Briefing – Playing and being well: A review of recent research into children’s play, social policy and practice, with a focus on Wales

Authors: Wendy Russell, Mike Barclay and Ben Tawil
Date: June 2023

This briefing note introduces our forthcoming Playing and being well: A review of recent research into children’s play, social policy and practice, with a focus on Wales literature review.

The review was carried out 10 years after the commencement of the Play Sufficiency Duty and while the Welsh Government was undertaking the Ministerial Review of Play. The evidence gathered in the literature review will inform this ongoing work.

The briefing includes information about:

• Background and scope of the literature review
• Recent developments in childhood and play research
• Policy developments
• How play contributes to wellbeing
• Children’s play today.

The briefing proposes a relational capability approach (drawn from the literature) as a new framework for thinking about children’s play and wellbeing. It isn’t a comprehensive summary of findings from the review – it wouldn’t be possible to cover the breadth, depth, complexity and diversity of the research reviewed in such a short document.