Fair Play for Children’s Freedom of Information Questions brings in answers on Local Education Authority compliance with legal requirements re Play and Youth provision.
by Jan Cosgrove, FPfC National Secretary
As a prelude to Fair Play 50 next year (our 50th Anniversary), Fair Play for Children (FPfC) has launched a Freedom of Information exercise to include every English and Welsh LEA, based on their legal obligations concerning provision of play and youth, sufficiency etc.
The process is ongoing and there will be a full Report published in due course — a good proportion of responses have been received, cursory examination shows an expected diversity of responses.
Fair Play 50 will not only mark 50 years of activity and campaigning by FPfC, but set the pace ahead. Fair Play will be focusing on the State of Play and what has to be done to ensure our children and young people get what they need. Take an example — in West Sussex where I live, the LEA has all but demolished the Youth Service, Centres are being discarded and “put out to tender”. In my view, the County Council has done all it can to wriggle out of its obligations over a decade or more, even a £1 million Youth Centre built with Lottery money fo open access provision is going, the question is, will it be given over to the voluntary and community sector for youth work purposes? Fair Play will be taking this matter up with the Lottery shortly.
This cut back culture is being revealed in the FoI survey. An issue arising is what monitoring is there by central government to measure compliance? So far, FPfC detects a void in this crucial matter. Pass what laws and obligations you will, but how do you measure compliance?
The following is the FoI. FPfC News will update this story over coming weeks and months.
Freedom of Information Request
This Request is directed to the Local Education Authority. Reference is made to S.507a 507b and 508 of the Education Act 1996, as amended by the Education and Training Act 2006. A document on this has been published by Fair Play for Children and can be located at this link:
http://www.fairplay31.epizy.com/pdf/1363944956.pdf
jancosgrove1945@gmail.com (not shared) Switch accounts
*Required
Name of Local Education Authority (LEA) or equivalent *
Your answer
Name of contact *
Your answer
Telephone and email (optional)
Your answer
Does your Authority have a Division/Section specifically geared to deal with the requirements of s508, s507a and s507b of the Education Act 1996, as amended *
Yes
No
Does your Authority have a specific Play/Youth or Play & Youth section(s) *
Yes
No
Other:
Did it have such a section in the past or equivalent *
Yes
No
Other:
Does your Authority provide its own youth clubs with reference to s508 and s507b *
Yes
No
It did in the past
Other:
Does your Authority support other organisations youth clubs with regard to s508c and s507b *
Yes
No
It did in the past
Other:
Has your Authority cut financial support from the provision in the 2 questions above since 2015 *
Yes
No
Other:
How many youth clubs does your Authority provide directly *
Your answer
How many did it run in 2015 *
Your answer
How many youth groups run by other bodies did it support financially in 2015 and how many in 2019 *
Your answer
With regard to S508 (2) please tick any of the out-of-school provision below run or funded by your Authority in 2019 *
Youth Club/Group
Youth sports provision
Youth arts provision
Youth information services
Holiday activities for 13+ age range
Holidays for 13+ age group
Special needs recreational provision for 13+ age group
Mobile youth provision
Adventure playgrounds
Other:
Regarding s507a (under 13) what out-of-school did your authority provide or support in 2019 — tick those that apply *
After-school/weekend club/playscheme etc
Holiday playschemes/activities
Sports activities
Arts activities
Holidays
Special needs activities
Mobile play facility
Adventure playground
Stay and Play provision, Toy Clubs etc
Other:
Affordability and accessibility- does the Authority have policy/guidelines relating to the activities in all the preceding questions especially re access by children and young people from low income families and or with special needs *
Yes
No
Other:
Consultation -when making decisions on provision under s508 s507a and b does it consult *
Children under 13
Young people aged 13+
Parents
Community organisations
Ward members
Parish councils
Health authorities, GP practices etc
Other:
In s507b (1) (1)&(2) mention is made of sufficiency — does your Authority have a definition of that requirement (‘sufficient”) *
Yes
No
Other:
To which Service or Scrutiny or Cabinet Committee(s) are matters relating to these issues (s508, s507a, s507b) referred *
Your answer
When was a Report last made on these issues either to that Committee or full Council *
Your answer
Has your Authority ever been involved in legal action concerning sufficiency of provision as regards the issues above *
Yes
No
If there has been action what was the outcome
Your answer
Has your Authority signed for support of Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (the right to play rest leisure and recreation) *
Yes
No
Don’t know
Other:
Overall, to your knowledge, has there been a decline or increase in relevant provision in your area between 2010 and 2019 and if known to what extent *
Your answer
Please add any comments you feel are relevant
Your answer
Submit
Clear form
Never submit passwords through Google Forms.
