Mike Barclay

For more than 10 years, Mike was the play sufficiency lead for Wrexham Council before going on to support other organisations and communities in their work with children’s play. In doing so he has led on the completion of play sufficiency assessments and the implementation of associated action plans. This has involved participatory research with children; coordinating partnership working in support of children’s play; encouraging local authority departments and partner agencies to develop more play-centred policies and practices; working to ensure that play and playwork are integral to the planning of services for children and that further restrictions on children’s time and space for play are avoided whenever possible.

Mike has presented on the topics of play sufficiency, playwork and risk management at local and national conferences. He has also written for a range of publications and his research has been referenced in other similar studies. Mike is currently a trustee of the Wrexham Youth & Play Partnership and an honorary tutor at the University of Manchester. He is also a qualified playworker, design engineer and adult trainer, and has a background in out of school childcare and staffed play provision.