and self esteem, agreater awareness of inclusion,and a more positive attitude tolearning. High levels ofattendance demonstrated thechildren’s enjoyment of theprogramme.

A detailed evaluation of theOOSHL initiative has beencompleted and includes a visualDVD which highlights the workundertaken during the last threeyears. This is available tointerested parties upon request.

£££

Following an extensive lobbyingcampaign for sustainability funding,PlayBoard were delighted when theSecretary of State, Sir Peter Hain,announced a priority funding packagefor children and young people.PlayBoard, on behalf of DHSS&PS FamilyPolicy Unit, are distributing andmanaging this funding through itsSchool Age Childcare Team.

The newly established School AgeChildcare Team has a number of keyfunctions in supporting the sector,including:

➺ Acting as an IFB on behalf of DHSS&PS➺ Carrying out Financial and Monitoring

checks

➺ Supporting the 58 projects receivingfunding to achieve conditions andtargets through the coordination anddelivery of a range of activities andtraining, including Quality AssuranceAward

➺ Providing a support service to fundedprojects

➺ Establishing a Working Group which willexplore the long term future of thesector

➺ Fostering relationships with theExtended Schools Initiative

The team looks forward to working inpartnership with stakeholders over thenext two years.

School Age Childcare Team

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Pathways to ExcellencePlayBoard are delighted with the progress of ‘Pathways to Excellence’,PlayBoards Quality Assurance Scheme, over the last year. The scheme,which illustrates a commitment to quality within the school age childcareand play sector, can be used as a self assessment quality tool within anyplay focused setting and two levels of quality can be achieved. Mentoringand ongoing support is available to all those who participate in thescheme.

Following a rigorous assessment process, 43 completed portfolios werepresented to an external panel in September of this year. All 43 projectswere endorsed as Quality Assured and now have their quality kitemark.This brings the number of Quality Assured Projects to a total of 55.Congratulations to all involved.

We would like to thank the four childcare partnerships for providingbursaries for projects to avail of the Quality Assurance scheme.

Board Area No Projects

Eastern 24Northern 4Western 11Southern 4

Finance TeamIntegral to PlayBoard’s operations and service delivery, the FinanceTeam continue to play a crucial role in supporting internal andexternal workings for the agency.

This year, Arlene McGeown was appointed Finance & Corporate ServicesManager and she was very pleased to welcome Mairead McLaughlin tothe team as Finance Assistant in May.

The new Finance team have been working tirelessly on implementingnew financial systems and procedures which they hope, in turn, willimprove financial functions and information provided to the ChiefExecutive, Board of Directors, Project Managers and indeed, to ourmembers.

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Over the last year PlayBoard has been busy developing and delivering training across the province.Training delivered has included:➺ Summer Scheme Planning ➺ Play Development Training➺ Street Games➺ Addressing Disability➺ Games Not Names➺ Child Protection➺ Financial Monitoring And Management

We are currently developing new resources, some ofwhich will be delivered in the autumn. These include:➺ Fit for play renewal training (out 2 play II)➺ Just Play – play training for management

committees & parents➺ Positive Playgrounds➺ Reclaiming Play Space➺ Promoting Positive Behaviour➺ Child Protection - bullying

Training Department

PlayBoard and

PlayBoard is delighted to have been working this yearwith SkillsActive, the sector skills council for active leisureand learning. SkillsActive works with employers across theSport and Recreation, Health and Fitness, Playwork,Outdoors and Caravan Industries, to develop the standardsthat vocational qualifications are based on.

In June this year, (and led by SkillsActive) the first UKStrategy for Playwork Education and Training was launchedat the All Party Parliamentary Group on Children’s

Play in the House of Commons. ‘Quality Training, QualityPlay’ is a ten year vision with a five year strategy for thedevelopment of playwork education, training and skillsacross the four Nations.

Founded on the child’s right to play, the Strategy aims toimprove the quality and range of play experiences andopportunities for children and young people. This will beachieved through the support and development ofeducation, training and qualifications.

Over the last two years, there has been extensiveconsultation in Northern Ireland on the development ofthe UK strategy. PlayBoard, SkillsActive’s main partner forplay and playwork in Northern Ireland, are now taskedwith taking the strategy forward in the form of Northern

Ireland’s Implementation Plan which will be used toensure that the playwork sector is a highly skilledworkforce with increased opportunities to participate inappropriate education and training.

The key aims of the strategy are to:

➺ Address the increasing demand for quality playwork➺ Professionalise and up-skill the workforce➺ Gain recognition of the value of playworkers in the

children’s workforce➺ Increase the supply of skilled playworkers➺ Support the development of playwork➺ Promote collaboration across agencies and

allied sectors➺ Attract resources to provide long term support

The strategy has five broad objectives with key priorities:

1. Professional Status2. Education, Training and Qualifications3. Support for the Sector4. Cross Sector Working5. UK Approach

PlayQuestWe were delighted earlier this year when

the Big Lottery announced theoutcome of their search for an

award partner to coordinate andadminister their newest fund forchildren and young people.

