MASKK have always believed that to provide a quality setting, we need a quality team. That’s why we invest so much effort into supporting people to learn and develop while they are with us. Volunteering is a great way to gain experience in any setting, but at MASKK, we strive to ensure that our volunteers have the same access to training and development as our paid team.
Chat with us if you’re interested in volunteering here at MASKK. Other local volunteering opportunities are also available, so if we cannot provide a placement that meets your outcomes, we may know someone who can.
MASKK also believe that good practice should be shared, and by working with others, we can learn and develop ourselves too. That’s why, in 2018, we began delivering an Introduction to Playwork, now known as Discovering Play. Written and created by Craig Judson from MASKK and Yanina Koszalinski from Pitsmoor Adventure Playground, Scrap Dragon and previously Sheffield Out of School Network. This course has been accessed by over 100 local people, parents, grandparents, or individuals who wanted to learn more about Playwork and children. Many of our staff team were recruited after completing these courses. In 2022, we decided to build on this and reached out to MaTReC to accredit the course through the Open College Network.
We need more playworkers
With the closure of About Play (formerly known as Sheffield Out of School Network) in 2016, Sheffield lost its only source of hands-on playwork training. The gap has been felt by many who missed the provision, ranging from introductory hands-on sessions up to level 4 NVQs for Managers.
MASKK, since then, has been working with our friends at Pitsmoor Adventure Playground to do what we could. However, in 2022, with Yanina’s help, we created the more structured Discovering Play Course. The aim was to create a first step, providing an introduction to playwork and its importance, which would then feed into an accredited course.
The course aims to provide anyone, parents, carers, workers, volunteers, etc, with a practical and straightforward introduction to what is playwork.
Sheffield City Council has funded the first courses, and the first participants were welcomed to the Sheffield Town Hall by the Lord Mayor of Sheffield. The Lord Mayor, Sioned-Mair Richards, our local councillor, was a playworker once too and appreciates how important our industry is and the impact we have on the lives of children.
Once a learner has completed the Discovering Play course, we have worked with MaTReC (Manor Training & Resource Centre) to create and deliver a Level 1 Award in Working with Children in a Community Setting. This NOCN-accredited course, which can lead to a Level 1 Certificate, is the first step in gaining recognised learning experience.
Supported by Sheffield City Council and the Healthy Holiday (HAF) Team as a way for new providers or those expanding their activities to learn more about providing a quality holiday activity experience.
MASKK are now supporting MaTReC to create additional opportunities. We can deliver an Entry Level 3 in Volunteering and write a Level 1 Catering for Children in the Community. We also hope to launch a Level 2 Outdoor Play.
Alongside these NOCN courses with MaTReC, MASKK has begun delivering PARS Playwork Practice at level 2, with levels 3 and 4 available online.
All our training is being delivered through a partnership model, and more information about the courses and how to enrol can be found by visiting the Sheffield Play Partnership website here: https://sheffieldplay.org.uk/training/
If you’d like to discuss our training and development opportunities further, please do not hesitate to contact us. Call Craig or Emma on 0114 2395739 or email training@maskk.org.uk