Written question WQ85701

As I outlined in response to your previous Written Question, WQ85635, there is a Duty for local authorities to assess for, and secure sufficient, play opportunities for children and young people in their area. When the Play Sufficiency Duty was introduced, the Welsh Local Government Association agreed with the Welsh Government that it could be on a cost neutral basis with funding provided by the Welsh Government when it was available. The All Wales Play Opportunities grant was introduced for this purpose and when funding has been made available, local authorities have been able to use the grant to purchase accessible and inclusive play equipment.

My Officials met with Scope, the charity representing equality for disabled people in England and Wales, in May and explained the position for children’s play in Wales, which is different to the position in England. No capital budget was allocated for Play in 2022-23 but a bid will be put in if the opportunity arises. The 2020-21 £3m capital funding and the 2021-22 £5m capital funding awarded to local authorities was part of Covid recovery funding. The Play Sufficiency Assessment (PSA) Duty is one of the aspects being considered as part of my Ministerial Review of Play, which I hope to receive feedback from later this year.

The Statutory Guidance to local Authorities - Wales: a Play Friendly Country sets out the nine Matters they need to take into account. Matter C – Space available for children to play, directs local authorities to recognise that all open spaces within their area are potentially important areas where children can play or pass through to reach other play areas or places where they go. The Play Sufficiency Assessment (PSA) toolkit criteria requires local authorities to undertake access audits at all designated play spaces and implement proposals to improve access and safety.

We do not deem it is necessary to ring-fence funding for Summer of Fun activities specifically for disabled children as our grant funding conditions link to the PSA duty. Therefore, local authorities are required to consider local requirements, identified within their Play Sufficiency Assessments and annual Action Plans, when planning their Summer of Fun initiatives.

The evaluation of the Summer of Fun 2021 published in December 2021, recommended “enhanced reach and inclusivity for 16 to 25 year olds, children with ALN and disabilities and of Welsh medium provision”. The evaluation of the Summer of Fun 2022 will be carried out in-house and we have simplified the monitoring requirements by requesting information local authorities already collect for their own monitoring purposes. As part of the funding conditions, local authorities must ensure that they submit all the provider information on play opportunities provided and the take up. We have requested specific information on inclusive play opportunities.

Matter H - Community engagement and participation directs local authorities to consult widely with children, their families, and other stakeholders on their views on play provision. In addition, the PSA toolkit criteria requires local authorities to promote initiatives to engage relevant groups in enhancing play opportunities for children in its area. Local authorities have sought the views of disabled children and young people as part of this process.

When completing the full PSA template every 3 years, under each Matter local authorities must reflect on their systems and processes, outlining if there have been any challenges and how these have been overcome. I am expecting an update from my Officials on the 2022 local authority PSA returns in the Autumn.