Playwork is a highly skilled profession that enriches and enhances children’s play. The role of a playworker is to support all children and young people in the creation of a space in which they can play.
Check out the National Careers Service to find out more about entry requirements, skills, salary and career progression.
If you would like to get trained or qualified, there are a number of routes.
Training
Play Way is a two-day, accredited course run by Oxfordshire Play Association. Find out more here.
For other training courses, visit SkillsActive Quality Training portal. Just type ‘Playwork’ in the search engine.
Qualifications
CACHE Levels 2 to 5 in Playwork
However, CACHE Level 2 Award and Certificate, the Level 3 Award and Level 4 Award and Certificate have been closed to new registrations.
City & Guilds Levels 2 to 5 in Playwork
However, registration for the City and Guilds Level 2 Diploma in Playwork has also closed and the final date for registering for a Level 3 and Level 5 Diploma is 30 November 2017.
Play England is encouraging all those who support quality play provision, to lobby CACHE and City & Guilds to extend registrations for these courses. For more details click here.
Degree and post-graduate degree courses
Leeds Beckett University
BA (Hons) Childhood Development and Playwork, which includes 720 hours fieldwork practice. Students who successfully complete the first two years of this degree are awarded a FdA (Foundation Degree) in Playwork (a vocational qualification that requires a significant practice element)
Masters by Research – a Masters level qualification by supervised independent study
PhD – a doctoral level qualification by supervised independent study
Leeds Beckett University also offers, in collaboration with the Academy of Play and Child Psychotherapy (APAC), a full programme of postgraduate courses in play therapy – at Certificate, Diploma and Masters level.
Find out more here.
Gloucestershire University offers a wide range of opportunities for practitioners to engage in further enquiry into children’s play.
Find out more here.
Playwork jobs
Jobs are advertised in a number of on-line publications and websites:
IpDip (weekly Playwork journal) – it’s free to subscribe!