Publication - Advice and guidance

Play: vision statement and action plan 2025 to 2030

Published: 24 March 2025
Directorate: Children and Families Directorate, +3 more … Early Learning and Childcare Directorate, Planning, Architecture and Regeneration Directorate, Tackling Child Poverty and Social Justice Directorate
Topic: Building, planning and design, Children and families, Communities and third sector, +1 more … Health and social care
ISBN: 9781836913528

Vision statement and action plan designed to reflect the vision of play for Scotland for the next five years and the steps we will take within that time to achieve our vision and aim.

Supporting documents

Footnotes

1 https://www.ipascotland.org/ipaglasgow2023

2 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child - UNICEF UK

3 What is the promise?

4 https://childrensplaypolicyforum.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/including-disabled-children-in-play-provision-2022.pdf

5 ibid

6 Elsley (2021) Children and young people’s consultation 2021: MPlay in a COVID-19 context. Edinburgh: Play Scotland.

7 Burns, V. and Irvine, C. (2011) “I’d play all night and day if I could”: A Report on Children’s Views on their Right to Play. Edinburgh: The International Play Association and Children’s Parliament.

8 ibid

9 https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/272603/9789241514064-eng.pdf?sequence=1

10 Early child development transformational change programme - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

11 Bushby, R. (2021). Perspectives on Play: The role of play in breaktimes and transition to Secondary school. Learning through Landscapes and Play Scotland

12 The role of play in children’s development: a review of the evidence. Whitebread, D. et.al. (2017)

13 Learning through Play: a review of the evidence. Zosh, J.M., et.al. (2017)

14 Making the Case for Play Policy: Research-Based Reasons to Support Play-Based Environments. Stegelin, D.A. (2005)

15 https://www.childrensparliament.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Right-to-play-report-for-web.pdf

16 Ryan, C., & Pérez-Duarte Mendiola, P. (In press). Play Across the Life Course: An Anthropology of Play in Childhood and Old Age. In Linking Ages: A Dialogue between Childhood and Ageing Research/ Edited By Anna Wanka, Tabea Freutel-Funke, Sabine Andresen and Frank Oswald. (1st ed., pp. 135–147). Routledge.

17 https://www.unicef.org/media/52626/file and https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/content/dam/global/reports/uncrc-child-friendly-version1.pdf

18 https://www.gov.scot/publications/united-nations-convention-rights-child-scottish-government-initial-response-concluding-observations-issued-un-committee-rights-child/pages/2/

19 https://www.childrensparliament.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Right-to-play-report-for-web.pdf

20 https://www.childrensparliament.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Right-to-play-report-for-web.pdf

21 Place Standard Tool for Children and Young People | Our Place

22 Guidance on taking a children’s human rights approach (www.gov.scot)

23 Play-Scotland-Play-Strategy-Review-Play-in-Covid-2021.pdf (playscotland.org)

24 State-of-Play-in-Scotland-2023.pdf (playscotland.org)

25 State-of-Play-in-Scotland-2023.pdf (playscotland.org)

26 Play strategy for Scotland: our vision - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

27 Case study provided by Early Years Scotland

28 Child poverty cumulative impact assessment: update - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

29 Best Start, Bright Futures: tackling child poverty delivery plan 2022 to 2026 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

30 Renewing Scotland’s play parks - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

31 https://www.gov.scot/news/summer-support-for-children/

32 https://www.gov.scot/news/get-into-summer/

33 Increasing free early learning and childcare - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

34 1. Introduction to our delivery framework - School age childcare delivery framework - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

35 School age childcare: national children’s charter - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

36 https://www.ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data/media-literacy-research/childrens/childrens-media-lives

37 https://www.thebongles.com/thecraftycrows

38 Dahl, S. and Aubrey, C. (2005) Children’s Views: What the Children of Bright Eyes Nursery Think about the Play and Learning Opportunities Available in their Setting. Coventry: University of Warwick.

39 https://www.csap.cam.ac.uk/media/uploads/files/1/david-whitebread---importance-of-play-report.pdf

40 https://www.gov.scot/publications/physical-activity-health-framework/

41 https://education.gov.scot/media/3bjpr3wa/realisingtheambition.pdf

42 https://www.parentclub.scot/

43 https://www.nss.nhs.scot/media/1997/hbn-23-oct-2014.pdf

44 00493571.pdf (www.gov.scot)

45 https://www.nss.nhs.scot/media/1973/hbn-03-02-sep-2018.pdf

46 https://thriveoutdoors.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Free-to-Play-Guide-to-Accessible-and-Inclusive-Play-Spaces-Casey-Harbottle-2018.pdf

47 https://www.inspiringscotland.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/National-Position-Statement-Dec-2020.pdf

48 https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-government-planning-guidance-play-sufficiency-assessment/pages/5/

49 National Planning Framework 4 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

50 https://www.gov.scot/publications/physical-activity-health-framework/