Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 31 October 2013
31 Oct 2013 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Play Strategy Action Plan
I am pleased to contribute to this important debate on the Scottish Government’s play strategy and the wider efforts that are being made to ensure that Scotland is the best place in the world to grow up. I whole-heartedly agree with the Scottish Government that play is vital from the early ages and stages of a child’s life and that engaging in fun educational activity is hugely beneficial to the health and wellbeing of our youngest citizens.
It is undeniable that encouraging our children to become active and interact with their peers is a core part of the educational journey that begins long before their introduction to primary school. Children learn to play before they learn to walk or talk, and it is our collective responsibility to ensure that their experiences are of good quality and are meaningful.
Encouragement of play among children depends not on any single factor but on genuine investment in every area of a child’s life. Play should be a focus in formal and informal environments. It should be a priority in schools and in the home. Parents, teachers, health professionals and others should all play a role in the development of our children. It is down to us to ensure that our youngest generation has the resources to get the most out of its formative years.
Programmes such as getting it right for every child and the named person scheme for looked-after young people are well intentioned and—if they are appropriately resourced—can be exceptional tools to increase the quality of life for Scotland’s young people. However, without adequate investment, they can only ever be commendable aspirations that make little difference to the lives of our most vulnerable children.
To implement many of the policy initiatives fully, front-line workers—whether in the voluntary sector, education, social work or health—will need more time with each child and greater readily available resources to support the invaluable work that they carry out daily. I want those initiatives to be as successful as possible. The uncomfortable truth is that that requires serious investment in our schools, social work services and national health service alongside—which is most important—increased support for parents.
I am confident that the whole Parliament joins me in aspiring to a reality in which all children have the same opportunity for play in their formative years and in which no young person suffers as a result of a lack of resources in their home life or their time at school. To achieve that, we must prioritise young people in Scotland and further invest in the services that make the most significant difference to our children and their biggest supporters.
15:40
It is undeniable that encouraging our children to become active and interact with their peers is a core part of the educational journey that begins long before their introduction to primary school. Children learn to play before they learn to walk or talk, and it is our collective responsibility to ensure that their experiences are of good quality and are meaningful.
Encouragement of play among children depends not on any single factor but on genuine investment in every area of a child’s life. Play should be a focus in formal and informal environments. It should be a priority in schools and in the home. Parents, teachers, health professionals and others should all play a role in the development of our children. It is down to us to ensure that our youngest generation has the resources to get the most out of its formative years.
Programmes such as getting it right for every child and the named person scheme for looked-after young people are well intentioned and—if they are appropriately resourced—can be exceptional tools to increase the quality of life for Scotland’s young people. However, without adequate investment, they can only ever be commendable aspirations that make little difference to the lives of our most vulnerable children.
To implement many of the policy initiatives fully, front-line workers—whether in the voluntary sector, education, social work or health—will need more time with each child and greater readily available resources to support the invaluable work that they carry out daily. I want those initiatives to be as successful as possible. The uncomfortable truth is that that requires serious investment in our schools, social work services and national health service alongside—which is most important—increased support for parents.
I am confident that the whole Parliament joins me in aspiring to a reality in which all children have the same opportunity for play in their formative years and in which no young person suffers as a result of a lack of resources in their home life or their time at school. To achieve that, we must prioritise young people in Scotland and further invest in the services that make the most significant difference to our children and their biggest supporters.
15:40
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Tricia Marwick)
NPA
Good afternoon. The first item of business is a debate on motion S4M-08099, in the name of Aileen Campbell, on the play strategy action plan.
The Minister for Children and Young People (Aileen Campbell)
SNP
Maria Montessori said that “Play is the work of the child.” If we are a country that truly wants to become the best place to grow up in, we need to become a ...
Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab)
Lab
On the UNCRC, is the minister still considering changing the wording in the Children and Young People (Scotland) Bill to “having due regard to” as opposed to...
Aileen Campbell
SNP
The Education and Culture Committee has taken a lot of evidence on that, and the process will be on-going through the stages of the bill. We are certainly ve...
