Reflections on the campaign for children’s right to play

Marguerite Hunter Blair CEO, Play Scotland

Itravelled from Straiton in Ayrshire to Straiton in Midlothian to join Play Scotland in January 2006, and because of the distance from home to work I had negotiated an unusual form of blended working. Looking back now, 2006 was a year of seismic changes that would shape the future of how we now live, work, play and communicate. Social media platforms, user-friendly browsers on the internet and increased accessibility, all were set to create a new way of working and communicating, online.

This way of connecting was a game changer for a small national organisation like Play Scotland, aiming to promote children’s right to play from Shetland to the Rhins of Galloway. We were able to harness the positive power of social media to raise awareness of the importance of play in children’s development.

This model of campaigning helped us to build relationships with new partners, politicians and the people of Scotland. The conventional media also played a significant role in carrying our messaging and reporting alarming stories about the significant contraction in children’s freedom to explore and play outdoors, and society’s move towards a risk averse ‘cotton wool culture’ which removed children’s power and ability to make choices for themselves.

We launched the Scottish Play Commission in 2007 to kick start a national conversation about the state of play and how best to respond as a country to the demise of play opportunities and the impact this was having on children’s health and wellbeing. At the launch of the findings in the Scottish Parliament the Minister for Children and Young People, Adam Ingram MSP, announced a £4m fund to help build the play sector. This was a fantastic breakthrough, but it was also clear from the evidence that we needed a national Play Strategy and a holistic approach to good planning for play. With a significant membership and following on social media, Play Scotland launched an online petition in 2012 calling for a statutory duty for children’s right to play. This received significant support, and as a result we were asked to provide written and oral evidence to the Petitions Committee at Holyrood. The Minister for Children and Young People, Aileen Campbell MSP, subsequently agreed to a national Play Strategy which she launched in 2013.

With a growing staff team, we moved office into Edinburgh and launched the Inclusive Play Charter in 2016 calling for Play Champions. The Play Charter was welcomed by Ruth Maguire MSP with a Motion and Debate in the Scottish Parliament, where there was clear cross-party support for policy change, children’s involvement in planning for play and more inclusive play provision.

The review of the Planning Act in 2017 presented a perfect opportunity for us to make progress in our long running campaign for a statutory duty for play, and we achieved this in the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019, which includes a legal duty for Play Sufficiency and Children’s Participation in Planning.

Social media was a game changer for a small national organisation like Play Scotland, helping us raise awareness of children’s right to play

After working on another long running campaign led by Together (an alliance of Scottish children’s charities) the children’s right to play was enshrined in law by the UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024. This ensures that the legal right of every child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities is considered and respected by all public bodies in Scotland. They also must engage with children and young people when creating policies affecting them, including public and play spaces.

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted us all at Play Scotland as we worked tirelessly to make the case for children’s play and highlight the negative impact of restrictions on children’s wellbeing, including their mental health. As a result, Scotland was the first in the UK to reopen its playgrounds. In a consultation carried out by the staff team for the Scottish Government, children told us they had missed their friends, fun, family and freedom to play. Children wanted more play and better play opportunities.

Children told us they had missed their friends, fun, family and freedom to play

This heartfelt response helped make the case for the Get into Summer play programme funded by the Scottish Government and led to the review of the national Play Strategy. In May 2021 the Government launched the Play Park Renewal Fund of £60m to upgrade children’s play parks all over Scotland.

In March, the First Minister John Swinney and Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes launched the new Play Vision Statement and Action Plan 2025-2030 and earmarked the remaining £25m of the Play Park Fund for Inclusive Play. It was a proud moment for me as the Chair of the review group and for Jenny Lester in our team as she explained to them how she had co-created the children’s version and posters with school children and a graphic artist.

We’ve now changed the focus of our work to the implementation of the legal framework and policies for play in Scotland. We deliver a range of innovative projects, training and events for families, schools and communities. Play Scotland still has an office in Edinburgh, but Covid accelerated many of the changes that had been taking shape since 2006. A blended form of working is the new norm. I wonder what the next seismic changes will bring!