Play Development Officer

Employer Location: ANTRIM

Job description

The Play Development Officer will support the development and delivery of PlayBoard’s school-based programmes, including Positive Playgrounds and Taking Outdoor Play Seriously (TOPS). The role involves working with schools, children, parents and partner organisations regionally to deliver a range of play focused training and play-based activities that enhance children’s play experiences, promote inclusive and child-led play, and strengthen the ability of school staff to provide and sustain high-quality play opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Deliver and develop school-based play programmes, training and resources
• Plan and facilitate training, workshops and practical activities for school staff, parents and partners
• Promote children's right to play in line with Article 31 of the UNCRC
• Develop and maintain effective partnerships with schools, families, statutory agencies and community organisations
• Monitor, evaluate and report on programme delivery, outcomes and impact
• Adhere to safeguarding, child protection, equality and health and safety policies
• Participate in meetings, training and supervision
• Build positive relationships with schools, families and stakeholders, supporting sustainable play policies and child-centred, inclusive play opportunities
• Provide guidance, mentoring and resources to promote inclusive, child-led play and improve play opportunities across the school day
• Represent PlayBoard at meetings and events and maintain accurate records of engagement and programme activity
• Produce reports, case studies and feedback summaries, using findings to inform continuous improvement while ensuring GDPR compliance
• Ensure all activities are safe, inclusive, accessible and responsive to the needs of participants
• Complete administrative duties including scheduling, record keeping and resource management, and undertake other duties appropriate to the role as required
• Support pupil participation, encourage child voice and deliver inclusive play opportunities that meet the diverse needs of children and young people

Skills and Qualifications

Essential Skills

• A level 3 qualification e.g. NVQ Level 3 Playwork or higher in a relevant discipline i.e. playwork, youthwork, childcare or teaching
• A min of 2 years fulltime experience (within the last 5 years) of face-to-face delivery with children and young people within a formal setting i.e. nursery/primary/specialist provision (i.e. Teacher, Classroom Assistant, Play Specialist)
• Experience in developing, planning, organising and facilitating training sessions for schools, parents/carers, practitioners
• Experience in facilitating sessions with children & young people and of planning and adapting a curriculum tailored to meet their needs within a school setting
• Experience of collecting, recording and analysing data to evidence impact and outcomes
• Strong understanding of the importance of play for children and young people, the Playwork Principles and child-led approaches, and the role of school playgrounds in providing inclusive, safe and engaging play opportunities
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build positive relationships and ability to Build, Sustain & Influence relationships, both internally and externally
• Ability to contribute fully to the team effort to meet agreed objectives
• Ability to deliver multiple programmes concurrently, ability to manage your own workload and ability to use your own initiative
• Ability to generate workable solutions to problems incurred while working with children & young people and practitioners
• Proficiency in using the following within your working environment MS Word PowerPoint Outlook Excel
• Flexible in working arrangements and adaptable to new sometimes unstructured working environments e.g. early morning, late evening, weekend work and Public Holidays if required
• Full current driving licence and the use of a car for official business, or have access to a form of transport, which will permit the candidate to fully meet the delivery requirements of the post
• Experience of preparing progress reports, case studies and working to a monitoring and evaluation framework
• Ability to design and deliver engaging, age-appropriate and inclusive play sessions
• Ability to adapt programmes and training to meet the diverse needs of audiences

Desirable Skills

• Recognised Assessor award e.g. Level 3 TAQA Assessor Qualification
• Experience of direct working with parents

Further Information

Wage: Salary Pts: 23-25 (£30,151 - £32,020) per annum pro rata. Part-Time 20-25 hours per week. Additional hours may be available subject to service demand. The post holder will be required to travel throughout Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland. The successful candidate will be required to work 20-25 hours per week, with flexibility regarding working days. Additional hours may become available in the future, potentially increasing the post to full-time, subject to funding availability. The post holder may be required to work additional hours, outside normal office hours, from time to time and remain flexible and mobile as is reasonably necessary for the efficient performance of the duties. This is a fixed term contract until the 30 June 2027, subject to funding. A full Job description can be found at