What is Play Shaper

Play Shaper is a national professional development programme for senior managers involved in the planning, design, and management of our communities.

Play Shaper helps you to understand the importance of children’s play, and to enhance your role in creating child-friendly public spaces. Making play a priority helps professionals create healthier, happier communities.

Additionally, Play Shaper events provide a unique opportunity for local authorities, Children’s Trusts and their partners to work together to make England the best place in the world for children to grow up.

Play Shaper seminars

By March 2011, every top tier local authority in England will be offered a one-day professional development seminar.

This Play Shaper seminar helps Local Strategic Partnerships focus on how they can create more child-friendly communities and implement the Statutory Guidance to Children’s Trusts.

Working with local authorities and the full range of partners, Play Shaper supports the development of effective and sustainable approaches to play across the whole public realm.

The programme emphasises how investing in play can help achieve the targets and priorities of professionals working in planning, health and safety, education, health, regeneration, the voluntary and community sector, and the police.

A special module for those working specifically in the built environment, ‘Placemaking and Play’, will be offered in selected areas.

Play Shaper is being delivered by a partnership led by Play England, with Playwork Partnerships and SkillsActive, under contract to the Department for Education.

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Play Shaper online learning

Use the online learning environment after you have participated in a Play Shaper seminar. You can access learning materials, online discussions and an assessment quiz that accredits your continuing professional development.

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