Policy for Play

Play is fundamental to children’s health and development, but today, their space and opportunity for doing so is being threatened. In Policy for Play, Adrian Voce uses case studies from the United Kingdom, Europe, and North and South America to explore states’ obligations to children under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and its 2013 General Comment. While considering the effects that lack of opportunities for play have on children’s lives, he argues that strategies for public health, education, and even environmental sustainability would be more effective with a better-informed perspective on the importance of allowing children the time and space to play. Challenging both play advocates and governments to produce effective policies that protect children’s right to play, this book will be an essential tool for practitioners and campaigners around the world.

Adrian Voce is a writer and consultant on public provision for children’s play.