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Surviving: A grounded theory of the sustainability of children’s play services in England

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posted on 2024-07-22, 14:03 authored by Alexandra LongAlexandra Long
Abstract The playwork sector has, since its development in the 1950’s, experienced periods of boom and bust. The 2000’s, saw significant investment and prioritisation of children’s right to play across the United Kingdom. This was followed by significant disinvestment during the 2010’s, as provision for children’s play became “a casualty of the austerity drive” (CRAE, 2015, p. 34). During the early 2010’s, in response to the increasingly marketised approach to funding for the third sector, many local authorities moved from direct play service delivery and grant allocation for children’s play, to commissioning services from the third sector. This study began as an exploration of the affects of commissioning on children’s play services. However, as a study adopting the Constructivist Grounded Theory Method, it soon became clear through early engagement with the field, that commissioning was not a route to sustainability for playwork provision. In the face of ever-decreasing funding for children’s play, the sector was looking to alternative ways to maintain their non-statutory but essential service for children, families and communities. Interviews with respondents representing 21 playwork projects from across England revealed that playwork provision was surviving not because of income generated through the process of commissioning, but through the deployment of skilled and knowledgable, committed and hard-working staff and volunteers. These individuals maintain a deep commitment to the underpinning professional and ethical framework for playwork, alongside the ethos of their very unique provision. The outcome of this study is a substantive theory, grounded in data, which provides a conceptual framework for how adventure playgrounds have survived a period of significant political and economic turbulence. This is underpinned by The Four Principles of Surviving, which provide a framework for practice for organisations not only in the playwork field, but across other third sector organisations.

History

Qualification name

  • PhD

Supervisor

Bryant, Antony ; Brown, Fraser

Awarding Institution

Leeds Beckett University

Completion Date

2023-03-02

Qualification level

  • Doctoral

Language

  • eng

Publisher

Leeds Beckett University

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