(Unit 391) The theory and practice of children's and young people play
In this section, you will find all of the resource materials relating to content covered by Module 1.
INTRODUCTION
This unit will enable the learner to explore the theory and practice of children's and young people's play and how to support this.
CONTENT
Children's and young people's development and the importance of play
• The basic stages of child development and their implications for children's and young people's needs and rights in the
playwork context
• Supporting self-directed play
• Different types of play and indicators of play mood descriptors and behaviours
• Building relationships with children to support self reliance, self esteem and autonomy and their interactions with others
• Managing risk during play
• Compound flexibility
• Understanding the impact of play deprivation
• Practicing skills needed for adult life
• The link between types of behaviour and stages of development
The current theory and practice relating to children and young people's play
• The first and second assumptions of Playwork and their impact on playwork practice
• The values of playwork
• The theories behind playwork - including play types, play circles, play cues, play frames, play returns, metaludes,
psycholudics
• Recognising the influence of relevance/applicability of theories in practice in different playwork contexts
(e.g theraputic environments)
• The lay process and appropriate intervention modes
• Child assessment frameworks relevant to playwork that are used in the Home Country concerned e.g common
assessment framework for England
• Local and national play policies appropriate for the Home Country concerned
Supporting children's needs and rights to create appropriate play spaces
• The types of support and encouragement children and young people may need to meet their specific needs and rights
• The key characteristics of play environments, planning and preparing play spaces
• Researching and consulting on children and young people's needs and rights
• Developing and agreeing policies and procedures that reflect children's and young people's needs and rights
• The legal framework for working with children and young people in play settings that apply in the home country in
which you are working
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(Unit 392) Aspects of Playwork practice
In this section, you will find all of the resource materials relating to content covered by Module 2.
INTRODUCTION
This unit will enable the learner to gain skills and knowledge of a range of playwork practice issues specific to working with children and young people.
CONTENT
Facilitating and supporting children and young people's play needs
• How a playworker ensures children and young people can play in a self-directed way making best use of the play
and recreational environments available to them
• How a playworker creates an environment that enables children and young people to play and direct their own
free time e.g. elements, props, loose parts etc
• Appropriate intervention styles in the play process
• Consultation and participation and the importance of children and young people being responsible for changing play
environments to meet their needs
• Balancing the need for children's safety with a child and young person's need for challenging opportunities and play
experiences
• Helping children and young people to take responsibility for their own safety and to assess risks for themselves
• Establishing and maintaining a healthy, safe and secure environment
• Encouraging and supporting a healthy lifestyle as children and young people grow up
• How to prepare children and young people experiencing or about to experience transitions in their lives
Developing and promoting positive relationships in and outside the play setting
• Understanding the issues around supporting children and young people in developing agreements about ways of
behaving in the setting; this includes the principle of cooperation and power sharing with children and young people
• Developing relationships with children and young people including negotiating, decision making etc according to their
age and stage of development and in ways which respect individuality
• Encouraging and supporting children and young people to sort out conflicts for themselves
• Identifying the key characteristics of effective teamwork and how it can contribute to the quality of experience which
children and young people get from a play setting
• Making people in the community aware of the opportunities and benefits of playwork
• Establishing and maintaining links with other organisations and individuals that will support children and young people
• Work as part of a multi disciplinary team
• The types of information that must be shared, the agencies involved and the boundaries of confidentiality
Facilitating an organizational framework that promotes equality of opportunity, anti-discrimination and diversity in the play setting
• How to consult effectively to promote children and young people's rights in the setting
• Recognising the issues in relation to older children, for example sexual orientation, the personal care of disables
children in puberty
• Developing and agreeing policies in relation to inclusive practice for all children and young people
• Understanding, identifying and justifying inclusive play opportunities
• Understanding the diversity of children and young people's lives and the cultural, social, religious and economic factors
that impact on their upbringing
• The importance of and ways to promote a diverse and inclusive environment
Protecting and safeguarding children and young people form abuse
• Identifying signs and symptoms of abuse in the children and young people
• Helping children to manage risk and protect themselves from abuse
• Safe working practice for playworkers who are working with children and young people
Assessment
Candidate must successfully complete all parts of the assignment, to a satisfactory and appropriate standard, in order to gain a pass for that assignment. The assignments have been designed to assess the ability of the candidate to cover a range of issues associated with a given unit.
Consequently, it is not appropriate for parts of any assignment to be omitted, incomplete or of an unsatisfactory standard.
For all tasks in the written assignments, candidate must:
• Base their assignments of real practical activities where it is required
• Demonstrate an awareness of cultural differences
• Maintain confidentiality agreements about confidential information
• Demonstrate a vigilance in relation to their own health and safety and that of others
• Provide a learner authenticity statement, signed and dated when providing work-processed responses to tasks
Assignments will be marked as one of the following:
Pass Is achieved when all assignment tasks have been achieved
Refer When some tasks in the assignment need to be reworked
Fail When, after the second attempt, there are still a significant number of tasks that have not been completed to the required standard