DEEP PLAY - ACCOUNTABILITY CHART

Timeline	WHO IS ACCOUNTABLE? Text in red identifies a person or organisation accountable for the inclusion of 'life threatening' play on the Welsh play curriculum. The larger the text, the more accountable we believe a person is.
1972	Clifford Geertz, an anthropologist wrote the article Deep Play about adult males in Bali gambling on cock fights. Geertz was of the opinion that people who took part in deep play should be protected from themselves. - CGEE1972DPN In 2019, we checked with two of Clifford Geertz's doctoral students who themselves are now professors of anthropology in leading American universities to see what they thought about Play Wales' interpretation of 'deep play: Princeton Universities' Professor Lawrence Rosen was of the opinion: "I think the idea that one can encourage or discourage certain forms of children’s play based on a simple calculus of an isolated factor does indeed miss Geertz’s point and is rather a perversion of his approach than an application of it." The University of California's Professor George E Marcus was of the opinion that Hughes definition of 'deep play' was "a complete distortion of how Geertz thought and developed interpretation." he went on to say that anyone placing "children in real danger is reckless!"
1996	BOB HUGHES - PLAY EDUCATION Bob Hughes introduced 'Deep Play' into his book 'A Taxonomy of Play Types' (Referenced from "The First Claim" - Bob Hughes & Play Wales) I am unable to locate the 1996 publication for sale anywhere. Originally published by Playlink. It seems to have been removed from the shelves of all the organisations we have contacted. CLICK HERE for the 2011 interpretation from his book "Evolutionary Playwork" BOB HUGHES CV - PLAY EDUCATION - BOB HUGHES - IPA BIOGRAPHY
1996	BERNARD SPIEGAL - PLAYLINK Bernard Spiegal employed Bob Hughes as a training manager 1992-1996 and published "A Taxonomy of Play Types" by Bob Hughes containing the first interpretation of 'deep play'. The Play Safety Forum publication "Managing Risk in Play Provision says of Playlink and Bernard Spiegal that "Playlink is an independent play and informal leisure consultancy working in areas of design, planning, strategy, local engagement and organisational development. A theme running through all Bernard's work is the need to understand and value risk; life is unutterably dull without it" (source Managing Risk in Play Provision) BERNARD SPIEGAL - PLAYLINK - CLICK HERE - BERNARD SPIEGAL - BLOG (Note 1: - Bernard Spiegal is responsible for publishing Bob Hughes first interpretation of deep play and as is currently partially responsible for how deep play is risk managed as a co-author of Managing Risk in Play Provision. It is not known what his input into the original publication by Bob Hughes was. He published the book, therefore the final decision to include deep play in the 'play types' was his. If we consider that Bernard Spiegal is responsible for the play types, how children play and also how they are protected while at play (risk managed) there is a certain unhealthy autonomous look to this setup. Note 2: The Children, Young People and Education Committee supplied the booklet Managing Risk in Play Provision co-authored by Bernard Spiegal as part of their response to our paper about 'deep play' " Are our children's lives being put at risk? and. Is the Welsh Assembly Government party to that risk?".
2001	PLAY WALES - MIKE GREENAWAY PLAY WALES WEBSITE - CLICK HERE Play Wales published the "The First Claim" by Bob Hughes which introduces 'deep play' into the Welsh national play curriculum. Mike Greenaway, Chairman of Play Wales wrote the preface. I have the 2008 edition, purchased directly from Play Wales in 2019 but am unable to locate the 2001 first edition of this publication for sale anywhere. Did Play Wales undertake due diligence and check that Bob Hughes interpretation of a scientific publication that stated it was "essential" for the personal development of Welsh children so that they be placed in life threatening situations? General Comment 17 on Article 31 states that "children must not be exposed to harm in the realization of their rights under article 31,". This means that Play Wales are contravening the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child by including 'deep play' in the play curriculum.
