Ahead of the Local Government Elections on 2 May, PlayBoard is calling on prospective councillors to champion children’s play. Play is critical to children and young people’s lives, but despite its importance our environments and lifestyles can mean that opportunities for children to play are becoming increasingly scarce. As [...]
The Big Parenting Survey, produced by Parenting NI, is the first of its kind in Northern Ireland, giving an insight into parenting with over 1,000 parents taking part. Responses showed that whilst experiences of parenting and family life are all different, parents share many similar concerns for their children’s [...]
10th Annual Northern Ireland Childcare Cost Survey now OPEN! Calling all parents and childcare providers: Share your views on the provision of childcare in Northern Ireland, and the support available for parents and childcare providers. Employers For Childcare has opened the 10th Annual Childcare Cost Survey and needs [...]
A Crisis In Childhood Is Happening Every Day, All Around Us The Children’s Play Policy Forum has today issued a policy statement identifying a crisis in childhood and calling for more children’s play opportunities. The cancellation of public liability insurance for children’s playgrounds comes at a time when new [...]
A Children’s Commissioner’s report on the importance to children of play and physical activity We all remember the long hot summers of our childhood with endless warm days playing out and having fun with our friends from dawn until dusk. There is, of course, a serious chance that our [...]
Focusing on impact in your work is important as it helps define the difference you want to make and focus on how to gather evidence to funders to show you have made a difference. This is vitally important for our sector as there are ever decreasing resources and increasing [...]
On Thursday 10th March 2016 at the Cultra Manor, the biennial Four Nations Play Symposium was hosted by the Office of the First and deputy First Minister and supported by PlayBoard NI. This year marked the turn of Northern Ireland to host this significant and important event within the [...]
In 2013 PlayBoard’s Young Research Team (a group of children aged between 8 and 12 years) designed and undertook a peer research study with children from across Northern Ireland. The aim of the study was to identify the obstacles that children face in fulfilling their right to play. Informed [...]
In February 2013, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child adopted a new General Comment 17 on Article 31 (UNCRC). Article 31 of the Convention is a promise made by almost every government to children and young people. It says that children and young people have the [...]
Every parent knows that playing is good for children. And there is a growing body of solid evidence of the long-term benefits. Studies show that play projects: Are just as effective as sport and PE programmes in boosting physical activity levels and hence helping to tackle child [...]