Youthnet were successful insecuring award partner status andwill be the Lead partner for the‘Big Deal’. The ‘Big Deal’ is a new

£4 million programme for 0-25 yearolds funded through the Big Lottery

Fund and was launched on 6thSeptember 2006 in The Black Box, Belfast.

PlayBoard will deliver the Play Quest programme which is the 0-10 agespecific strategy of the Big Deal. The Northern Ireland Youth Forum and theEducation and Library Boards will deliver the 11-16 and 17-25 age specificstrategies. Children and young people will be fully supported and involved inthe programme’s decision-making and have a real say in how the work iscarried out.

PlayBoard have a new Play Quest Team, consisting of a project manager andfour Playrangers who took up post over the summer. The team will promoteparticipation, fun and creative play opportunities for children across theprovince.

The Big Deal will also run a complementary £1 million small grantsprogramme. The aim is to increase the participation of children and youngpeople and improve their health and well being, increase the achievementand learning, and where possible enhance the wider family and communitysupport for them. Individuals or informal groups of children and youngpeople aged 0 – 25 years can apply for a grant between £500 and £2,500 tosupport their interests or projects.

If you would be interested in taking part in the Play Quest Programme orwould like to find out further information about the small grants pleasecontact the Play Quest Team on 028(90)803380 or visit the websitewww.thebigdealni.com

Fit for PlayQuality Award2006

The Fit for Play Quality Award is stillgoing strong and is set to continuethanks to a substantial offer of funding

from the SportsCouncil NI.

Consistent with the Investing for HealthStrategy and Fit Futures Policy, PlayBoardbelieves that by giving children opportunities toenjoy physical and outdoor play, we aresupporting the development of children’sphysical literacy and are therefore helpingprevent rising levels of obesity and healthrelated problems in later life. Fit for Playintegrates physical activity and nutrition withthe aim of supporting and promoting thedevelopment of healthy lifestyles amongstour children.

To achieve an award, play projects mustcomplete three training modules – Out 2Play, Skills4Sport/Top Outdoors and Food 4Play and provide evidence that they meet aminimum criteria to be deemed Fit for Play.

Fit for Play Training and DevelopmentOfficers continue to be available to assistgroups who wish to obtain this award.

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Reclaiming Playspace‘Reclaiming Playspace’ was launched in July 05 with the appointment of Louise TohillReclaiming Playspace Co-ordinator.

The aim of the ‘Reclaiming Playspace’ project is to bring play back to thecommunity and to empower children and young people and the widercommunity to ‘reclaim’ community spaces for play.

The project is based on the concept of mobile play, using a van,staffed by experienced Play Workers. The past year hasbeen an exciting period for the project. We have beenworking closely with voluntary and community groups toraise awareness of the need for greater play opportunitiesin local settings. The success of the recent summer projecthighlighted the need for greater outdoor play.

Over the summer, a seven week summer pilot project wasrun; funded through the Eastern Health and Social ServicesPhysical Activity Coordination group. The project engagedover 200 children and young people, targeting eight differentcommunities. Using a fun Back Pack filled with a host ofinexpensive play equipment; traditional street games and fungroup activities were used to provide children and young peoplewith quality outdoor play experiences in their own communitysettings. The summer project was hailed as a huge success.

We were delighted recently when funding was secured through theBig Lottery-Active Lifestyle program to ensure continued delivery ofthe scheme over the next year. Likewise, a vehicle has beendonated to the project, which will enable us to be fully mobile totravel throughout the different areas. This donation, from Rent-A-Merc, is gratefully received and will mean so much to thedevelopment of the initiative.

Through this project it is hoped that children’s outdoor play experiences will be significantly enhanced.

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The first Wednesday every August is designatedas National Playday and Oxford Island inCraigavon was once again the location for this year’s PlayBoard PlayDay celebrations.

Due to the nature of the activities on offer this year, theevent was much more participative, enabling the childrenand young people present to take part in a range ofevents from face painting, den building and wind sockmaking through to inclusive games, puppet shows andsoccer skills.

Although PlayDay is primarily about providing children and young people with a fun filled day, italso serves to highlight the various issues in children and young people’s play. This year’s theme,

‘Play Naturally’, stressed the importance of outdoor play and how playopportunities are essential for children’s health and well-being, including their

physical fitness.

PlayBoard advocates the benefits of play, highlighting the importance andimpact of free time activities. The Agency strives to improve the qualityof, and promote the benefits of, play experiences as well ashighlighting the consequences of play deprivation in localcommunities.

There are now serious concerns about children’s health and fitnessand increasing levels of childhood obesity. We know that one ofthe most effective, and the most natural form, of exercise forchildren is active play.

We were delighted and grateful to have organised this year’s eventwith the assistance of a number of sponsors including PHAB InclusionMatters, firmus energy, Vi-Sport and also volunteers/displays fromDisability Action, World Wildlife Federation, Kevin McVeigh, The BrownlowSports Trust, The Millennium Centre, Action Cancer and the Fire Service.

