Children's play and leisure

Promoting a balanced approach

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.

This statement makes clear that:

• Play is important for children's well-being and development
• When planning and providing play opportunities, the goal is not to eliminate risk, but to weigh up the risks and benefits
• Those providing play opportunities should focus on controlling the real risks, while securing or increasing the benefits – not on the paperwork
• Accidents and mistakes happen during play – but fear of litigation and prosecution has been blown out of proportion

Children's Play and Leisure: promoting a balanced approach