1 | P a g e

Children, Young People and Schools Scrutiny Commission

Adventure Playgrounds

Scrutiny Review

27th February 2014

“Every child has the right to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities, appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts”.1 Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

1 Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

2 | P a g e

Comments about the Adventure Playgrounds

“If it wasn’t for the playhouse I’d be dead, seriously I

would”

“I often visit the Playground to work with the children and educate them about the consequences of crime and anti-social behaviour and how this affects others.” PC Andy Goadby Hinckley Rd, Police Station

“It would be a great loss to me and William, who has severe autism, if the playground were to close , because I do not get an respite care for him and I am his sole carer.” Parent

“The Playgrounds work with some of the City’s most disadvantaged children and young people, many of whom don’t thrive in other areas of activity. “ Leicester Playfair

3 | P a g e

1. Introduction Play is a human right for all children. It is “fundamental to their happiness and well-being and is also influential in their health and future life chances. If children’s opportunities for play are restricted, there are likely to be profound effects on their life experience, in general, and more specifically on their physical and mental health.”2 “If children’s health and well-being is to be safeguarded through the provision of high quality spaces and facilities for play, local authorities, voluntary organisations and their partners must be careful not to lose or dispose of local outdoor facilities.”3 One of the most positive impacts of play projects is that they provide safe, dedicated and interrupted free play space for children. For many children, they offer more play opportunities than at home or school due to busy family lifestyles, lack of resources at home and fears over safety in public spaces.4 The City’s adventure playgrounds are the largest English play provider, outside of London, and were referred to as a “hidden gem” by Play England. During 2012 /13, they collectively held 2,160 sessions of supervised play, with approximately 10,800 registered users and secured almost £1.1m, in additional funding, from external bodies. As a consequence they are a significant contributor to the well-being of children and their families. The City Mayor recognised the strategic importance of the adventure playgrounds by including them in his 100 Day Programme, in 2011. Pledge 33 promised a programme of capital investment to support and improve Leicester’s adventure playgrounds. 5 2. Background The Children, Young People and Schools Scrutiny Commission considered an Executive Report, in November 2013, which proposed a new model of delivery for adventure playgrounds. Members of the Commission expressed concern about the proposed reduction in funding and the move to a competitive procurement process. This review was undertaken in response to member and public interest in these proposals. 3. Recommendations We request the Executive to:- 3.1 acknowledge that the adventure playgrounds, not only provide excellent play

opportunities for children, but that they also contribute to important social, behavioral and learning outcomes for children and families and promote community cohesion.

3.2 acknowledge that they provide a vast amount of added value through volunteer time and development, as well as generating income from grant making bodies

2A world without play : A literature review - Josie Gleave / Issy Cole-Hamilton (Play England) 2012 p.3

3A world without play : A literature review - Josie Gleave / Issy Cole-Hamilton (Play England) 2012 p.21

4 The impact of out of school care – Out of school care research unit and the Child-Focussed Research Centre – May 2003

5 City Mayor’s 100 Day Programme 2011

4 | P a g e

3.3 agree that the “Funding Model” should be used in relation to the Playgrounds and that any reductions and new requirements be specified through negotiation

3.4 agree that the Playgrounds should continue to operate throughout the whole year (12 months) and with some full time staff

3.5 agree that if savings are required from the Adventure Playground, that these be limited to no more than 10% of Council funding and to be phased over two years.

3.6 consider finding the required savings, or any shortfall from other areas of the CYPS and council budget

3.7 agree that the proposal to undertake outreach work, to extend the coverage of the adventure playgrounds, be further developed to see how it would work in practice.

3.8 encourage and support adventure playgrounds to work more closely together, especially to access external funding opportunities, either individually or collectively

3.9 encourage schools to make a financial contribution for the use of the playgrounds where this is the case

3.10 explore collective savings as detailed in 6.12 as we believe there is scope to save in the circa of £10,000 to £30,000 and this should be explored in more detail

3.11 consideration be given as to whether savings could be made through removing the requirement for repeat Disclosing and Barring Service checks, which would realise a saving to the playgrounds

3.12 We welcome City Mayor’s 100 Day Programme Pledge 33 for investment in the Playgrounds and request that this should be continued with £10,000 capital provided from the Capital Programme, for each of the next 3 years, to support investment in maintenance and one off costs.

The Children, Young People and Schools Scrutiny Commission will monitor the outcomes from the above recommendations, on an on-going basis.

4. Adventure Playgrounds 4.1 Current position Adventure playgrounds have delivered supervised play, at 10 locations across the city6, for 30 to 40 years, providing a valuable and unique service to children and young people. They were established in areas of need, in built up areas, where there were few safe places for children to play. Many of the playgrounds are accessible to children and young people aged between 5 – 16 years and there are few other facilities, across the city, which provide services to this age range or offer such a wide variety of activities. These include enabling

6 Appendix 11.1 – Adventure Playgrounds

5 | P a g e

children and young people, with disabilities, and those that are excluded from school to access supervised play opportunities that are not available elsewhere. During term time, there are usually 3 hours of after school supervised play each day and additional funding of £180,000 is provided to fund summer holiday Playschemes which operate for 4 hours per day. Both provide access to a range of internal and external play facilities. Access to most of these sites is not usually available at weekends, or during other school holidays, and there is currently no outreach provision. All sites, with the exception of the Belgrave Playhouse, are owned by Leicester City Council. Leicester City Council provides annual grant funding of £910,000 for supervised play and a further £180,000 for additional places, during the summer holiday. Between 2008 and 2011, there was investment to develop and refurbish the sites, as a result of the Play-builder grant however, due to the removal of the play-ranger service; there are now few opportunities for supervised play, other than through the 10 adventure playgrounds. The playgrounds have received combined capital works funding from the Council to the value of £50,000 and £15,500 for outstanding health and safety issues, in recent years. During 2013 – 2013 the adventure playgrounds received total funding of £1.58m from a range of sources, including approximately £366,000 (23%) levered in through external funding. The figures relating to this external funding were supplied for a three year period and we have averaged these to a yearly figure, to provide a comparison.

7 1. Holiday Activities 2. NEG 3. Disabled Children’s Service 4. Youth Work 5. Virtual School Team

6. Ward Community Fund

Organisation 2012 - 2103

Core LCC

Funding £000’s

LCC Playscheme

Funding £000’s

Additional LCC Funding

External Funding Received

Total Funding

£000’s Source7

Braunstone Adventure Playground

99

19

1.1

3,6

119,100

Goldhill Play Association 95 24 17.6 3, 5, 6 150,279 286,879 Highfields Adventure Playground

95 20 1 3 38,213 154,213

Mowmacre Young People's Play and Development Association

70

17 1 1 17,333 105,333

New Parks Play Association 112 5.5 6 6 11,136 134,636 Northfields and District Play Association

124 21 18.3 1,2,3,4 163,300

St Andrew's Play Association 83 9 0 4,320 96,320 Woodgate Adventure Playground

105 19 31.5 2,3,6 89,077 244,577

St Matthew's Children's Action Group (The What Cabin)

80 0.7 0.4 6 8,588 89,688

Belgrave Playhouse 47 2.5 90.5 3,4 47,000 187,000 Total

910

137.7

167.4

365,946

1,581,046

6 | P a g e

Adventure Playgrounds are monitored quarterly in line with the specifications of their contracts. Ofsted inspections and Council monitoring of the playgrounds has generally found the service to be of a good standard. The Ofsted inspection website shows that there are still 67 adventure play grounds across the country offering early years places despite many closures in recent years. http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/search/apachesolr_search/adventure?solrsort=sort_title%20asc Wolverhampton City Council undertook a review of their play service in 2011. Results of the consultation showed that the “the adventure playgrounds were valued by the communities.”8 3 closures were agreed based on changing patterns of use and communities moving away from the locations. Those that maintained high levels of use were reinvested in. 4.2 Evidence submitted to the Scrutiny Task Group

Representatives of the adventure playgrounds submitted evidence9 to the CYPS Scrutiny Commission in January 2014. They also attended a Task Group meeting and responded to requests for additional information. This has enabled members to gain a wider understanding of adventure playgrounds, not only in relation to children and young people but also in relation to the wider community. There is a combined total of 315 years of play experience amongst the adventure playgrounds, the success of which is built on the dedication of the staff and volunteers who build enduring relationships with individual children, parents and the wider community. These relationships often continue long after the children no longer use the playgrounds, with many returning as volunteers and through college and work placements. Each location is unique and works with a range of children and young people including those with additional needs, who are either in crisis or need, have behavioural or emotional problems, and are underachieving at school or those with a disability. However, not all children, accessing the playgrounds, have high family, health or social needs. Providers highlighted to the Commission that during 2012 /13, they collectively held 2,160 sessions of supervised play, with approximately 10,800 registered users. The table below shows the level of attendance at each of the adventure playgrounds throughout the year and also at the Summer Playscheme sessions. These numbers reflect the number of visits to the adventure playgrounds and not to the number of individual children registered. During 2012 – 2013, there were 144,242 visits across the adventure playgrounds and 33,886 visits to the Summer Playscheme sessions. Demand is currently higher than available spaces.

