PlayBoard, the lead organisation for play in Northern Ireland has welcomed news of the impending resumption of the devolved administration at Stormont.
Welcoming the positive news, PlayBoard CEO Alan Herron said:
“The resumption of locally accountable government offers a significant opportunity for improving the lives of children and young people through the development and delivery of a Play Strategy for Northern Ireland.
Play is central to the lives of children and young people, and the development of a targeted play strategy would transform the landscape for play, enhancing children and young people’s lives and delivering significant developmental benefits. Such benefits include improved physical health and emotional well-being; improved language, learning and skills development, alongside support for social development and help to build community cohesion.
PlayBoard looks forward to engaging with local political representatives in order to make a play strategy a reality for children and young people across Northern Ireland.”
The need for a play strategy was recently highlighted as a key priority for Northern Ireland by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, whilst the development of a play strategy would echo developments in Wales and Scotland which have been shown to deliver significant benefits for children, young people, families and communities.