Mark McDonald (Aberdeen Donside) (SNP)
SNP
Does the minister take a view on the prevalence of “No ball games” signs in many areas, which often act as a deterrent to outdoor play for children and which...
Aileen Campbell
SNP
Absolutely. As I said, people should view open spaces as being equally for the benefit of children across the country and should allow children to access the...
Liz Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Con
I doubt that anybody will quibble with the central ethos of the play strategy that we are debating this afternoon, as it goes without saying that play is par...
Aileen Campbell
SNP
I take on board Liz Smith’s points. I know that we have an ideological difference when it comes to the approaches in the bill, but she is keen on culture cha...
Liz Smith
Con
I thank the minister. I do not disagree with that. There are some deep-seated issues, and I heard the minister say earlier that she believes that in some sit...
Jayne Baxter (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab)
Lab
I am pleased to open for the Labour Party in this debate and to welcome the publication of the Scottish Government’s play strategy and action plan. I have wo...
Aileen Campbell
SNP
I made it clear in my opening speech that the strategy was not just about the play sector but about bringing lots of different departments together. For exam...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Elaine Smith)
Lab
I must ask Jayne Baxter to draw to a close.
Jayne Baxter
Lab
Okay. I thank the minister for her comments.There are some big aspirations in the action plan, and I hope that the minister will return to the chamber in the...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
We now come to the open debate. I remind members that if they wish to speak in the debate, they should press their request-to-speak buttons. That is particul...
George Adam (Paisley) (SNP)
SNP
I welcome this debate and the Government’s play strategy action plan. The Scottish Government says that it wants Scotland to be the best place in the world t...
Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab)
Lab
I thank the minister for bringing this debate to the chamber, and particularly for her excellent timing. I do not imagine that I am the only one here who wil...
Liz Smith
Con
Ken Macintosh has made an exceptionally valid point. Does he agree that we should be concerned when what I would call common sense about some children’s play...
Ken Macintosh
Lab
I entirely agree with that point, and I might get the chance later to talk about the risk-averse culture. Yes, there are stories of people banning conkers an...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
I remind members that speeches should be of six minutes. I call Mark McDonald, to be followed by James Dornan.15:17
Mark McDonald (Aberdeen Donside) (SNP)
SNP
On 7 August, part of the city centre of Aberdeen was essentially turned into a playground, with 250 to 300 children participating in the Aberdeen national pl...
James Dornan (Glasgow Cathcart) (SNP)
SNP
There is no doubt that there are clear long-term economic and social benefits attached to play, and that investing in children’s play is one of the most impo...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
Before Christian Allard begins, I remind members to address one other by their full names, not only because that is required by protocol, but because it make...
Christian Allard (North East Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
I welcome the Scottish Government’s action plan. We judge a society by how it looks after its children. As many members have mentioned, we have a lot to lear...
Anne McTaggart (Glasgow) (Lab)
Lab
I am pleased to contribute to this important debate on the Scottish Government’s play strategy and the wider efforts that are being made to ensure that Scotl...
Fiona McLeod (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP)
SNP
It is extremely important that the minister talked about the fact that article 31 of the UNCRC mentions that every child has the right to play. That is the r...
Stewart Maxwell (West Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
It is too easy to dismiss play as a trivial activity for children. The reality is that play is about much more than just having fun. Like many other members,...
Mary Fee (West Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
Like all my colleagues in the chamber, I fully support the development of a national play strategy. Play and recreation are essential to the health and wellb...
Aileen Campbell
SNP
I have a constructive point to make. I hope that Mary Fee would welcome the early years task force, which is the group that administers the change fund. Fami...
Mary Fee
Lab
I thank the minister for that clarity. Those families are an important section of society, and I am pleased that they will not be overlooked.I fully support ...
Richard Lyle (Central Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
I support the play strategy, as a father and grandfather. My grandson Ruaridh is now a year and a half old, and he teaches his grandfather how to play—of cou...