8 Modernisation of the Play Service Report – Wolverhampton City Council – December 20111

9 Appendix 11.2 Adventure Playground Providers’ Evidence to the Task Group

7 | P a g e

4.3 The changing role of adventure playground staff and volunteers The role of staff and volunteers has evolved over the years, extending far beyond the provision of supervised play. As they have front-line contact with many children, young people and families, they are able to liaise with social services and other agencies, particularly when there are issues of concern. They are regularly involved in a variety of case conferences and other meetings and as they are trusted by the families, often host these meetings at the adventure playground facility. They also provide guidance, support and, in some circumstances, training to parents, to enable them to improve their parenting techniques and also provide advice, guidance and support to young people who often return for help with tasks such as completing forms. Staff and volunteers also undertake various ‘back office’ tasks before and after supervised play sessions, including all forms of administration and record keeping and also identify external funding opportunities and submit applications to these bodies. Staff and volunteers, on some sites, are now undertaking physical duties such as cleaning and grounds maintenance, in a bid to minimise expenditure. 4.4 Activities available at the adventure playgrounds A wide range of quality indoor and outdoor activities are provided throughout the year which are planned and developed in partnership with the children and young people. They are able to participate in any activity for as long as they want to, which is of particular benefit to children with attention deficit disorders. These activities include arts, crafts, indoor and outdoor games and sport, dance and performance, cycling, outdoor pursuits such

Organisation General Summer Playscheme

2012 / 2013 Total no of children Total no of children

Mowmacre Young Peoples Play & Dev Association

19,513 2,217

Northfields Play Association & under 5's 13,936 3,512

Goldhill Adventure Playground 13,010 *7,500

Highfields Adventure Playground 6,595 *4,050

Braunstone Adventure Playground 15,377 5,400

St Andrews Play Association 9,312

1,790

Woodgate Adventure Playground 15,480 4,320

New Parks Adventure Playground 33,130 2,822

What Cabin 2,000 975

Belgrave Playhouse - Club *15,889 *300

Total *Exact figures not available

144,242

32,886

8 | P a g e

as abseiling, trips to various amenities and locations and annual camps. Staff members also spend time talking to the children and young people about their feelings and any problems or issues they may have, as well as liaising and supporting parents.

4.5 Outcomes for children, young people and families Children and young people from a range of social and cultural backgrounds attend the adventure playgrounds and have access to activities that would normally be unavailable to them. This improves their confidence and skills and they learn, through play, how to integrate socially, by co-operating and respecting other people’s feelings and differences. They are encouraged and praised for adopting acceptable types of behaviour and learn to adhere to rules, including sharing, taking turns and respecting their environment. They also learn there are consequences if they break the rules or behave badly. These activities make a positive contribution to reducing anti-social behaviour and crime in the local area. A range of support and training is provided to volunteers, including health and safety, risk assessments, first aid, food and hygiene, child protection, safeguarding, sexualised behaviour, child and adult mental health and building responsibilities. Playgrounds have very small or no budgets for training and instead seek out courses which are free of charge. This training provides volunteers with a range of skills and experience which they can also use to help access greater employment and educational opportunities. Many young people and parents have since obtained paid employment, as a result of volunteering at the playgrounds, thereby improving their quality of life. Each of the adventure playgrounds provided examples10 of positive outcomes which clearly demonstrated that their activities extend beyond supervised play:-

identified neglect

uncovered disclosures of sexual abuse

worked with children / families on the ‘at risk register’

improved educational results through homework clubs

worked with families from other countries and helped them to integrate

worked with travelling families

breaking down barriers and stereotypes in relation to culture and disabilities

children supported to overcome fear of bullying

reduced the need for social services and other interventions

provides volunteering opportunities and associated training and support

Case Study A

“A young boy came to our attention, always seemed hungry and had poor personal hygiene. He did not appear to go home after the session finished. By contacting Social Services, we found he had poor conditions at home, had little food available and was subject to Family Support. We attended Family Support meetings and liaised with the social worker and the school nurse, who arranged for his mother to leave some money with us, so we could provide him with food. When he outgrew us, he was signposted to a youth arts group who carried on supporting him. He now works with them as a volunteer.

10

Appendix 11.2 Adventure Playgrounds – Adventure Playgrounds Provider Case Study Examples

9 | P a g e

Case Study B

“A family of four used the playground each day. Their mother suffered from mental health issues. One of the older children took on responsibility of care for his Mum and his siblings. The playground offered a safe, caring and stable environment for the children, with workers they knew and could talk to. For the older child, it gave him a break from his caring role and allowed him time to play with his friends. He later became a volunteer at the playground, gained a level 2 NVQ in Childcare and later worked at the Playschemes. When his Mum became too ill to cope, the youngest child was taken into foster care. The older brother, now an adult, with support from the playground workers he had known for many years, took on the guardianship of his younger brother, enabling him to be taken out of foster care.” Case Study C

“An 8 year old girl disclosed sexual abuse within the family. On contacting Social Services we found that this had been reported, but unsubstantiated. After receiving our notes taken from what the girl said, they contacted the family again and took the case forward.”

4.6 Feedback from members’ visits to the adventure playgrounds A number of members from the Task Panel and CYPS Scrutiny Commission recently visited the adventure playgrounds to see how they operate, to meet staff and to talk to children.11 During these visits members were impressed with the facilities, range of activities and the dedication of the staff and volunteers, who often work beyond their contracted hours. Members saw, first-hand, the number of children and young people at the playgrounds, ranging from 40 -117, despite this being the winter months. It was clear from these visits that there is an excellent rapport and relationship between the staff and children and there is an atmosphere of mutual respect. Members feel that the communities have benefited from the mentoring of their children at these playgrounds. Other findings:

students from New College arrived at lunchtime and were greeted by staff

one of the sites included a much needed nursery for the local area

range of buildings and facilities, that are well maintained by staff

special equipment for children with disabilities

wooden structures built by volunteers

staff clearly knew the children, young people and their families

the Forest School – children come for an outside learning experience

helps to integrate new migrant groups into the community

the number and range of agencies the playgrounds liaise and work with

children coming in from the County to use the facilities

the level of support from the community particularly through donations of goods

generations of families have attended the playgrounds

ex-users return as volunteers and staff

the children were polite and keen to talk about the playgrounds

delays in external funding decisions due to the uncertainty of future playground budgets

“lots of kids having fun”

11

Appendix 11.4 - Feedback from Members’ visits – January 2014

10 | P a g e

Overall, the children we spoke to understood and valued their playgrounds and knew there were no other places for them to go to. The inclusiveness and integration of children was an example of good practice. A few of their comments are captured at the front of this report. The visits confirmed that the playgrounds provide valuable outcomes for children and their families.

4.7 Value for money and added value Adventure playgrounds have been on stand-still budgets continuously for the last 9-10 years and intermittently before that. In real terms this represents a large reduction in funding, while expenditure on essentials such as heating, lighting, insurance and maintenance has increased. Providers have expressed concern that any large-scale reductions in funding could result in the closure of some of the adventure playgrounds as they will no longer be financially sustainable. The playgrounds make a big impact on children’s lives and research has shown that for every £1 spent, a further £3 is added to a child’s projected future income. The service provides additional value to other agencies, such as the emergency services, as they do not have to respond as regularly to incidents resulting from anti-social behaviour. When the value of this is included, there is a benefit of £16, for every £1 spent.12 However, the report fails to recognise the long-term economic value of investing in children’s play. Volunteers give their time freely, which equates to thousands of hours of voluntary work across the 9 playgrounds and the Playhouse. Members of volunteer management committees also contribute many hours of work. Even at minimum wage rates, each playground achieves £000’s of added value each year.

Most playgrounds operate on less than £100,000 per annum, and so have to be creative in the way they manage this. Individual playgrounds have approached this differently.

For example, Mowmacre playground was only open 37 weeks a year, and at some playgrounds workers did things like taking the rubbish home, to avoid having to pay for refuse collection.

We do recognise that some playgrounds are more reliant on Council funding than others, who have additional sources of income. They cannot all be viewed in the same way and each needs to be considered individually because of this.

