The Play Practice Development Team is based within the Early Years Team, Education Directorate. Established in 2012, our primary focus is to support play development across Fife to improve children’s outcomes through play. This recognises the role play has in child development and in the development of physical and mental health and wellbeing.
Scotland’s National Play Strategy acknowledges that children’s play is crucial to Scotland’s wellbeing. Play is an essential part of a happy, healthy childhood and vital to children and young people’s quality of life.
We contribute to this by supporting play development across Fife. We promote and develop play opportunities based on Playwork practice, that is focused on free play, outdoor play, and the play process. This is underpinned by the Playwork Principles and the child’s right to play, enshrined in the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child.
Vision
To enhance children’s health & wellbeing and quality of life through play.
Aims
We aim to achieve that by:
- Providing and promoting high-quality care, play and learning opportunities to children and families in Fife through joint working and creative collaboration across public, voluntary, and independent sectors
- Promoting and supporting good practice, training, and development opportunities by empowering others, increasing knowledge, and understanding, to embed a play ethos throughout settings
- Creating high-quality play experiences and stimulating environments for children that are fun, free, and flexible, where children are valued as individuals, respected and in which they are involved
- Raising the profile and celebrating the value of play through engaging with the public and families, increasing knowledge and understanding around play throughout Fife
- Providing high-quality information services to families in relation to Early Learning and Childcare, play and learning opportunities, including news, events and information led by the needs of children, their families, and carers throughout Fife, utilising social and digital media platforms
Our Values
- Valuing child-led free play
- Inspiring outdoor play in nature
- Belief in and promotion of the Playwork Principles
- Promoting rights-based practice (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child)
- Providing nurturing and inclusive play
- Supporting and appreciating families
- Imparting knowledge and developing skills
Annual Service Report
For more detailed information regarding the work of the team please see our Play Practice Development Team Annual Service Report.