London Play

Working for a capital where all children can play

Equal in Play?

In 2001 London Play commissioned research into barriers and examples of good practice in accessing play provision for children from minority ethnic communities.

The results of that research project culminated in the report Playing in Parallel published in 2002.

In 2006, London Play received a small grant from the Commission for Racial Equality under its Getting Results programme, for a follow-up survey "to determine and address some of the issues relating to race and children's play". The aim was to ascertain if any of the earlier recommendations had been followed up by play organisations and to identify barriers and good practice examples in the recruitment, training and promotion of staff from Black and other minority ethnic communities.

Equal in Play? written by Haki Kapasi from Inspire with additional research by Mandeep Rupra, highlights important issues regarding the involvement of Black and ethnic minority communities in London's play sector.

Jeremy Crook OBE, Director of the Black Training and Enterprise Group (BTEG), was the keynote speaker at London Play's conference on 21 November 2006 to launch Equal in Play?

He said:

I congratulate London Play on its efforts to make the capital's play sector more racially diverse. Today four out of 10 children are from Black and minority ethnic communities and the play sector's workforce should reflect this diversity and provide a more responsive service for all youngsters. We believe the report's recommendations are important and should be implemented.

Equal in Play? was funded by the Commission for Racial Equality under its Getting Results programme. Download an order form below.