If all volunteer hours were paid at the minimum wage (£6.36) there is a total added value across the nine adventure playgrounds of £527,183 (82,890 hours) and £29,535 for the Belgrave Playhouse, equating to a total of £556,718 added value.13

Volunteers and full-time staff also lever in substantial amounts of external funding which the Council would not be able to access alone. In the last 3 years, this amounted to just over £1.1m and was secured from the Lottery, Children in Need, Ward Community Grants, Nursery Education Grants, DFE Grants, Leicestershire County Council and other Leicester City Council grants, amongst others. These various grants have enabled the adventure playgrounds to work with a wide range of children and young people, with a range of needs.

12

CYPS Scrutiny Commission Minutes - 6th

January 2014 13

CYPS Scrutiny Commission Minutes – 6th

January 2104

11 | P a g e

For many years, Council reports have stated that adventure playgrounds offered good value for money; however the latest Report to the Executive states that these historical contracts now provide poor value for money but provided no evidence to support this.

5. Proposed new model of provision 5.1 The proposals:-

The proposed new model of provision will continue to procure supervised play at the existing 10 locations however will only pay for the hours of directly supervised play, with an allowance built into the contract for non-contact hours. Staff will be employed as sessional workers and providers will be expected to have volunteer support in place.

It will focus on the needs of 8-12 year olds and will operate for 43 weeks per year, between February and November, in response to perceived lower demand during December and January.

Provision will also be extended to other areas of need, through an outreach service. The model proposes supervised play on other sites, as well as the adventure playgrounds, during the summer holiday.

There will be a minimum of 15 hours provision per week, including weekends, with flexible opening times and days determined in consultation with local children, young people and communities.

Resources saved during the closed period will be used to enhance provision at times of high demand. During school holidays, when demand is higher, the number of hours will be increased from 15 to 20 per week.

Site and grounds maintenance will be brought-in house and undertaken by Environmental Services however there is no expectation that this transfer will result in any savings or be flexible enough to deal with issues as and when they occur.

The proposal also looks at utilising the use of the adventure playground sites, through extending the opening hours for unsupervised play, highlighting this would provide greater value for money for the Council through increased use of Council assets. This will require a detailed assessment, including a full safety RoSPA safety inspection, at a cost of £5,000.

5.2 Rationale for the proposed new model of provision

The rational provided for the new model of provision appears to be based on the following

key principles:

supervised play is a non-statutory service

12 | P a g e

these historical contracts do not provide value for money

continuing with these contracts would be outside EU legislation

LCC is currently funding a model which pays full-time qualified staff , to provide 15 hours of supervised play

there is little correlation in the current contracts between the core funding and the number of children and young people accessing the playgrounds and the hours of provision

other comparator local authorities do not fund this model of play provision

Consultation was undertaken with key stakeholders, including the Council, VAL, adventure playground providers and children, young people and their families to identify their key interests. The report states that all key stakeholder interests will be satisfied by the proposed model.

6. Proposed procurement and savings – Task Panel Analysis

6.1 The current contracts with the adventure playgrounds were due to expire on 31st December 2013 but have been extended to 30th June 2104 to allow time to undertake a competitive procurement exercise, in line with OJEU regulations, which the Council is legally advised to adhere to. It is proposed that new contracts will be issued to run from 1st July 2014 to 31st March 2016, with an option for the Council to extend for a further year. Procurement of adventure playground provision will take approximately 6 months, in line with OJEU requirements.

6.2 Services which fall under Part A of these rules will require full use of the procurement process, while those falling under part B allow the Council “to procure without the need to fully comply with Public Contract regulations.”14

It was agreed that by all that the adventure playgrounds fall under Part B.

6.3 Contracts for public services such as play provision are covered by Part B and do not require advertising or any form of competitive tendering to be carried out. Services are caught by the general obligations – transparency, equal treatment and non-discrimination. To comply with this requirement, members were advised that local advertising on our own procurement portal would be sufficient, along with a process that complied with guidance, including a 10 day standstill period.

6.4 “Part B services include many provided by social enterprises, charities and community-led organisations, such as educational services, health & social services, recreational, and cultural and sporting services. They can often be provided more effectively by organisations that know their communities and can deliver against local need. The same is often true of lower value contracts.

14

Place Department Projects - Essex Legal Services April 2012

13 | P a g e

Following a full EU procurement for these types of contract is unnecessary and off-putting to the inexperienced bidder. The result is that it undermines instead of encourages competition.”15

6.5 The Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 provides a mandate for contracting authorities to consider the social value they can achieve in all service procurement. It is important to understand that the rules allow, rather than disallow, working with them.16

6.6 Members believed that if the Council was not proposing any changes to the funding

arrangements with the adventure playgrounds, the existing agreements could continue, with the risk of a legal challenge being unlikely, as evidenced by the lack of any challenge in the courts over the last ten years and also due to the nature of the service provided.

6.7 The decision to procure by competitive tendering seems linked to the re-

configuration of the service, to meet the savings target. The move from a mix of full-time, part-time and volunteer staff to an operational model, based entirely on sessional staff, seems to lead to the procurement model which will drastically change the nature of the provision we currently have in place.

6.8 The Council operates two approaches when funding organisations, either through

commissioning and procurement or through funding agreements. The matrix used as guidance for determining the form of contract appears to lead to a funding model on nearly every indicator when considered in relation to the adventure playgrounds. This needs to be explored further and if the Contract Procedure Rules are a barrier, we should consider waiving them or exempting the adventure playgrounds from them, as per the guidance.

6.9 We believe the procurement route is not the only option open to the Council to

commission a changed service and to achieve budget savings. These could be achieved by the Council agreeing a % reduction to adventure playground budgets and working with them to ensure the service is maintained. This would not require a change to the contractual arrangements and this model was chosen in relation to some of the Council’s main venues in the last Council budget.

6.10 We understand that if the Council were to use the proposed procurement process,

the contract could be tendered in lots, one for each playground, recognising the distinctive differences of each one.

6.11 The proposed model could result in a situation where no bids are received. If this

occurs, an option would be for the Council to directly manage the services, in which case the provider staff will transfer to the Council, under TUPE regulations, with potential employer liabilities. If the service was taken in-house there would be redundancy costs involved in reducing the current staffing levels. Unit pay costs may also increase as a result of staff transferring to the Council.

15

Working with the Public Sector – Busting the Myths – www.socialenterprise.org.uk 16

Working with the Public Sector – Busting the Myths – www.socialenterprise.org.uk

14 | P a g e

6.12 During this review process, we looked at a number of options for making savings

through collective purchasing of services such as group insurance, auditing, safety checks on gas and electrical appliances, maintenance of alarms, health and safety inspections costs, and reducing the public and professional liability from £10 million and less frequent DBS checks.

6.13 Although we do not think these options would realise substantial savings there is

scope to save in the circa of £10,000 to £30,000 and this should be explored in more detail.

7. Funding 7.1 The Council has faced unprecedented cuts to its funding over the last 2 years, with

more yet to come. As a consequence, all Council Departments, and the organisations they fund, have faced budget reductions.

7.2 We would prefer that savings were not made through the adventure playgrounds

however if the Executive decides that this is necessary, we believe this should be no more than 10% of Council funding, spread over 2 years.

7.3 We understand that Children’s Services has to make savings and we offer the

following alternatives to cutting the adventure playgrounds’ funding:-

Alternative use of the Watershed - Building Running Costs £78,300 Operational Running Cost £98,200 Net of £50,000 Booking Income = £126,500 + whatever rent that can be generated

Move from Collegiate House Complex Collegiate House - £56,200, Lincoln Street - £42,755, The Rowans - £35,541

Educational Psychologists – there are approximately 10, all at top of scale £50,000. With on-costs of 30% this equates to around £65,000 for each one. We could look at transferring these to the DSG, which would free up discretionary funding.

We request the Executive to consider other areas of the Council budget to find this saving including use of the Planning Provision of £3m per annum.

8. Conclusions of the Adventure Playground Task Group Review 8.1 Through our examination of the proposed new arrangements, we believe that they

are unlikely to work on their own terms. 8.2 The effectiveness of the playgrounds over the last 30-40 years is a direct result of the

way they are organised and managed. This has delivered added value in the form of volunteer time and levered in additional funding from external bodies.

15 | P a g e

8.3 The activities offered at the playgrounds meet the Best Play objectives to offer

children good play opportunities.17 8.4 As independent bodies, they have been free to develop working relationships with

other agencies such as schools, social services and the police. Although there are existing working relationships with some local schools we would urge that this is further developed across the city. This would help to further identify who children who do not engage with school or have behavioural / emotional issues who may respond and accept support from the adventure playground staff and volunteers.

8.5 The Council should also encourage schools to make a financial contribution for the

use of the adventure playground facilities. 8.6 Adventure playgrounds are located in areas of deprivation across the city and we

believe they have a role in tackling child poverty and as such should form part of the Child Poverty Commission.

