Advancing the Development and Application of the Right to Play

Lead Research Organisation: University of Oxford
Department Name: Law Faculty

Abstract

The right to play is widely regarded as a forgotten right. Despite it being over 30 years since the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the child's right to play has so far been undervalued and overlooked in children's rights literature and in practice. Nevertheless, extensive research shows that play is crucial to children's development (e.g. Brown, 2010; Lillard, 2010), and has considerable intrinsic value (Csikszentmihalyi, 2014; Glenn et al., 2012; Nicholson et al., 2014). The historic lack of engagement with the right to play has led to poor implementation and protection of the right, which prevents children from enjoying their right to play fully.

This fellowship will draw attention to the right to play. The publication of my research in leading academic journals will begin to fill the substantial gap in literature on this right. These papers will both contextualise play within the broader child rights field and share findings from empirical research. The aim of drawing attention to the right to play will also be met through hosting a conference on the right to play to 'disseminate and discuss' key research and experiences. Academics, non-governmental organisations, and members of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child will be invited to engage collaboratively and bi-directionally to examine the interdependence of the right to play with other rights enshrined within the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and what impact this may have for advocacy and realisation of the right. This conference will be the first in its kind in applying this neglected right to the broader children's rights framework and drawing together multiple stakeholders to build upon existing knowledge and experience to better protect and realise the right to play. One valuable output of this conference will be an edited collection that draws connections with the right to play and other Convention rights. I will also undergo media training with the intention of working more closely with general media platforms to disseminate my research and engage a wider audience in this important issue.

My research shows that the challenges facing children in their enjoyment of the right to play are significant and broad ranging. The scope of these challenges requires that varied steps are taken to encourage engagement with the right, and to better understand ways to overcome challenges to enjoyment of the right. However, some children face additional challenges on top of those faced by the majority. Data gathered during my PhD suggests that gender and poverty add further unique obstacles to enjoyment of the right. This fellowship will include supplementary analysis of this data in order to understand these unique contexts, to identify the challenges that arise relating to gender and poverty, and to examine ways in which corresponding challenges can be addressed. This research will benefit some of the most vulnerable children worldwide.
The final aim of this fellowship will be to put together a funding proposal for future research that will extend the knowledge gained during my PhD and this fellowship and apply it to new area; street children. This future research would look to investigate and understand the experiences of street children through a child rights lens, including how street children perceive and enjoy their rights, and how they balance competing pressures on their time. The data analysis conducted during the ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship would feed into this future research, providing an insight into the challenges of poverty and child labour in realising the right to play. The activities planned for the fellowship will consolidate my research skills, contribute to my professional development, deepen understanding on the right to play and Convention on the Rights of the Child, and expand the reach and impact of my research.
 
Description This award has led to the publication and dissemination of research conducted during my PhD, and enabled the time to develop novel angles from which to consider my research. My doctoral research was developed into a monograph and published by Routledge in The Right of the Child to Play: From Conception to Implementation. This research is already informing other academic studies (for example on appropriate reception practice and policies for unaccompanied children, youth detention, and sustainability and the environment), and has informed policy development for health services, the work of non-governmental organisations and the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child. My monograph is a praised contribution to the fields of international human rights law, children's rights, and childhood and play studies. My postdoctoral project focused on dissemination of this research, including through a large 3-day symposium with a wide range of stakeholders in attendance, including a UN human rights treaty body member, a UNICEF programme director, local and international NGOs, two children's groups (one primary-aged, and one adolescent), and academics from a range of disciplinary backgrounds. This event focused on developing a bidirectional knowledge exchange with academics sharing ground-breaking new research, and senior civil society and international organization representatives revealing 'real-world' challenges, opportunities, and needs, all learning from each other with the aim of generating solutions. These conversations proved invaluable to many attendees, with a 6-month follow-up survey showing sustained impact and collaboration with a distinct focus on policy development.
During the postdoctoral fellowship, I was also able to develop a framework for realising the right to play that can advise NGOs, advocates, and academics to further the implementation and understanding of the right. This has informed my current John Fell funded project, Developing a Framework for the Implementation of the Right to Play. This project is working directly with over 100 children from the ages of 3-18 years in the UK to understand what children see as hindering or facilitating their play and identify core measures children themselves see as necessary for realising their right, and ultimately to test the validity of my initial framework. This new project is intended to act as a pilot study for a global study to gather children's views from diverse backgrounds and contexts, including those with unique experiences such as refugee and migrant children, street children, adolescents, and girls.
The postdoctoral project also enabled me to consider my research from new perspectives, and has led to (a) the development of a new research agenda in the field of human rights, and (b) a draft paper that offers a critical perspective of current approaches to human rights, and children's rights specifically.
Exploitation Route It is hoped that the outcomes of this funding will be taken forward by advocates for the right to play and policy makers, to ensure the full implementation of the right to play for all children. This is most likely through my recent paper (submitted to HRLR), but is also likely following the symposium and the publication of my monograph. My monograph may also impact education and scholarship on children's rights, childhood studies, and specifically play studies.
Sectors Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software)