The combined effort of all of these brilliant organisations made PlayDay ‘06 a very special day where children, young people and adults joined incelebrating the child’s right to play.

The event was thebiggest and mostsuccessful to datewith approximately1000 children and

young people fromacross Northern

Ireland taking part.

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Extended Schools TeamOver the past 20 years, PlayBoard as a regional

voluntary agency, has developed age specificskills, knowledge and expertise in addressing

the play and childcare needs of primary schoolaged children.

We have helped schools open up services for the communitythrough our PlayCare Initiative. We were delighted in March of

this year to hear the Secretary of State announce a £61millionChildren and Young People’s Package, of which a substantialamount would go towards Extended Schools, shaping a new erafor schools in Northern Ireland.

To assist with the volume of calls and information requests thatPlayBoard were receiving from schools and providers on thenew Extended Schools Initiative, PlayBoard’s Extended SchoolsTeam was formed earlier this year.

The team can help by providing a ‘one-stop shop’offering assistance with:

Training - Workforce Development, Quality Assurance,Sustainability Planning, Feasibility & Business Plans, FundingAdvice and Community Audits.

Development - Link to existing infrastructure of OutSchool Projects, Community Consultation, Children’sConsultations

Specific Play Programmes - Positive PlayGrounds, Fit forPlay, OOSHL Programme, Developing & Establishing newprovision, PlayCare and Information & Library Services

Consultancy Services - Play Policy, NetworkingOpportunities, Recruitment & Training, Strategic Planningand Individual Training Packages

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Play For All

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PlayBoard Staff - September 2006Jacqueline O’Loughlin – Chief Executive

Ciara Murray – PA to Chief Executive/PersonnelLisa O’Connor – Administrator

Claire Simpson – ReceptionistArlene McGeown – Finance & Corporate Services Manager

Mairead McLaughlin – Finance AssistantAngela Stallard – Positive PlayGrounds Project ManagerShauneen McCusker – Play Development Officer, Positive PlayGroundsEva Kane – Fit for Play Regional ManagerLorraine Murphy – Training & Development Officer, Fit for Play (Eastern)Caroline Kerr – Training & Development Officer, Fit for Play (Northern)Sharon Donnelly – Training & Development Officer, Fit for Play (Southern)Patricia Conway – Training & Development Officer, Fit for Play (Western)Maura Moore – School Age Childcare Project Manager (SAC)Kyra Pauley – Training & Development Officer, School Age ChildcareFrances Walsh – Training & Development Officer, School Age ChildcareMargaret Deevy – Training & Development Officer, School Age ChildcareA.Vacancy – Training & Development Officer, School Age ChildcareA.Vacancy – Administrator, School Age ChildcareRoisin McCooey – Play Quest Project ManagerFiona Nelson – Play Ranger, PlayQuestJeanette Keenan – Play Ranger, PlayQuestJulie Holmes – Play Ranger, PlayQuestA.Vacancy – Play Ranger, PlayQuestLouise Tohill – Reclaiming PlaySpace Project ManagerA.Vacancy – Play Ranger, Reclaiming PlaySpaceA.Vacancy – Play Ranger, Reclaiming PlaySpace

SponsorsVi-Sport, Skills Active, City and Guilds,

Playdale, Rent-A-Merc, Firmus energy,Department for Employment and Learning

FundersYouth Council for Northern Ireland, Big Lottery,

Sports Council NI, Department for Employment and Learning,Eastern Childcare Partnership, Western Area Childcare Partnership,

Southern Childcare Partnership, Northern Childcare Partnership,Special European Union Programme for Peace & Reconciliation,

Esmée Fairbairn, Eastern Physical Activity Group, Northern Health & Social Services Board, Southern Health & Social Services Board,

Eastern Health & Social Services Board, Western Health & SocialServices Board, Community Relations Youth Service Scheme

(CRYSS), Department of Health and Social Services and Public Safety, Office of the First Minister and Deputy First

Minister (OFMDFM)

PlayBoard (Head Office)59-65 York StreetBelfast BT15 1AATel: 028 9080 3380Fax: 028 9080 3381

PlayBoard (Armagh Office)1 College StreetArmagh BT61 9BTTel: 028 3752 2330

PlayBoard (Rural Office)Glenelly House11 Main StreetPlumbridgeOmagh BT90 8AATel: 028 8164 8000

PlayBoard Website: www.playboard.org© PlayBoard. All rights reserved. No parts of these publications may becopied or used without the expresspermission of PlayBoard.Exception is made, for authorisedpersons only. Further information onthis subject may be obtained fromPlayBoard.

Published by PlayBoard,59-65 York Street,Belfast BT15 1AATel: 028 9080 3380Fax: 028 9080 3381Email: info@playboard.co.ukWebsite: www.playboard.orgPlayBoard is a Registered CharityX0139/90PlayBoard is a Limited Company byGuarantee No. 30225

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