8.7 Through its funding of the adventure playgrounds, the Council has not only enabled

the development of an outstanding model of play, but also a group of community organisations that have real community ownership and trust, achieved over many years. We seem to have a ‘text book perfect’ example of how to:

o engage with children and young people and their families

o build voluntary organisations

o generate trust

o lever in additional funding and resources

o and sustain this over decades.

This model is what every government, both local and national, seeks to achieve. We must realise that what has taken decades to build, could easily be destroyed.

8.8 We believe the level of savings required and the proposed tendering arrangements

will prevent them from operating as effectively as they currently do. The new proposal is such a radical change that it would completely change their character and the level and quality of activities they currently undertake.

8.9 The proposal to move to sessional workers, paid hourly, will result in a different level

of commitment from staff and will lead to difficulties in recruiting, training and managing volunteers. There will be no staff capacity to apply for external funding or to work with schools and other agencies, as they currently do. There will also be little time for monitoring health and safety issues and could result in a potential loss of the added value achieved. (Currently £556,000 in the last year.)

8.10 While the proposed model will keep the playgrounds open and staff will be there

during opening hours, we are sceptical that young people will continue to attend in their current numbers or that the current quality of work could be maintained. The

17

Best Play – National Playing Fields Association – 2000 p.18

16 | P a g e

removal of the service in December and January will disrupt the continuity of the service and may deter children and young people attending as well as making staff continuity almost impossible. This will destroy one of the greatest assets of the playgrounds; i.e. long term staff.

8.11 The proposal to only work with children aged 8 to 12 years, instead of 5 to 16 years,

is clearly linked to making savings. It seems to ignore the evidence that early work with young children provides vast benefits, as does undertaking diversionary activities with teenagers. We are concerned about where these other children will go especially as other services aimed at children and young people are also facing budget cuts.

8.12 The proposal to only offer services between February and November will not meet

the required level of need as evidenced by the Member visits to the playgrounds. Members witnessed from between 30 – 100+ children and young people in attendance, during January, which under the proposal this provision would cease. Where will these children go during this time?

8.13 The proposal to extend provision through an outreach service should be explored,

however we are concerned about how this will work in practice. 8.14 Without the capacity to undertake development work, recruitment and training of

volunteers, the long-term, quality relationships between staff and young people and the goodwill that the current arrangements generate, we know the adventure playgrounds will not be the same organisations delivering the same quality outcomes for Leicester.

9. Financial, legal and other implications 9.1 Financial implications 9.1.1 The Education and Children’s Services Department has to find cost reductions of

nearly £11m from a 2013/14 budget of £59m. The re-organisation of the Children’s Centres and Family Support Services in Early Prevention is proposing a saving of £4.5m, which is 38% of the current in scope budget of £11.7m.

9.1.2 Adventure Playgrounds have a core budget of £0.91m which is not in scope of the

Children’s Centres and Family Support Services review. 9.1.3 With regards to the alternative funding proposals in para 7.3, the following is

relevant:

Expenditure on services provided by educational psychologists is not chargeable to the DSG (Schools and Early Years Finance Regulations 2012 Schedule 1 para 1).

Savings on premises costs have already been assumed following the implementation of the Gold Standard Youth Service re-organisation.

17 | P a g e

Martin Judson, Head of Children’s Finance 9.2 Legal implications 9.2.1 The CYPS Scrutiny Commission has undertaken a review of Adventure Playgrounds

and its findings and recommendations are reported within the contents of this report. Legal advice has been provided to the Council in respect of the varied options including procurement and funding arrangements for the future contracting of adventure playgrounds. This information has also been shared with the Scrutiny commission.

9.2.2 In the event that there is a change in the proposed way forward, further legal advice

should be obtained, in particular in respect of any consequential impact for staff.

Pretty Patel - Principal Lawyer (Social Care & Safeguarding) 9.3 Climate Change implications 9.3.1 There are no significant climate change implications associated with this report. 9.4 Equality Impact Assessment 9.4.1 Within the current contract for these adventure playgrounds, detailed information

on the demographic profile of children using these facilities is not kept. The only monitoring information provided is numbers attending on a quarterly basis. There is no differentiation between age groups, disabled and non-disabled children, or even periods of use making any analysis of who is using the service impossible. More detailed information is required in order to assess if any proposed changes in provision would impact on children using the service specific play needs based on their protected characteristic(s).

9.4.2 Reference is made in the report to disabled children using these playgrounds. Again

there is only anecdotal information available on their use. The Access Point on the council’s website (http://tap.leicester.gov.uk/short-breaks/) provides information on the accessibility of play provision for disabled children (search after school clubs to find out about provision for disabled children). Some of the adventure playgrounds do not make provision for disabled children, with the likely outcome being that they are unable to use that particular facility.

9.4.3 Comments from the Chair of the Adventure Playground Task Panel on the above

equality impact assessment.

I am disappointed that the Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) is unable to give a clearer picture of the impact the Playgrounds have on improving equality of opportunity. I understand that the Council has not been collecting the specific information referred to in the EIA and suggest that this is something that should be rectified as soon as possible. However, in the absence of this data, the evidence gathered during this review could be used to make the assessment.

18 | P a g e

For example, the comments about disabled children appear to be based on the absence of something on a website, but the Task Group’s work and the first-hand experience of those working and volunteering at the playgrounds gives us empirical evidence that appears to have been overlooked.

It is the contention of the Task Group that it is clear from the evidence supplied by the Playgrounds, by the Council and from the observations of members during visits that we can say the Playgrounds are working with many children on a day to day basis that have additional needs and have protected characteristics. It is also clear that there is evidence of outcomes in terms of improved behaviour, learning and social skills. The impact on families is also significant, e.g. one of the case studies above describes how a break is provided from caring for a disabled sibling, enabling the carer to mix with their peer group. This was observed and is supported by the case studies.

The comments made by members who visited the Playgrounds are based on observation and enquiry and therefore have more empirical validity than is being attributed to them.

What we can’t say is how much of this work is done or how many of the looked for outcomes are achieved, so we cannot understand the scale or overall impact of this important work. This should be addressed, so we request that the Council works with the Playgrounds to provide information on the categories of children and young people and that the Council collates and analyses this information in order to assess the impact on equalities.

9.5 Other implications None. 10. Background information and other papers Supervised Play – Executive Briefing 7th November 2013

CYPS Minutes - 26th November 2013 and 6th January 2014

Adventure Playgrounds - Scrutiny Review Scope

11. Summary of appendices

11.1 Location of Adventure Playgrounds

11.2 Adventure Playground Providers’ Evidence

11.3 Activities undertaken by the Adventure Playgrounds

11.4 Feedback on Members’ Visits

19 | P a g e

12. Report authors Adventure Playground Task Panel Children, Young People and Schools Scrutiny Commission Cllr Patrick Kitterick Cllr Wayne Naylor Cllr Vijay Singh Riyait Cllr Sue Waddington Cllr Ross Willmott

27th February 2014

20 | P a g e

Appendix 11.1

Adventure Playgrounds

*Belgrave Playhouse

Braunstone Adventure Playground

Goldhill Adventure Playground

Highfields Adventure Playground

Mowmacre Adventure Playground

New Parks Adventure Playground

Northfields Playbarn

St Andrews Play Association

What Cabin – St Mathews

Woodgate AP

*This is not an adventure playground but has been included in all references to them.

21 | P a g e

Appendix 11.2

Adventure Playground Providers’ Evidence

1. Members of the Task Group would like to thank Adventure Playground Providers for

attending meetings, hosting visits and also for responding to the numerous requests

for additional information which included:

Financial information about income and expenditure

Staffing and volunteer arrangements

The changing role of staff and volunteers

Activities undertaken

Multi-agency working and liaison

Children and young people - range of needs being addressed

Value for money and added value

Additional funding levered in from external bodies

Suggested areas for savings

Outcomes for children, young people and families

Comments on the proposed new model of provision

This evidence was used by the Task Group to gain a better understand of the role of the adventure playgrounds and the challenges they currently face. As the information provided relates to the individual playgrounds, we have not reproduced this here but rather have used it to inform the report.

2. The following case studies were submitted which clearly demonstrate that the role of staff and volunteers extends beyond the provision of supervised play. We thought it was important to share these as they show the complexities of the children and young people and their wider families. We have removed the details of the provider to help protect the identity of the people in the case studies.

2.1 Our Inclusion project is over 13 years old now. When we started our project we worked with

young people with ADHD and Behaviour problems. We now work with 250 young people, from all over the city and county, with mild to severe disabilities. Having these young people on our site has changed the way that our users adjust to others, unlike themselves. They are encouraged to talk about disabilities and how it affects them. They are encouraged to buddy up with a part-timer (name of the group) to show them around, to play with them and include them in games and conversations. Parents from our playground are amazed at the patience and care shown by other users to their child.