Education

Environment

Healthcare

Leisure Activities

including Sports

Recreation and Tourism

Government

Democracy and Justice

Transport

 
Description Whilst this award has only recently concluded (July 2023), impact has been evidenced in three distinct ways. 1) The monograph and 3-day symposium has contributed to driving the drafting of a UN General Assembly Resolution on an 'International Day of Play' 2) The 3-day symposium resulted in new and sustained relationships and collaborations being formed (evidenced in a 6-month follow up survey) 3) The monograph has received international praise Further to this, relationships developed in part through the symposium have led to my engagement in House of Commons APPG launch of a 'plan for play', providing support to advocates and NGOs advising on a parliamentary inquiry, and invitations to attend invite-only events and present my research (conferences, podcasts).
First Year Of Impact 2024
Sector Government, Democracy and Justice
Impact Types Societal

Economic

Policy & public services

 
Description Submission to Levelling Up Committee
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Contribution to a national consultation/review
URL https://committees.parliament.uk/work/7981/children-young-people-and-the-built-environment/
 
Description John Fell Fund
Amount £53,857 (GBP)
Funding ID 13566 
Organisation University of Oxford 
Sector Academic/University
Country United Kingdom
Start 07/2023 
End 07/2024
 
Title The Right to Play: Interviews with Experts in the Field 
Description The data includes interview transcripts from eight 'experts in the field', four covering the United Kingdom, and four covering Tanzania. The interviews include data on the experiences and perspectives of the experts on the realisation, implementation and incorporation of the right to play domestically. The data includes perspectives on the role of government, the challenges faced in supporting the realisation of the right to play, how challenges could/should be overcome, and the experience of lobbying government (local and national) to support the right to play. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2022 
Provided To Others? Yes  
URL https://portal.sds.ox.ac.uk/articles/dataset/The_Right_to_Play_Interviews_with_Experts_in_the_Field/...
 
Title UN Committee on the Rights of the Child on the Child's Right to Play 
Description These three databases include analysis of 549 Concluding Observations, 25 General Comments, and 23 Reports/Recommendations published from Days of General Discussion produced by the Committee on the Rights of the Child (all files up to April 2021). The databases include mentions of 'play' within these outputs (the right to play). Searches were also conducted for other terms included in Article 31 (UNCRC), such as 'leisure' and 'recreation'. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2022 
Provided To Others? Yes  
URL https://portal.sds.ox.ac.uk/articles/dataset/UN_Committee_on_the_Rights_of_the_Child_on_the_Child_s_...
 
Description Play Scotland Podcast 
Form Of Engagement Activity A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press)
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact I was invited to record a podcast (interview) for Play Scotland to share my research, promote my monograph, and discuss the relevance of my research to the newly enacted UNCRC (Scotland) Act. This podcast was published last week.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2024
URL https://www.playscotland.org/learn/play-well-podcast/
 
Description The Interdependence and Indivisibility of the UNCRC: Implementing and Understanding the Right to Play and the Convention 3 Day Symposium 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Third sector organisations
Results and Impact The symposium drew together a wide range of stakeholders, including a UN human rights treaty body member, a UNICEF programme director, local and international NGOs, two children's groups (one primary school group, and one adolescent participation group), and academics from a range of disciplinary backgrounds. This event focused on developing a bidirectional knowledge exchange with academics sharing ground-breaking new research, and senior civil society and international organization representatives revealing 'real-world' challenges, opportunities, and needs, all learning from each other with the aim of generating solutions. These conversations proved invaluable to many attendees, with a 6-month follow-up survey showing sustained impact and collaboration with a distinct focus on policy development, including a current draft UN General Assembly Resolution for an 'International Day of Play'.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/content/event/interdependence-and-indivisibility-uncrc-implementing-and-und...