This content is neither created nor endorsed by Google. Report Abuse — Terms of Service — Privacy Policy
by Jan Cosgrove, National Secretary of FPfC
The FoI has been sent to all LEA’s in England and Wales, so far a good proportion have responded, and FPfC News will publish a full Report in due course.
These are the questions asked:
Freedom of Information Request
This Request is directed to the Local Education Authority. Reference is made to S.507a 507b and 508 of the Education Act 1996, as amended by the Education and Training Act 2006. A document on this has been published by Fair Play for Children and can be located at this link:
http://www.fairplay31.epizy.com/pdf/1363944956.pdf
jancosgrove1945@gmail.com (not shared) Switch accounts
*Required
Name of Local Education Authority (LEA) or equivalent *
Your answer
Name of contact *
Your answer
Telephone and email (optional)
Your answer
Does your Authority have a Division/Section specifically geared to deal with the requirements of s508, s507a and s507b of the Education Act 1996, as amended *
Yes
No
Does your Authority have a specific Play/Youth or Play & Youth section(s) *
Yes
No
Other:
Did it have such a section in the past or equivalent *
Yes
No
Other:
Does your Authority provide its own youth clubs with reference to s508 and s507b *
Yes
No
It did in the past
Other:
Does your Authority support other organisations youth clubs with regard to s508c and s507b *
Yes
No
It did in the past
Other:
Has your Authority cut financial support from the provision in the 2 questions above since 2015 *
Yes
No
Other:
How many youth clubs does your Authority provide directly *
Your answer
How many did it run in 2015 *
Your answer
How many youth groups run by other bodies did it support financially in 2015 and how many in 2019 *
Your answer
With regard to S508 (2) please tick any of the out-of-school provision below run or funded by your Authority in 2019 *
Youth Club/Group
Youth sports provision
Youth arts provision
Youth information services
Holiday activities for 13+ age range
Holidays for 13+ age group
Special needs recreational provision for 13+ age group
Mobile youth provision
Adventure playgrounds
Other:
Regarding s507a (under 13) what out-of-school did your authority provide or support in 2019 — tick those that apply *
After-school/weekend club/playscheme etc
Holiday playschemes/activities
Sports activities
Arts activities
Holidays
Special needs activities
Mobile play facility
Adventure playground
Stay and Play provision, Toy Clubs etc
Other:
Affordability and accessibility- does the Authority have policy/guidelines relating to the activities in all the preceding questions especially re access by children and young people from low income families and or with special needs *
Yes
No
Other:
Consultation -when making decisions on provision under s508 s507a and b does it consult *
Children under 13
Young people aged 13+
Parents
Community organisations
Ward members
Parish councils
Health authorities, GP practices etc
Other:
In s507b (1) (1)&(2) mention is made of sufficiency — does your Authority have a definition of that requirement (‘sufficient”) *
Yes
No
Other:
To which Service or Scrutiny or Cabinet Committee(s) are matters relating to these issues (s508, s507a, s507b) referred *
Your answer
When was a Report last made on these issues either to that Committee or full Council *
Your answer
Has your Authority ever been involved in legal action concerning sufficiency of provision as regards the issues above *
Yes
No
If there has been action what was the outcome
Your answer
Has your Authority signed for support of Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (the right to play rest leisure and recreation) *
Yes
No
Don’t know
Other:
Overall, to your knowledge, has there been a decline or increase in relevant provision in your area between 2010 and 2019 and if known to what extent *
Your answer
Please add any comments you feel are relevant
Your answer
Submit
Clear form