2002	WELSH ASSEMBLY GOVERNMENT Introduced their first Play Policy which included references to children taking 'appropriate risks' as part of play. 'Deep Play' is already on the playwork curriculum therefore it must be considered an appropriate risk by the Welsh Assembly Government. WGOV2002PPO
2006	WELSH ASSEMBLY GOVERNMENT Introduced their Play Policy Implementation Plan - February 2006 which included the first mention of Risk v Benefit assessments. We can see clearly here that the playworkers want the ability to place children in danger without comeback. They have advised the WAG to attempt to introduce legislation that curtails the actions of solicitors. WGOV2006PPI
2012	HEALTH AND SAFETY EXECUTIVE The leaflet "Children’s play and leisure: promoting a balanced approach" was developed together with the Play Safety Forum in 2012. The statement below appears on the UK Government's HSE website with a link to the leaflet: "Health and safety laws and regulations are sometimes presented as a reason why certain play and leisure activities undertaken by children and young people should be discouraged. Such decisions are often based on misunderstandings about what the law requires. The HSE has worked with the Play Safety Forum to produce a joint high-level statement that gives clear messages tackling these misunderstandings. HSE fully endorses the principles in this Statement." One of the principles in the statement is: "Understanding that the purpose of risk control is not the elimination of all risk, and so accepting that the possibility of even serious or life-threatening injuries cannot be eliminated, though it should be managed." The paragraph below states: Striking the right balance does not mean: Mistakes and accidents will not happen. The double negative 'does not mean' + 'will not happen' combines to make the positive "MISTAKES WILL HAPPEN" The combination of the above two endorses the principle that children are allowed to die at play locations based on the UK Government's Health and Safety Executive publications. CLICK HERE FOR THIS PUBLICATION
2012	PLAY SAFETY FORUM The Play Safety Forum is an independent organisation formed in 1993. It exists to consider and promote the wellbeing of children and young people through ensuring a balance between safety, risk and challenge in respect of play and leisure provision. It is an independent body hosted by Play England and chaired by Robin Sutcliffe the former owner of Sutcliffe Play Ltd. Please see above collusion with the Health and Safety Executive. It should be noted here that Mike Greenaway of Play Wales is a member of the Play Safety Forum.
2016	PLAY SAFETY FORUM The Play Safety Forum is an independent organisation hosted by the charity Play England. The following link is to the only case study which can be found on the Play Safety Forum in relation to a child being injured / maimed during a play session. https://playsafetyforum.wordpress.com/casestudies/ Play Safety Forum describe this as "a small but potentially significant win for Risk-Benefit Assessment". The Play Safety Forum has described a child being maimed as a win for the organisation but if we look closely at the story we will see that the solicitor representing the child has made an error in requesting a risk assessment 'specifically' for the game 'scare chase' as opposed to a 'risk assessment' for the door in which the child jammed her fingers. The staff at the facility were clearly negligent for allowing children to use a door (during the game of scare chase) that was a danger to children. What is clear from the placement and use of the word 'specifically' is that the author of the 'case study' and chair of Play England trustees Nicola Butler was fully aware of the negligence and the purpose of the case study is essentially to poke fun at the legal industry. If we refer again to the PSF reason for existence "[The Play Safety Forum] exists to consider and promote the wellbeing of children and young people through ensuring a balance between safety, risk and challenge in respect of play and leisure provision." and ask the question "what about the child who has been maimed for life and cheated from compensation?" PLAY SAFETY FORUM OFFICIAL WEBSITE - CLICK HERE PLAY SAFETY FORUM ON THIS WEBSITE - CLICK HERE Members of the Play Safety Forum include Mike Greenaway of Play Wales, Advisors include Tim Gill and Bernard Spiegal
2016	PLAY ENGLAND Play England host the Play Safety Forum and Play England officials are members of the Play Safety Forum. The chair of Play England trustees Nicola Butler wrote the case study about the maimed child. The following bloggers Ashley Rogers (Play England secretary) and Neil at Play (presumably Neil Coleman of Play England the only Neil who is a member of PSF) liked the case study. To the above I would also add Tim Gill, a consultant to Play England who also liked the blog and included references to the maiming in his blog. The blog mentioned that he was pleased to note that the maiming of the child went uncompensated and sited his Risk Benefit Assessment as the reason why. "This is why I am pleased to share the news that the charity Hackney Play Association has successfully fought off a claim after a playground accident, and that RBA was crucial to the outcome." - Tim Gill Rethinking Childhood blog
2018	ADULT LEARNING WALES ADULT LEARNING WALES WEBSITE - CLICK HERE LEVEL 2 AWARD IN PLAYWORK PRACTICE BOOKLET PUBLISHED BY PLAY WALES Adult Learning Wales are teaching the L2APP course written by Play Wales. This course references "The First Claim" as a 'tool' to help improve the quality of a playworker's performance. Videos are shown to playworkers of children chasing each other with objects on fire, children fighting over hammers, children bullying each other and adults acting inappropriately in a sexual manner with children. Adult Learning Wales refuse to provide information about the source of the information they are teaching and also refuse to release the 'educational' films they show as part of the course.
