Hi ,

Happy February and whoa- this year is moving super fast! Lots of things happening so we will ensure we keep edition this short and sweet so you can easily access the info for your needs!

Play is not just the work of a small group of advocates, and it is great to see so many different organisations starting to take an interest in how they can use play in their work. In 2025 we will really be seeing this start to increase so we are excited about the future. It is also a federal election year, so not a bad idea to start talking to your federal members and their party colleagues and opposition about play in your electorate before their campaigns heat up!!

Yours Playfully

Robyn

Robyn Monro Miller AM
CEO, Play Australia

We have been super busy with getting preparations for the Asia Pacific conference finalised for this year - program is now ready and you will see it being updated every few days as session and presenters are confirmed.

This is a high-level policy conference like no other! We are challenging decision makes and community influencers to look deeply at how play impacts or crosses over their work and where they can add value to their work through embedding play… please do not just see this as something for you, use your advocacy to approach representatives in Government, Schools, health and local government to be part of this event…it is about ensuring we engage more people in the mission of building healthy communities through play, both here and in Asia Pacific!!

Standards Australia has now published the Giant Tunnel slide handbook — "SA HB 244, Supplementary guide to AS 4685.3:2021 - Giant tube slides" 

This handbook can be obtained from the Standards Australia website. 

The handbook contains a number of recommendations that should be implemented by designers and manufacturers, as well as other recommendations relating to the management of giant tunnel slides.

Our esteemed colleague and play friend Kathy Wong will be in Melbourne next week with her husband, so we thought we would host another pop up networking event for Play Aus members in Southbank from 5pm till 6.30pm. 

Kathy, prior to retirement, was CEO of Playright Children’s Play Association – Hong Kong – and a former long term serving member of the International Play Association (IPA) Board. She is a wonderful advocate for play!

You are also welcome to join us for an informal dinner afterwards! Members of the Board and CEO Robyn Monro Miller will all be in attendance! So come along meet, mingle and mix!

Wednesday 26 February, 5.00pm-6.30pm
The General Assembly
29 South Wharf Promenade, South Wharf

Contact Robyn if you need more info! Ceo@playaustralia.org.au

Neighbours Day, Sunday 30 March 2025

A great opportunity to promote play and Play Aus has created resources like this one to support families.

International Day of Play – Our BIG Day of Celebration on 11 June 2025

We celebrated the very first International Day of Play in 2024. To learn more about it, visit Internationaldayofplay.org

Have you heard, we've released the dates for the 2nd round of our Playwork Foundation Practitioner Training course in 2025!

About the course

This course is the starting point for all learners. The course provides a sound introduction to the Playwork Principles, loose parts theory, play cycle, intervention styles, dynamic risk-benefit assessment and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

This training is industry certified by Play Australia and is offered as a micro credential. The course is designed for those people currently working with children.

The course is broken up into different components including 3 x webinars, approx 3 hours online reading/preparation, a 2-day face-to-face practice workshop and assessments.

Webinar Dates:

Thursday 6 March 2025, 7-9pm AEDT
Thursday 10 April 2025 (time to be confirmed)
Tuesday 6 May 2025 (time to be confirmed)

Face-to-face workshops. Register for:

Melbourne – Monday 26 and Tuesday 27 May 2025

Brisbane – Thursday 29 and Friday 30 May 2025

Rockhampton (NEW!) – Sunday 1 June and Monday 2 June 2025

Sydney – Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 June 2025

Members in WA,SA, Tas, ACT and NT may apply for a $200 travel subsidy to support travel costs. Limit of 5 travel subsidies per workshop location.

Prerequisites

Currency – must has at least 2 years’ experience working face to face with children or young people in last 12 months.
Will be able to actively apply the learnings to a school, children’s service, or Youth program and have the support of your management.
Current working with children clearance.
Current child protection training (desirable).

Cost per participant

Members: $984.50 inc gst
Non-members $1424.50 inc gst

Our first Senior Playwork course for those who have completed our Foundation Practitioner training, is scheduled to be held in Melbourne in May.

This training is industry certified by Play Australia and is offered as a micro credential.

The course is broken up into different components including 3 x webinars, approx 3 hours online preparation, 2-day practice workshop and assessments.

Webinar dates to be advised.

Register for the Senior Practitioner face-to-face workshop here:

Melbourne – Thursday 22 and Friday 23 May 2025

Prerequisites

Successful completion of Play Australia's Playwork Foundation Practitioner course.

Cost per participant

Members: $984.50 inc gst
Non-members $1424.50 inc gst

Have you seen our latest online training course,
an Introduction to the Playwork Principles? 

Helen Pentecost from OSHC provider 3Bridges had this to say about the course:

“This is such a fantastic starting point for all OSHC professionals! Playwork has always been a part of OSHC, but this training really clarifies those concepts and puts them into context”.

Apply the code playaus22 for your member discount!

Remember – Members can access our any of our Online Learning Series presentations for free (valued at $33- per topic for non-members)!

Click on the link below and apply the code Play110624 to access the Series for FREE!