Many young people, who have attended over the last 10 years, have been a part of our junior management committee, and have looked after our disabled users, have gone on to work with disabled young people in care homes and as home carers .

22 | P a g e

2.2 One of our staff members came to us when he was 15 years old. He was excluded from school where he was bullied. He came during our evening sessions and joined our junior committee. He found it hard to make friends and his house was a target for a group of young people, who found it funny to terrorise him and his family. During the next year, he spent all of his free time at the playground, where he learnt he had a talent for music. He started doing discos for the playground but was worried that he would not find a job, as he was unable to read and write properly. We took him on as an apprentice and he had a real aptitude for the work and enjoyed working with the team. He is now a trained play worker, with skills in first aid, health and safety, customer care, safeguarding and many other areas which allow him to carry out working with young people. He is now 19 years old and has been a play worker for the last three years.

2.3 One of our young people, who was very bright, came to us as a sports worker and we enrolled him at college to do work-based sports qualification, as an apprentice. He was named apprentice of the year and we were employer of the year for the support we provided. He gained many other qualifications in sport coaching, passed his driving test, went on to do a degree in sport science and hoped to teach P.E. He now works with our excluded pupils and has worked for the last year supporting young people in their own schools.

2.4 We have been working with a particular family who first arrived in Leicester about four years ago. At that time there were 3 children from the family using the playground which has now increased to 5 children. When they first arrived they were overly aggressive to others and consistently violent towards each other. Due to their poor social skills, and challenging behaviour, they struggled to make friends and were constantly at odds with the world around them. All the children were put on the ‘at risk’ register and we liaised with their social worker, over a lengthy period. They continued to attend the playground daily and gradually we began to see improvements in their behaviour and socialization. They were getting plenty of exercise taking part in the activities, not available to them at home, along with help with their homework. Their social worker recognised this and recommended that they continue attending daily because of this and the improvements they were showing at school also. They all now have established friendship groups, have less anger issues and are much better equipped at resolving problems / issues. Although the family were taken off the ‘at risk register’, there are still concerns and a member of staff recently attended a Family Panel meeting to assess whether the family should be put back on the register or whether they just need continued support. The children are still using the playground, on a daily basis, and although their behaviour has improved dramatically they still require support from staff at the playground.

2.5 We have also in the last few years been working with a large group of Romanian children, many of whom are from a large extended family. When they first arrived at the playground they knew very little English and only socialised with each other. They have attended the playground regularly and over a period of time have become much more confident and sociable, having made lots of friends here. This has helped enormously with their command of the English language and in this way the playground has helped their integration into the community.

2.6 The opportunity to benefit community cohesion and help young people to grow into "good citizens" is used by skilled play workers by promoting cooperation and developing appreciation and respect for each other's differences. We have been working to integrate a group of travellers with the local community.

23 | P a g e

We have 15 young travellers registered with the playground; they regularly come to our play sessions when they are living at temporary sites in the area.

In the last 3 years, we noticed that the young travellers were becoming much more aggressive and intimidating towards the other children at the playground. There were more incidents caused by a lack of respect between young people from both cultures. It was clear that the public debate about creating permanent travellers sites was being communicated to house dwelling children and young people, in a negative way, adding to the stereotypical image of travellers. This left traveller children feeling that their culture was being threatened and so were acting more aggressively as a result. We re-enforced that standards of behaviour apply to everyone and we did have to exclude a number of children, for short periods, for either repeated name calling, intimidation or fighting. Spending time talking with the young people, and demonstrating the benefits of sharing and co-operation has helped the young people to feel happier about the position in the playground environment. We have seen numerous friendships develop between local and traveller children which have been achieved by simply encouraging them to play together and then giving them encouragement when they cooperate and "play nicely". The playground has provided activities for children at travellers’ events and always demonstrates a willingness to cooperate with the traveller community for the benefit of all. We have needed the support of traveller parents and older siblings in order to improve relations between some of the children and have developed an appreciation and understanding that probably results in fewer incidents for the local Police to resolve and much better local community cohesion.

2.7 A more individual case study would be our work with one young person with Asperger’s, who came to us when he was 9 years old. He was never considered to need one to one support although all the play workers were aware of his condition and that could it could cause him difficulties getting on with the children. As this young person grew older we could see him becoming more capable and we learned more about their ambitions and aspirations, which was to teach young people how use music creation programs. At 14, we allowed them to continue attending our Playscheme sessions for 5-12 year olds as a helper in our computer suite. They responded to this responsibility with patience and listening skills, which surprised us. A further child with Asperger’s wanted to attend the Playscheme and was helped to settle in by the young person, above, who was now 17, and at college. This was a great opportunity to develop their CV and they had a first-hand understanding of the condition the new child lives with. (They went on to gain a full-time employment). This also had a positive impact on the siblings and the wider family and more confidence in the services available.

2.8 We were invited to CAF meetings concerning the behaviour of one of our users, during his time at primary School. His behaviour with us, was entirely different, so gave those involved a clue to his motives. They ended up going to Keyham Lodge, where they are more comfortable and their behaviour has changed accordingly. We have become more involved with the family, as the case was initially a Child Protection case but is now with Family Support. We have hosted the Core Group meetings, as we are trusted by the mother and the Social Worker often visits the child whilst they are at the Project, rather than the home environment.

2.9 We have worked with refugees in the past from Africa, 2 of our children and their mother survived an attack on their community, watched their father murdered in front of them. We worked hard with them making sure they got to do a lot of activities they would never have got a chance to do. We also collected them from school so the mum could go to college and later became a probation officer.

24 | P a g e

2.10 A family from Montserrat were evacuated, they lost everything they had and came here with no money. The mum was a governor at our local school, was on the board at Sure Start and on our board, as she gained experience volunteering.

Her three daughters attended the play sessions after school, we collected them from school and she is now working for the local authority. All of this work was tied up with self-esteem projects, linked with the Taylor School, where Leicester Children’s Fund allocated funding for work with children that needed the most help to succeed in school. They were monitored over 12 months and grades went up.

2.11 Over the past year we have had 8 volunteers on the playground. Five of them are young people who used the playground when they were younger and stayed with us because they are comfortable in the environment and have built a trusting relationship with the staff. The other 3 were signposted to us from other organisations. All of the volunteers are aiming to build their confidence within a work environment, learn new skills, team work and communication as well as character building. We also have had 5 students doing childcare placements from Leicester College and 6 students from schools in to do their Work Experience training.

2.12 A 9 year old child was referred to us by Social Services Family Support as he had a history of behavioural problems including being prone to running away, not being able to focus on any specific activities and therefore the mother did not feel able to allow him to access any activities outside of the home, without her. He was initially offered one-to-one support from one of the special needs workers at the playground (provided through additional Lloyds TSB funding) for the duration of one 6 week summer playscheme. This relationship proved so successful that he was then able to access the playground by himself and eventually able to support his younger siblings to access the playground too. He is now 12 years old and a regular user of the playground.

2.13 V is a 17 year old Asian male with mental health issues and Autism. V's sole carer since the age of 5 is his 87 year old grandfather. V has no contact with his parents who live in supported accommodation outside Leicester. Both parents have a history of hallucinations, depression and severe mental health issues. V. struggles with self-care and has suffered periods of breakdown which have resulted in his admission into local residential care to help manage his health and medication. V. attends our youth club regularly and now interacts with peers and makes choices about future activities. This inclusion surprises the other professionals who work with V. The life-skills learning programme has been successful in improving V's diet and self-care. The achievement of using key-workers to lead proper self-care and presentation (showering, shaving, Fashion) is essential in building confidence and self-esteem. V. is very excited about his 18th birthday party and his first birthday cake with candles. V says "It is nice here. I have nice friends here. I can't wait for my party and to blow out the candles on my cake".

2.14 K is 9 and lives with mum, a single parent. K. lives in poor housing and because she lives with

many different people, including her extended family, her life is disorganised, hectic, confused and challenging. K is a low achiever in school and needs a lot of intensive care and support. K is a regular attender. Classroom, home-work, life-skills and reading work are important to K (her mother struggles to help with homework, reading and social skills.) Due to the amount of time spent with inappropriate adults, K struggles to maintain friendships with peers but we offers K regular small group activity sessions. K enjoys the positive childish interactions with peers and is increasing in confidence. K was recently involved in a huge family breakdown. Her father died. Two of her nephews (effectively siblings) were received

25 | P a g e

into the permanent care of the local authority. K is traumatised and emotional and she cannot understand. The worker mentors and counsels K and is currently building her esteem and identity through constructing a life-story book. K looks forward to reliable second-family holidays with us and thoroughly enjoys the experience of animal handling and being in the countryside. Immediate future planning for K is to encourage healthy, economic eating and to involve mum in the activities. K says "I love coming here. Mum said in the 2012 survey ..." I really couldn't cope without your support….... It has been an extended family and somewhere that enhances my children. Every estate should have this facility; so expand and give kids the chance to be involved with an organization that really believes in young people."

