Playing in Parallel
There are many obstacles facing London children's access to safe places to play. Some of them are physical or environmental, but others are social or cultural.
The Mayor's State of London's Children report found that access to outdoor space was more restricted for children from ethnic minorities. It also found that play has a key role for children in compensating for the income based inequalities which are still so prevalent in the capital. Black and minority ethnic groups make up 41% of London's child population. Nearly half of all children.
Playing in Parallel is a study of access to play provision by black and minority children in London. It was commissioned by London Play to provide a 'snapshot' study of play provision for black and minority children aged 5 to 12. The study was carried out between April and July 2001 in two London boroughs - Waltham Forest and Westminster - and includes statutory and voluntary provision.
It is hoped that the Playing in Parallel report will be a valuable guide to all those concerned with improving the quality of, and access to, play provision for black and minority children even if their projects already reflect a multi-racial and multi-cultural user base.
Playing in Parallel includes information on:
- research methods
- patterns of use of play provision by children
- staff
- outreach
- race and play projects
- race and organisations
- black and minority disabled children
- project atmosphere
- cultural identity
- community led schemes
- Salma's story - the story of Salma a playworker who works with Asian families who have disabled children
In 2006, London Play was successful in obtaining a grant from the Commission for Racial Equality to examine the effectiveness of the report in bringing down barriers to play for Black and minority ethnic children.
