Creating Child Friendly Communities - accessible venues, affordable price, and advancing knowledge and competence.
CIHT, in conjunction with Play England ran a one day workshop which provided the opportunity for planning, transport and environment professionals to participate in a professional development programme.
The South East Workshop took place on 25 October at:
Venue:
Space@119
CIHT
119 Britannia Walk
London, N1 7JE
Details of the workshop:
Essential learning and development:
Play England, in collaboration with the CIHT were pleased to provide this CPD event for members of CIHT and allied professional bodies. Designed to make sure our environments are designed clearly with children in mind, this professional development session provided a practical and incisive guidance on how we can effectively plan and covered consultation/participation processes as well as tackling design and technical issues.
‘Thinking play’ is so much more than just considering playgrounds or ‘formal’ play spaces and it is important that professionals working in the built environment understand the importance of engagement with children in the design process right through to implementation in wider projects.
The importance of ‘planning in’ play, leisure and community space into local plan policy, neighbourhood plans, and into specific development sites early in the planning process has also been emphasised in the National Planning Policy Framework. With the Neighbourhood Planning Regulations and Community Right to Build processes now in place this workshop opportunity will allow professionals from private, public and voluntary/community sectors to come together and develop best practice in the way we engage with children – and create spaces that really work for them and the wider community.
The provisions of the Equality Act 2010 are also an important driver, as this covers age discrimination amongst other factors – so it is vitally important to ensure that children and young people are engaged and consulted properly. This workshop helped professionals consider new ways of ensuring children’s needs are recognised and met.
Building on previous success:
Building on a track record of course development as part of the national ‘Playshaper’ facilitation programme (2009-2010), the ‘Creating Child Friendly Communities’ message builds on previous training and development activities carried out in Cornwall, Bournemouth and Poole, and the London Borough of Islington around placemaking and play. Play England and CIHT have also run a series of very successful workshops with sessions run for Surrey County Council, Gloucestershire County Council and the Greater London Authority during 2011 and 2012.
Who attended:
The Creating Child Friendly Communities workshop was especially designed for consultancy, developers or public sector professionals who have a role in planning, designing and creating public spaces, including:
• Spatial planners
• Development control officers
• Transport planners
• Urban designers
• Highway designers and network managers
• Parks development officers
• Asset managers
• Landscape architects
• Regeneration officers
• Housing officers
•‘Designing out crime’ and community safety officers
Representatives from local community groups, play associations and those involved in neighbourhood planning (e.g. the DCLG/Communities ‘forerunnners’) were also encouraged to attend the sessions.
Local authorities were also encouraged to to bring along their planning, highways and property delivery partners– and for consultants to bring along their developer clients.
From feedback we know that this programme can have a high impact for very little outlay, resulting in better development solutions that put children and playable space ‘up front’ in the planning process.
Draft Workshop Programme:
9.00am - Registration & Tea/Coffee
9.30am - Introduction to Child Friendly Communities
How play has changed – making play personal
Impact of the Localism agenda, NPPF and neighbourhood planning
Importance of child-friendly consultation methods
10.15am - Understanding the role of play
Why play is important to community development and cohesion
The role of the local Play Strategy
Quality not Quantity
11.00am - Tea/Coffee
11.15am - Supporting and Enabling Child Friendly Communities
How play can be embedded in development planning
Technical guidelines and support – including Better Places to Play through Planning
Design for Play principles
What is possible – development management and policy case studies
12.00pm - Developing your Action Plan (Part 1)
SWOTS Analysis
12.45pm - Lunch
1.30pm - Making Child Friendly Communities Happen
Urban, suburban, mixed use and rural case studies to choose from
Modular exercises based on 20-30 mins each covering highways, transport, spatial planning, consultation, risk/health and safety, Section 106 Agreements/CIL and other topics
3.45pm - Developing your Action Plan (Part 2)
Shared responsibility and commitment
Budget and efficiencies
Recommended Quick Wins
Bricks in the Wall Commitments
4.30pm - Close
After the Workshop – ongoing professional development:
After attending the Creating Child Friendly Communities seminar, participants are encouraged to look at the Play England website and also utilise the archived CABE website which also provides some very helpful information by clicking here.
In particular, we encourage participants to look at Play England’s own ‘Better Places to Play through Planning’ guide after the event to help consolidate some of their learning experiences. Please click here.
Finally, we hope that delegates will take the opportunity to use the tools and guidance already in place to work with their colleagues and influence the development ‘child friendly’ solutions through the projects they are working on.
For all enquiries, please contact:
e: conferences@ciht.org.uk
t: +44 (0)20 7336 1570
Got a question?
t: +44 (0)20 7336 1555
e: info@ciht.org.uk