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WQ.151/2024
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
BY DEPUTY H.M. MILES OF ST. BRELADE
QUESTION SUBMITTED ON MONDAY 22nd APRIL 2024 ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON MONDAY 29th APRIL 2024
Question
“Regarding Proposal 29 within the Bridging Island Plan (March 2022), will the Minister advise what progress has been made, if any, in developing a play strategy for the Island?”
Answer
Early in 2023, there was an agreement initially between CYPES Ministerial team and Economy and Sport that the development of a Play Strategy for Jersey would be a positive step in recognising and prioritising children’s play across the Island. Two officers representing Sport/Economy and CYPES, both with relevant knowledge, interest and passion who tasked with initiating this work. A Strategy Group with members from a range of Gov.je departments, including Planning, Economy, IHE, CYPES was convened to progress this.
In May 2023 officers met with the Youth Parliament and research and work was undertaken to discover the scope of developing Jersey’s Play Strategy. It was agreed that the writing of an all-encompassing policy for play would be a huge undertaking. It was evident that play has been high on the agenda in many other jurisdictions and that Big Lottery funding had been provided to local councils in the UK as part of their Play Strategy.
To progress, it was agreed that a Play Policy should come first, to take the development of a Strategy to the next level, which officers felt would be a full-time role for somebody with specialist knowledge. A draft Play Policy received Ministerial approval and I am aware that CYPES offered support to progress this further. Unfortunately, due to the changes in COM and the need to prioritise, this has not been progressed but that is not because I am uncommitted. It remains an important area of development that I am keen to support in my role as Minister for the Environment as I am fully aware of the impact that outdoor play opportunities have on the physical, emotional, and social wellbeing of children of all ages.