Unite survey to uncover scale of cuts to play services in
the UK
28 February 2011
Unite, the union for community workers, youth workers and
playworkers, is calling on all 140,000 playworkers to fill in an
online survey to help uncover the true scale of the cuts to play
services, amid mounting evidence that council spending cuts are
hitting services for children and young people hardest of
all.
Throughout the UK, afterschool clubs, holiday playschemes and
community-based projects for children and young people, aged
between five and thirteen years old, are at risk of disappearing
fast, mirroring the fate of the youth service.
In yet another blow to the play sector, SkillsActive, the sector
skills council for active leisure, learning and well-being was told
on 25 February, that it had been unsuccessful in a major bid from
the Department of Education, which was needed to fund the play work
team in a project entitled, ‘improving outcomes for children and
young people and families.’
The loss of such an important source of funding could have a
devastating impact on the future of the service.
Around 140,000, predominately women, work in the play sector, which
aims to facilitate play for children in environments such as
adventure playgrounds or in outreach play ranger schemes in local
parks.
If you are a playworker and your service and/or job is at risk
Unite wants to hear from you. The survey is simple to complete, but
will give Unite the information it needs to fight this latest
attack. The online survey can be found at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RJRDQFB
Chris Martin, playwork co-convenor on the Unite national committee
of Community and Youth Workers, said: “There is growing evidence
that government cuts to council funding and the removal of
ring-fenced budgets for play services is leading to the widespread
closure of projects and massive redundancies, but without more
information it is difficult to gauge the impact on the
ground.
“Yet we know services are disappearing fast in the face of a
three-pronged attack which includes local authorities slashing back
on their own services, deep cuts to voluntary organisation funding,
while at the same time Big Lottery funding is soon to end.”
“It is low to middle income families who will be hardest hit by the
loss of such vital services. Time and again this government is
turning its back on services for children and young people. Let’s
make sure that the voice of the playworker is heard, add your voice
to Unite’s survey and join Unite now.”
Chris Martin will be presenting the award for playwork team of the
year at the National Playwork Conference on 1 March 2011 in
Eastbourne. Chris will also discuss why it is important to join a
trade union as the play sector reels from government cuts.
Ends
For more information please contact Kerry Jenkins 0121 643 6221
and/or Chantal Chegrinec at the Unite press office 0207 420 8964/
07774146777