2019	WELSH ASSEMBLY GOVERNMENT Huw Irranca-Davies - Minister for Children - refused an opportunity to get involved and deliberately ignored/refused to answer pertinent questions Children's Commissioner - refused to investigate Play Wales Local AMs - Jeremy Miles (Labour) - manipulated information to protect the Minister for Children. Bethan Sayed (Plaid Cymru) - ignored two letters which provided information about 'deep play'. She refused to reply Dai Lloyd (Plaid Cymru) - ignored two letters which provided information about 'deep play'. She refused to reply Suzy Davies (Conservative) - ignored our letters which provided information about 'deep play' and the deliberate deception and misrepresentation of UNCRC Article 31. We also offered to make a presentation about this. She refused to reply. other AMs not included yet.
2019	NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FOR WALES (formerly WELSH ASSEMBLY GOVERNMENT) CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE. We submitted a paper about 'deep play' in the play curriculum to the Children, Young People and Education Committee at the National Assembly for Wales. LYNNE NEAGLE AM - CLICK HERE DAWN BOWDEN AM - CLICK HERE HEFIN DAVID AM - CLICK HERE SUZY DAVIES AM - CLICK HERE JANET FINCH-SAUNDERS AM - CLICK HERE SIAN GWENLLIAN AM - CLICK HERE Our paper asked "Are our children's lives being put at risk? and. Is the Welsh Assembly Government party to that risk?" CYPE PAPER - CLICK HERE We received a reply dated 26 September 2019 from the Welsh Assembly Government Children, Young People and Education Committee. The reply enclosed publications by Play England (see above 2012) and the Health and Safety Executive (see above 2012). The Health and Safety Executive publication clarifies the position of the Welsh Assembly Government which is that life-threatening play based upon Bob Hughes interpretation of 'deep play' is acceptable for the children of Wales. "HSE Understands and accepts that this means that children will often be exposed to play environments which, whilst well managed, carry a degree of risk and sometimes potential danger" - 2019-09-26-cype-chair "Understanding the purpose of risk control is not the elimination of all risk, and so accepting that the possibility of even serious or life-threatening injuries cannot be eliminated, though it should be managed." - HSE leaflet "Children's Play and Leisure - Promoting a Balanced Approach - September 2012. HSEX2012CPA002 "[Mistakes and accidents will happen]" - HSE leaflet "Children's Play and Leisure - Promoting a Balanced Approach - September 2012. - HSEX2012CPA002 The CYPE Committee deliberately broke Assembly rules in not discussing our paper in public. Their reply contravened the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Committee chair deliberately destroyed evidence of this that was attached to our paper. We are currently working through the complaints process. CYPE COMMITTEE - CLICK HERE CYPE COMMITTEE COMPLAINT - CLICK HERE
2020	LLINOS MADELEY - CYPE COMMITTEE CLERK Our complaint is currently with the Committee clerk Llinos Madeley who is currently breaking the National Assembly staff code of conduct in protecting the malpractice of the Committee. CLICK HERE FOR THIS INFORMATION


1972 (bottom) & 1996 (top) - Bob Hughes misrepresents 'deep play'.	1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child - Both the UK & Welsh Governments are signatories to this treaty.	The 2001 Welsh Government funded charity Play Wales introduced the 'deep play' into the play curriculum because it is essential for a child's personal development.	2012 - Play Wales are part of the Play Safety Forum. An independent self-appointed group who advise the Health and Safety Executive that 'life threatening' play is essential to children.