26 | P a g e

Appendix 11.3

Overview of the Activities Undertaken by the Adventure Playgrounds

arts, crafts and photography

soft play, dressing up, imaginative play

indoor activities - pool, football, table tennis, board games, dance

food preparation and cooking

homework clubs and reading

computer suites including games consoles

self-build wooden play facilities

outdoor sport – football, basketball, badminton, volleyball, skateboarding, hockey

zip wires, swings, climbing frames, stepping stones, climbing wall, roundabout, nets

skipping and other playground games, including team games

cycling - including bike maintenance

visits, trips and camps

outdoor pursuits – archery, rock climbing, high beam walking, canoeing, swimming

sponsored ‘all-nighters’

arranged a bonfire night with fireworks when local event cancelled

Christmas grotto

fun days

performances and cultural activities / celebrations

Summer playscheme

sensory sessions particularly to support children with additional needs

counselling of young people / talking about feelings and problems

talking to parents

27 | P a g e

Appendix 11.4

Feedback from Members’ visits to the Adventure Playgrounds

1. Belgrave Playhouse – Cllr Wayne Naylor

Walking down Harrison Road you wouldn’t expect to find a real gem of a community

provision, lots of semi-detached housing in a tightly packed street, but then you come to a

building made of three houses that is reminiscent of an old curiosity shop in appearance. On

entering the building it feels like a different world, one of children and make-believe, with

different themes in each room that complement each other as a place for both children and

families. Playrooms with Harry Potter and the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe styled

paintings, artwork that captures users and volunteers past and present in a classic style, a

garden with a yellow brick road, a basketball court with an American themed wall art are just

some of the things to expect when visiting the Belgrave Playhouse. This is not the run of the

mill young people’s provision, in fairness; it is unique and doesn’t really fit in with the

adventure playgrounds at all.

I met with Sue who is a member of the Management Committee and other staff members

and project supporters, all of whom painted a picture of a provision started from the ground

up, unlike anything else tried before, creating an ideal setting for training both play workers

and social workers alike. A number of staff in LCC started there working the children’s

department through previously working or training at the Playhouse.

Community self-help is a big part of what happens at the Playhouse. From being good at and

developing funding strategies that work, to having volunteers and supporters who will give

their time and energy to making things happen. Rendall Monroe (the “Boxing Binman”) and

Cllr Deepak Bajaj (Cllr for Evington) were both attendees at the playhouse in their childhood

days.

As you walk around the building, there are many ample sized rooms, all with adjoining

themes, this is a place that children would want to come, and many do. I met a group of

young people, a very lively group with a mix of physical and learning needs. For them, this

place is very important as it is where they come together positively, supported by staff but

empowered by each other. Whilst finding out about what they do, I think I made a friend for

life! One of the young people, with mental health issues, couldn’t tell me enough about

what he liked doing when I asked him.

Outside in the grounds of the Playhouse, the themes continue, an American wall art by the

basketball court, a yellow brick road through the garden. An add-on washing facility was

flagged up as being a significant help to members of the local community for children with a

28 | P a g e

disability. Canoes are available, outdoor pursuits are a big part of the external offer that the

Playhouse promotes.

The current situation with regards to LCC Funding is a disaster, I was shown and gained a

copy of evidence for submission that a major funding body is threatening removing its

current funding support if the Playhouse cannot confirm its core funding, which it clearly

cannot do. This could amount to an additional loss of £25,000 to the Playhouse.

The Playhouse is an adventure, something that is genuinely unique not just aesthetically but

in the way services come together and are delivered with symmetry – an all-round service

that is bespoke. A service we should be flagging up as best practice, a real jewel in

Leicester’s Crown with regards to children’s services. But the playhouse is so much more

than that, the way in which it supports its community goes way beyond any normal service.

During Christmas, bags of toys were distributed to poor households enabling children who

wouldn’t have had a Christmas, to do so.

The Playhouse began with United Nations Funding and was referred to as a “haven for latch-

key kids” during the 1980’s. I was shown a scrapbook filled with many excellent memories

of around 40 years of quality work with the community of Belgrave. The Playhouse is clearly

seen as different things to different people but brought together in such a positive way,

creating the feeling of one service for many, a family provision and a holistic approach to

working with children from 2 – 19 years. Currently the service is funded 50% by LCC, but in

real terms there has already been a loss of £100,000 due to reductions in nursery play and

other support funds for activities that take place. The potential loss of core funding will be

devastating to the Playhouse. A procurement contract will not be seen as a strong enough

commitment to long term funding. This will ultimately bring to an end a number of the

additional funding sources that come into the Playhouse, another success as well as

providing services, is the ability to gain additional funding from other sources. This should

have been recognised as excellent value for money that the Playhouse was able to gain 50%

of its funding from other external services. This was clearly not valued.

With regards to funding it was made clear that something talked about at the scrutiny

meeting was a “red herring”, this was taping into school funding. The Playhouse had tried a

number of times during its existence to do this with no positive outcome. Schools have their

own agendas and unless the authority makes them “buy in” such services from voluntary

organisations, it will not happen.

“I would strongly encourage a visit to Belgrave Playhouse with your eyes wide open, an

experience that will surprise and delight, but will also impress you with what can be achieved

with supporting children in challenging communities.”

29 | P a g e

2. Goldhill Adventure Playground – Cllr Wayne Naylor

On arriving at Goldhill Adventure Playground is the size of the place – its massive! My

previous knowledge before this visit of adventure playgrounds was based on Braunstone

Adventure Playground which I walk past very regularly and visit from time to time. Goldhill is

similar in some respects; the outside play equipment is similar with plenty of challenges to

climb, swing, hide and enjoy boisterous play, but on a bigger scale. I was met by Dee, who

showed me around the site. All the buildings had been built by themselves, with everything

available being donated. Dee was very proud of the fact that so many people and

organisations had supported the playground over the years. 225 children, many with

additional needs, were currently attending.

“We like X Box, cooking, playing and doing arts and we can do them all here! Please don’t

close our playground down!”

Young Girl, aged 9 from Goldhill Playground

Upstairs in one of the buildings is a fabulous nursery area, all the play equipment had been

donated by a local school, including a large ball pool and large foam shapes for tumble-tot

sessions, a fabulous resource for families in the local area. This was not being used as there

were no workers to run it, so this space is trying to be rented to a childcare provider to take

on this work. “We are always trying to diversify” Dee stated, and it is clear that their efforts

have not gone unnoticed as the belief in the playground’s work and trust in its staff is

abundantly clear, donations continue to come in on a regular basis. Services are offered to

the county, with 67 young people currently attending from across the close county

boundary. Various local training is being offered during the day to further diversify funding

income with 18 - 25yrs at £8.50 per hour and an Exclusion Project that brings in £40 per 3

hour block per person enrolled. The most impressive funding stream discussed was the fact

that the playground has its own charity shop which helps raise much need funds and gives

support to local low income families.

Another key facility for the local community is the disabled changing, which is beyond

normal provision for playgrounds but makes a big difference to families with disabled

children who have difficulties to support their children in their own homes. As you wander

round the building spaces it is clear that young people are very much a part of the running of

the playground. Dee told me about the Junior Management Committee and the rooms

clearly have been devised with the young people’s input. A nice room to support homework

with well stocked with books, large well tendered communal areas and a great kitchen, from

where a very welcome slice of pizza was delivered to us from young people learning to cook.

Health and Safety plays a big part in the running of the playground, checks take on average 3

hours per day. Dee supplied me with their daily check list which I submitted to the Task

30 | P a g e

group as evidence. Concern was shown as to whether repair and maintenance would be as

thorough, equipment on local parks had previously been disabled rather than repaired. This

could lead to the playground being closed due to it being unfit for use, within 6 months to a

year. This meticulous repair and maintenance has kept the playground in excellent running

order, something appreciated locally and has been further reflected in visitors from far and

wide coming to the playground.

Another issued raised during the discussion was a query about who would be responsible if

the management of the Playground was taken out. General worries about management

structure and how easy the confidence could be lost by the community were highlighted,

should a rationalisation of structures take place. They were clear about the reasons for the

proposed changes by The Executive but felt that they needed to make it clear what could be

lost, something that has been built on by the passion of many local people, over many years.

