Repeated training courses and conferences
Play: The Sense in the Nonsense provided for: Flintshire County Council (2022), Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council (2017 & 2020), Eureka! The National Children’s Museum (2018), Doncaster and Barnsley Outstanding Childcare and Early Years Educators Group, Manchester Young Lives, Doncaster NHS Training hub.
Scary Fun: Managing Risk in Children’s Play provided for: Manchester Young Lives, Play Scotland (2017), Play Wales Spirit conference, Play Northern Ireland, National Playwork Conference in Eastbourne, Barnsley MBC (2015), Barnsley Outstanding Childcare and Early Years Educators Group, Manchester City Council.
Home Life – a conference focusing on creating the conditions for more playful homelives. Designed and delivered by Ludicology for Conwy, Wrexham, Flintshire, Ynys Mon, Gwyneth and Merthyr Tydfil Local Authorities (2018).
Bespoke professional development projects
Play Wales. Development of a risk management toolkit and associated training for adults working in settings where children play. Due to be completed in 2023.
Play Wales. Development of a training package to support policy makers and practitioners in understanding play sufficiency. Completed 2022.
Flintshire County Council. Online training for educators, The Power of Play: Compliment, Consolidate and Compensate. Completed 2021.
Flintshire County Council. Development and delivery of playwork training to the local authority’s summer playscheme team. Completed 2015 and 2021.
Play Wales. Seminar on neighbourhood play sufficiency assessments for the playworkers form. Completed 2021.
Wrexham County Borough Council. Planning and delivery of the Valuing Childhood in Wrexham conference. Completed 2020.
Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. Development and delivery of two conferences aimed at improving support for children’s play in home and school environments. Completed 2019.
Play Wales. Co-production of three ‘Play and Public Health’ conferences across Wales. Completed 2018.
Play Wales. Co-production of two ‘School Life’ conferences delivered in Flintshire and Blaenau Gwent. Completed 2018.
Conferences presentations and keynotes
Playing and Being Well: A review of recent research into children’s play, social policy and practice (with Dr Wendy Russell) – Triannual International Play Association Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, 2023.
Mapping children’s play in Chester city centre – Triannual International Play Association Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, 2023.
Assessing and securing play sufficiency in three rural Welsh communities – Triannual International Play Association Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, 2023.
Playing with and within Uncertainty – International Play Association European Conference: Playing Within Uncertainty and for Challenge (2021).
Play Sufficiency: Supporting Children’s Right to Play – Children and Childhood Network Conference: The Power of Play, University of Birmingham (2021)
Was there always a Meerkat under the Elephant? – Playful Planet and the University of Birmingham Conference: Play 2021: A conference on children, play and space (2021)
Play Sufficiency in the Built Environment – Making Cities Child Friendly in the Post Pandemic: Play and Public Space, IPA India (2021).
Leeds City Council, Keynote presentation at the launch of the Leeds play promises. Completed 2020.
RIBA. Speakers at a symposium on children’s play as part of the Brutalist Playground exhibition. 2019
Doing Play Sufficiency – European Network of Child Friendly Cities conference in Bristol (2019).
Improving Play Sufficiency and the Role of the Play Workforce – presentation at the Valuing Childhood conference in Wrexham (2019).
Developing and Sharing Knowledge to Better Support Play – presentation to students and staff of the Doctorate in Education and Child Psychology at The University of Manchester (2019).
Play Sufficiency and its Implications for Playwork – keynote at the Manifesto for Play policy roadshow for Play England and the Playwork Foundation at Sycamore Adventure Playground in Dudley (2019).
Play Sufficiency: an Organising Principle for Child Friendly Cities – presentation at the Green Party national conference in Bristol (2018).
What’s the Role of Playwork Directly and Remotely in Co-creating Conditions for Playing? – presentation at the National Playwork Conference in Eastbourne (2018).
Assessing Play Sufficiency in Wrexham, North East Wales – presentation at ‘Children’s Play in the Urban Environment’ a Child in the City conference in London; as part of a symposium on Children’s Access to their Right to Play at the International School Psychology Association Annual Conference at the University of Manchester; Building Tools for Play seminar in Edinburgh; Child in the City Conference Copenhagen; Play and Playwork: Research and Practice conference at Leeds Beckett University.
Exploring Play Sufficiency Through the Voices of Children – presentation at the Spirit conference in Cardiff and the Play and Playwork: Research and Practice conference at Leeds Beckett University.
Play Sufficiency, an Organising Principle for Child Friendly Cities – presentation as part of the Child Friendly Cities symposium at the Green Party National Conference in Bristol.
Beyond Assessment, Securing Sufficient Opportunities for Play in Wrexham, Wales – Child in the City Conference: Play, mobility and children’s culture (2014).