Playwork in Practice

This is a much-needed, relevant and timely text. For the last two decades, the playwork profession has moved beyond the confines of the adventure playground and this book captures the contribution of a playwork approach to the wider children’s workforce. – Alexandra Long, Course Director for BA (Hons) Childhood Development & Playwork, Leeds Beckett University, UK

Ali Wood is a freelance playwork consultant. She is currently a director of The Youth Opportunities Board Solihull, has co-managed Meriden Adventure Playground for the last several years and is a trustee of The Playwork Foundation. She has researched and written about all of these endeavours and both trained and assessed related qualifications. She is co-author, with Jacky Kilvington, of Reflective Playwork and Gender, Sex and Children’s Play.

Julia Sexton is Senior Lecturer in Childhood Studies at Sheffield Hallam University, UK. She is a trustee of Pitsmoor Adventure Playground and The Playwork Foundation. She has been involved in playwork for over 35 years, working in various play settings including playschemes, after school clubs, community projects, adventure playgrounds as well as being a playwork trainer and assessor. She has been a primary school teacher, a carer, a family support worker and worked in Special Education.

Jacky Kilvington (now retired) was originally an art teacher in school and a part-qualified, part-time youth worker. She also worked for community recreation as a playworker on holiday playschemes. Subsequently she developed a holiday club for the children of college students and ran an afterschool club. Throughout her career she has worked as a playwork consultant and has designed, written, delivered and assessed material for many of the national playwork qualification providers. She is co-author, with Ali Wood, of Reflective Playwork and Gender, Sex and Children’s Play.