The closer you look at the Goldhill Adventure Playground, the more apparent it becomes

that this is not the standard playground and in being what it is, provides amazing value for

money through the range of services and facilities that it provides to the community. Find out more at www.goldhilladventureplayground.org

31 | P a g e

3. Mowmacre Adventure Playground – Cllr Wayne Naylor

When approaching Mowmacre Adventure Playground, you see some very ornate railings and a building, the surprise comes when you walk in, walk round the visible building and see how far back the site sprawls, with excellent quality modern outdoor play equipment and exceptional clean and tidy play areas. As I went into the main building, there were young people everywhere! A busy session was taking place with young people playing ball games, video games and pool. “Are you the nasty man coming from the council to close our playground? Please don’t do it!!” stated a young girl. After the initial shock, I told her that we were not going to shut down any playgrounds but that things did need to change. She looked at me puzzlingly, and then decided that it was good for me to come and have a look so took it upon herself to show me what happens there.

“At the playground we make new friends, we are safe, we stay out of trouble and off the streets!”

Young girl, aged 10yrs at Mowmacre Adventure Playground

I spoke to Mick, but also talked to other staff members and volunteers, about what happens at the playground. Internet, football and the playground’s tuck shop were all popular with the young people attending. There was a dance machine which had been donated which was also popular, the young girl who initially thought I was “nasty” demonstrated how this worked and encouraged me to have a go, I felt bad declining!! Also available was a computer suite with 9 Mac computers. Mick stated that there had been travellers in the area, but this had not really created any issues, if anything it had created opportunities to create better understanding with young people. He also said that the thing that made the playground work was young people’s respect. Those attending had done so from the age of 6 years and so had built up a bond with them. This was something that had happened with many generations of local people. Trips were held to all types of different places on a fortnightly basis.

“I love the playground!! I used to be aggressive but I’m not now!” Young boy, aged 9yrs at Mowmacre Adventure Playground

Health and Safety are very important; litter picking can take some time making sure glass is removed. The playground outer area is open access so is cleared daily. The space is well used, Somalian people in the area come for picnics and children play there throughout the weekend, with it being popular with older young people, many who come from broken homes. The 0-19 review showed that young people in the area “get bored at the weekends”, though this was not a priority for under 13’s. The buildings are clearly child-oriented, with artwork in abundance around the rooms. I viewed some video clips of art projects done from the playground, arts plays a big part in the provision offered. Currently 9 different sessions are offered per week all two hours long. Under the proposal this would reduce to 5 x 3-hour sessions. 2 play workers and a volunteer are available most nights, with summer schemes seeing up to 12 workers needing to be present.

32 | P a g e

Though donations have always trickled in, with the only item supplied by the Council being a pool table, finding funding has been a difficult situation. All items in the centre have either been donated or purchased through gained funds. Provident provided £5k 4 years ago and, on being pleased with the outcome, provided a further £26K per year for 3 years, ending at Christmas 2013. Agreement has just been confirmed that this year the playground will receive £30k from Provident, but this is being granted on a year-by-year basis. A place respected by its community, Mowmacre provides exceptional value for money and is a pivotal provision in the Mowmacre Hill Estate. Find out more about Mowmacre Adventure Playground at https://www.facebook.com/mowmacre.playground?ref=ts&fref=ts

33 | P a g e

4. Highfields Adventure Playground - Cllr Sue Waddington

Topic Comments

Facilities including the playground and building/s – content and quality

Extensive outdoor play and climbing equipment, a ‘forest’, football /baseball area with lights. Indoors - a number of rooms for craft, computer games, computers, other games, exercise, a kitchen, office and toilets. Good quality and clean.

What activities were taking place?

Two craft sessions, computer games, football, climbing and general play - all supervised by staff.

Young people in attendance?

Yes, a lot of them, all of whom were polite, friendly and engaged.

Age groups of young people attending

5 to 15 years. Nurseries and school groups also use the playground outside opening hours but do not pay for this use.

Number of staff and volunteers in attendance

1 FT play leader, and 5 part time or sessional staff. There are also 5 volunteers. The staff told me that they worked many extra hours without pay and had not had a pay rise for 10 years.

Opening Hours 3pm to 7pm in term time, 12 to 4pm in school holidays.

Access outside of opening hours?

Yes see above. Of particular mention is the ‘forest school’ organisation that brings children in for an outside learning experience.

Views of young people

The children were very engaged with the staff and clearly enjoying themselves. They were proud of the playground and keen to tell me about what they liked doing and to demonstrate what they could do and to show me around. They knew the rules of the playground and told me them without my asking.

Were there any issues you would like to highlight?

This playground over several generations has helped to integrate new communities into the City and still pays an important role in this regard, with new groups of migrants from Eastern Europe. The one full=-time play leader is very stretched, often attending case conferences for children at risk as well as undertaking all the many tasks of leading the staff team, ensuring health and safety, running the playground etc and often works 12 hour days. The playground is not the wealthiest in the City and deserves more financial support. While they have secured small grants from outside bodies, the staff team does not have the time and/or the experience to prepare and submit big grant applications. The staff team do not believe that parks could build and maintain their outside climbing equipment, because it is unique to the playground and frequently re-built to create new challenges.

What was your overall impression?

Very good impression of the playground, children and staff and the important role it plays in Highfields.

Any other comments

A very popular playground for kids. In the past the playground has also organised adventure trips, which were very important for children from low income homes. They no longer have the finance to do this. I would like to see the Council provide more support for this playground.

34 | P a g e

5. Goldhill Adventure Playground – Cllr Sue Waddington

Topic Comments

Facilities including the playground and building/s – content and quality

3 buildings, 2 for play plus office. Very extensive outside play structures including special equipment for children with disabilities, ball court and parking. Inside kitchen, tuck shop, lift, under 5’s area, changing facilities with lots of play equipment. Good quality fittings. It was clean and welcoming.

What activities were taking place?

Inside - basketball, snooker, table tennis, hide and seek, computer games, eating and socialising. Outside - football and climbing.

Were there young people in attendance?

Yes, mainly inside as it was a damp day.

Age groups of young people attending

5 to 12 years.

Number of staff and volunteers in attendance

9 staff plus 2 volunteers

Opening Hours

3pm to 6pm in term time, Mon to Fri. 12noon to 3pm half terms, summer holidays 5 hours per day.

Does the site offer access outside of opening hours?

Not open access but special activities for special groups( see below)

Views of young people

The children I spoke to enjoyed coming to the playground and told me about their favourite activities.

Were there any issues you would like to highlight?

The playground’s total expenditure for the year is around £236,000 of which the City Council provides £98,000. The rest is raised from different sources including the County Council which provides £15,000 for running costs and £15,000 for capital costs. Other activities for special groups outside of the playground’s opening hours, such as provision for excluded pupils, young people with special needs etc increases the budget( any profit being used to improve the facilities at the playground and pay staff). The playground benefits from donations in cash and kind from local organisations and businesses and has successfully applied for various grants.

What was your overall impression?

I was very impressed by the facilities and the professionalism of the staff.

Any other comments

The City Council only funds part of the work going on at Goldhill. It also only provided one of the three buildings, the others being donated or built with external grants. Staff also build and maintain the structures very well. They have designed and equipped a room for under 5’s and are now seeking to set up a nursery, which will also provide funding for the playground and its staff. The local community links are very important because the playground has developed to meet local needs and is supported by the local community and local stakeholders.

35 | P a g e

6. New Parks Adventure Playground – Cllr Malcolm Unsworth

36 | P a g e

37 | P a g e

7. Braunstone Adventure Playground – Cllr Vijay Singh Riyait

Topic Comments

Facilities including the playground and building/s – content and quality

Has a single building plus an outdoor play facility. Has several rooms including a games room, TV room, dance room, and kitchen. The buildings and equipment were well maintained and this was done by the staff and volunteers themselves.

What activities were taking place?

There was painting, cooking, craft making, activities using PCs and watching DVDs.

Young people in attendance?

There were 35+ kids in attendance. Could peak up to 150-200 kids per day in summer.

Age groups of young people attending

6-15 years of age

Staff and volunteers in attendance

There were 1 full time and 3 part-time workers.

Opening Hours Mon – Fri 3.00pm – 7.00pm (different hours in summer)

Access outside of opening hours?

Yes, schools can book to use the facility outside of the normal opening times and work with several schools.

Views of young people

The kids were very excited about using the facility and were concerned that it was going to be shutdown. Some had been on the demonstration. They said that there was very little for them to do in the area or offer a place to meet friends. They could relate to the workers who were supportive and knew their families.

Were there any issues you would like to highlight?

Their long-time manager had unfortunately passed away but was being run by the other members of staff. They had been on a standstill budget for 10 years.

What was your overall impression?

Amazing facility & great atmosphere! There were 35+ kids having fun, doing lots of different activities both physical and mental. I cannot think of another council run facility which would regularly attract this number of children. The workers obviously had close relationships with the kids on a non-judgemental basis and supported them through a range of issues. The workers had a zero tolerance approach to bullying and discrimination.

