PlayBoard NI

Play Services

Providing What You Need

Welcome to PlayBoard NI, the lead organisation for the development and promotion of children’s play in Northern Ireland. At PlayBoard, we understand that every client is different and as such we can customise programmes to suit your requirements.

Since 1985 we have supported thousands of businesses and individuals and we are confident we are the right organisation for you. We are focused on building strong, long lasting relationships based on high quality support, training and advice.

PlayBoard offers professional training and development services to help inspire and motivate your staff to achieve higher performance.

  • These can be tailored to your exact needs.

  • Perfect for individual staff or teams.

We pride ourselves on responding quickly to queries and providing guidance on all your individual requirements.

PlayBoard offers a range of play consultancy and bespoke training services aimed at supporting you to:

  • Ensure the play needs of children and young people are met.

  • Upskill staff on best practice in play and play development.

  • Better understand and identify the play needs of children and young people within local communities, and in a range of settings including childcare settings, youth settings, community groups and after-school clubs.

  • Ensure the play needs of children and young people are considered as part of the policy development process.

  • Recognise the impact of your decision making on promoting or restricting children and young people’s play and how you can include them in the decision-making process.

  • Target capital and revenue investment in play to achieve maximum impact.

We can provide delivery services and training that is suitable to your needs.

Play Consultancy Services

Not sure what specific type of support you need or what would be most effective approach? PlayBoard is able to offer a bespoke consultancy service aimed at meeting your unique requirements as they relate to all aspects of play and play provision. Contact us for free consultation on your play delivery needs.

Play Strategy Development

PlayBoard has been to the fore in leading the play agenda regionally and locally for many years, playing a central role in the development of the Executive and local government play strategies. Given our unique expertise, we are able to support councils to develop coherent play strategies that meet the needs of children and young people and deliver for play.

GIS Mapping and Demographic Analysis of Play Need

Mapping fixed play provision and underlying demographic patterns is an essential first step in establishing a strategic approach to meeting play need. PlayBoard is able to offer a GIS Mapping and demographic analysis service supporting you to make informed decisions regarding both current and future play requirements.

Play Project Development and Delivery

With extensive experience in developing and delivering play projects within communities, PlayBoard is able to offer a range of innovative approaches to meeting play need including Street Play and Open/Green Spaces Play. Our fully trained and experienced play development officers are able to work with communities to enhance local play opportunities, transforming drab locations into places for play.  We can deliver tailor-made practical solutions that suit your needs.

Fixed Play

Before investing in fixed play, it is critical to have a clear understanding of community views on a range of issues including proposed location, play type and the level of local demand. PlayBoard’s experience in developing and delivering community consultation surveys and events can help to ensure you have the all the information you need to meet the play need whilst maximising the impact of capital investment in fixed play.

Business Development In Your Childcare Setting

PlayBoard’s childcare programmes provides tailored support to any childcare setting as well as School Aged Childcare providers based on their needs, building their capacity to meet the minimum standards required for the service.

Support offered to groups can include business development support, marketing, staff support and development, working with parents, the provision of quality play opportunities, and bespoke training in the playwork approach.

Quality In Play

PlayBoard have developed a Quality in Play programme that will take you and your staff team through a process that identifies what quality in play looks like, what steps you can take to raise the quality of your play provision, and support you as you put these actions into place. Depending on need, this may involve directed training on the following quality indicators:

  • Play

  • Physical Environment

  • Participation

  • Partnerships

  • Policy development

  • Professional service

PlayBoard’s Quality in Play Award will indicate good quality play!

Other childcare setting programmes we can tailor to your needs:

  • Understanding the minimum standards

  • Understanding and improving your role in providing a play setting for children

  • Programme planning for play

  • Enhancing your play environment (How to improve the play space for children and young people)

Bespoke Services To Meet Your Training Needs

Ready to increase your skills?

We can provide training that is suitable to your needs whether this is delivered in-house at your workplace, off-site at a more suitable location or online.

Our bespoke training is purpose-built and designed around your needs.

We deliver interactive, fun, thought-provoking training that will raise your staff team’s energy, morale and motivation.

Practical Play

Who’s it for?

For all practitioners who work with children and young people in a range of settings where play happens.

What you’ll get:

  • A good understanding of what play is

  • An opportunity to engage in play

  • Lots of practical ideas to help play happen with the children and young people you care for.

Embedding the Playwork Principles

Who’s it for?

Practitioners involved in early years settings who wish to develop their skills in providing an effective play environment for school aged children.

What you’ll get:

  • An exploration of our principles – the codes that we use in everyday life

  • An understanding of the eight Playwork Principles and how they impact practice

  • An understanding of children and young people’s self-directed play

  • An understanding of the organisational framework for play

  • An understanding of the role of the worker/adult in facilitating play.

Outdoor Play

Who’s it for?

For all practitioners who work with children and young people in a range of settings where play happens.

What you’ll get:

  • A recognition of the importance and value of play outdoors

  • An opportunity to review your outdoor play

  • Rethinking outdoor space in your setting and your community

  • Practical ideas to create outdoor play spaces indoors!

Children’s Participation

Who’s it for?

For all practitioners who work with children and young people.

What you’ll get:

  • An understanding of the importance of involving children and young people in the decisions and activities that relate to them

  • How participation relates to the UNCRC and the Playwork Principles

  • Practical ideas about putting participation into practice with a range of age groups in relation to play.

Physical Play Health And Well-being

Who’s it for?

Practitioners who wish to incorporate physical play when supporting children and young people.

What you’ll get:

  • An understanding of the benefits of physical play for children’s concentration, motivation for learning, brain development, social skills, muscular development and coordination

  • An understanding of the links between physical activity and making healthy choices in relation to food

  • How to plan for physical play

  • How and when to facilitate physical games (especially those that encourage the early athletic skills of running, throwing and jumping) and how to adapt them to meet various needs (i.e. age, ability, space, resources)

  • How to develop physical play both indoors and outdoors through inventive, stimulating and age appropriate activities.

Bridge To Management

Who’s it for?

Settings who are struggling to recruit a Leader and/or Deputy Leader’s post. As an interim measure, your local Trust may permit another member of staff (usually qualified at QCF Level 3) to act up in the role temporarily. This training will provide information on the key management aspects of that role to help those Level 3 staff fulfil the duties of a Leader/Deputy more effectively.

This interactive training is also available to anyone currently qualified at Level 3 who may be considering undertaking Level 5 in the near future.

What you’ll get:

  • An insight into a Leader/Deputy role and the skills and confidence to help you meet the daily demands of that role

  • An understanding of the recruitment process and what’s involved in getting the right staff

  • An understanding of the induction process

  • An understanding of the importance of developing staff, looking at Support & Supervision and Appraisals

  • An awareness of leadership versus management

  • An awareness of how to manage potential conflicts and host staff meetings

  • An understanding of the process of Reviewing Policies & Procedures

  • An understanding of the Fit Person Assessment and the Inspection process from start to finish.

We help businesses like yours achieve your goals for play. Our expert professionals will partner with your business to deliver tailor-made practical solutions, fast.

Reward, inspire and develop your team in best play practice.  Contact us now!