Any other comments

The site had been opened in 1984 via County Council Funding. They receive additional funding from Children in Need, Disability Children’s Service, Sports Funding, TSB (special needs). They felt they had helped reduced ASB in the area by keeping kids doing useful activities. Many of the kids had been coming from a young age. They were certain they helped kids at school by listening to them, making them feel valued and giving them confidence. They take part in the summer camp which brings kids of different communities across the city together. They also manage the behaviours of children who can have special needs. They have a dance group which is run by a very enthusiastic and committed worker. The City Mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby, visited post the 2011 national riots and commented what a fantastic facility it was and that we needed more of them!

38 | P a g e

8. New Parks Adventure Playground – Cllr Vijay Singh Riyait

Topic Comments

Facilities including the playground and building/s – content and quality

Has a single building plus an outdoor play facility. Has several rooms including a games room, kitchen and general activities room. The buildings and equipment were well maintained and this was done by the staff and volunteers themselves.

What activities were taking place?

There was painting, cooking, craft making, activities using PCs.

Were there young people in attendance?

There were 60+ kids in attendance. Could peak up to 150 kids per day in summer.

Age groups of young people attending

6-16 years of age

Number of staff and volunteers in attendance

There were 2 full time and 3 part time workers. They have about 4 regular volunteers.

Opening Hours 3.30pm – 7.00pm

Does the site offer access outside of opening hours?

Yes, schools can book to use the facility outside of the normal opening times and work with New College for lunchtime access.

Views of young people

The kids were very excited about using the facility and were concerned that it was going to be shutdown. Some had been on the demonstration. They said that there was very little for them to do in the area and offer a place to meet friends. They could relate to the workers who were supportive and knew their families.

Were there any issues you would like to highlight?

They raised the issue of whether unsupervised access was possible as would insurance cover personal injuries. Felt they could sustain 10% cuts with reducing hours but not re-bidding for just 15 hours per week contact time.

What was your overall impression?

Amazing facility & great atmosphere! There were 60+ kids having fun, doing lots of different activities both physical and mental. I cannot think of another council run facility which would regularly attract this number of children. The workers obviously had close relationship with the kids on a non-judgemental basis and supported them through a range of issues. There was good working with New College and helped to stop kids just wandering around at lunchtime.

Any other comments

The site had been opened in 1974 via the Urban Aid Programme by a group of local women, some of whom were still on the management committee. Over the last 3 years they had raised £33K of their own money from grants. They felt they had helped reduced ASB in the area by keeping kids doing useful activities. Many of the kids had been coming from a young age. They were certain they helped kids at school by listening to them, making them feel valued and giving them confidence. They take part in the summer camp which brings kids of different communities across the city together.

39 | P a g e

9. Woodgate Adventure Playground – Cllr Vijay Singh Riyait

Topic Comments

Facilities including the playground and building/s – content and quality

Has a number of buildings plus an outdoor play facility. One of the buildings houses a nursery. There was a sensory room which was used for kids with potential special needs and autism (unique facility). There was a hall which was used for plays/concerts and Woodgate Football team. There was a games room for table tennis. The outside area consisted of a football area and a large adventure playground with wooden structures. The buildings and equipment were well maintained and was done by the staff and volunteers themselves. It was the site of an old oil depot and had been reclaimed and renovated by local people. The wooden structures were built by local volunteers and inspected regularly by ROSPA.

What activities were taking place?

There was painting, cooking, craft making, football, Street Vibe (playing music), kids playing around a supervised fire, homework club and activities using PCs (donated by the DMU Square Mile Project)

Young people in attendance?

There were 60+ kids in attendance. Could peak up to 200 kids and 40% were of East European origin

Age groups of young people attending

6-14 years of age

Staff and volunteers in attendance

There were 4/5 staff present including the nursery worker.

Opening Hours 3.30pm – 6.30pm

Access outside of opening hours?

Yes, schools can book to use the facility outside of the normal opening times.

Views of young people

The kids were very excited about using the facility and were concerned that it was going to be shutdown. Some had been on the demonstration. They said that there was very little for them to do in the area and offer a place to meet friends. One young part-time worker had had difficulties at school and had been helped by the adventure playground by volunteering and was now studying child care at college. This was a real success story of how kids falling through the net were picked up by workers at the facility.

Were there any issues you would like to highlight?

The playground had tried to work with some local schools but hasn’t had much luck in doing so, particularly Fosse Primary. The nearest Sure Start is in New Parks which is quite a way from Woodgate. The social services team at LCC wanted to do baby weigh-ins at the premises but didn’t want to pay for the use. Had tried to work with VAL over the years but were described as useless and less and less information was coming from them. No maintenance is done by LCC, including things like blocked drains etc. Groundworks Charity had tried to do activities with the kids but couldn’t control them as they didn’t have that relationship with them. The nursery is funded through Children in Need and hires a room so question marks about its location if overall funding reduced.

40 | P a g e

Topic Comments

It works had in hand with the playground. Integrated service.

What was your overall impression?

Amazing facility & great atmosphere! There were 60+ kids having fun, doing lots of different activities both physical and mental. I cannot think of another council run facility which would regularly attract this number of children. The workers obviously had close relationship with the kids on a non-judgemental basis and supported them through a range of issues. I was particularly impressed that the site had a nursery which was filling a much needed gap and had a waiting list!

Any other comments

The kids attending this facility are largely from poorer backgrounds with many of their parents not in work. Some parents have issues themselves and some can arrive drunk to pick up kids. This facility is seen as a safe haven from sometimes difficult family circumstances. Workers have decades of experience and kids attending would’ve had their parents attend the playground when they were younger. Kids build social interaction and confidence, respect and an attachment to a facility which is seen as ‘theirs’. They work with the DMU Square Mile Project and All Nations Church to host a carol service, lunches on Rally Park (inter agency lunch 4 time a year). They take part in the summer camp which brings kids of different communities across the city together.

41 | P a g e

10. Northfields Playbarn – Cllr Ross Willmott

Topic Comments

Facilities including the playground and building/s – content and quality

Excellent facilities inside and out. Outside a great of well-maintained equipment, and some new equipment which had been paid for by the local Porsche garage and installed by the playground staff. There is a ball court, climbing equipment and green areas for children to play in (well it was more mud than green because of the weather!) Inside rooms had been adapted for all the children, including quiet space, computers, and indoor play. Playground staff had used their own skills and time, to undertake improvements with donated materials. Achieving really good value for money. Quality was good throughout, and given the minimal amounts of money they have to spend a great deal is achieved.

What activities were taking place?

Activities were underway indoors and outside, which given the awful weather was something to see! I was impressed that the staff had not kept all the children inside but were working with them outside, as well as inside. Indoors children were using the computers, playing games and having something to eat.

Were there young people in attendance?

There were many children present, (approx. 20) which given the weather says a lot about their motivation to want to be at the Playbarn. There were children with disabilities, with one to one support, funded through Children in Need. This was working well and the integration was excellent.

Age groups of young people attending

I think there were more younger children and a few teenagers. It all worked very well and many spoke to me asking me questions and telling me how much they like coming to the Playbarn.

Number of staff and volunteers in attendance

I didn’t count the staff but several were in attendance including the manager. Staff were busy working with the children and took time to talk to me. The tremendous level of commitment was obvious.

Opening Hours 3.30pm – 6.30pm

Does the site offer access outside of opening hours?

Yes I believe so they also allow other community groups to use the space so that the premises are used to best advantage

Views of young people

They were happy and pleased to be there. They told me there was nowhere else for them to go. The local school did not offer after school activities. They did not want to play in the street and would not be allowed to. “I love coming here” said one girl. The parents I spoke to valued what Playbarn offered very highly.

42 | P a g e

Were there any issues you would like to highlight?

Given it was probably the worst weather that night of this year I was surprised at the number of young people who were there. All staff were present as well. The attitude of all was positive and welcoming on a day when the fainter hearted might have closed up shop and gone home! I also met some parents of a child with disabilities and they explained what a difference the Playbarn made to all their lives and that their son really benefitted from his time there. Without the Playbarn there would be nowhere for him to go after school.

What was your overall impression?

It’s a great facility run by some really great people, who give 100% commitment. All the children were engaged in some activity and the atmosphere was busy, safe and fun. Some children were doing their homework using the computers whilst others were outside seemingly oblivious to the weather. It was obvious to me that several outcomes were being developed, including learning skills, appropriate behaviour, communication, and fitness through activity.

Any other comment

It is a pity that the funding for the early years work has been removed as this was clearly a valued service which provided valuable outcomes for younger children. I think we need to look at how this work can be funded to continue in the future.