Risky Play – adopting a risk benefit approach to play

Children and young people enjoy and benefit from challenging, adventurous play opportunities where they can test themselves and extend their abilities.

Risk management in play contexts is different from workplace or factory contexts in one crucial respect – in play provision, a degree of risk is often beneficial, if not essential. Unlike conventional risk assessment, risk benefit assessment takes account of benefits by bringing together consideration of risks and benefits when deciding on appropriate responses.

This training aims to inform why a balanced approach is not only desirable, but necessary to ensure that children have access to a wide range of experiences to support their development and learning. Suitable for anyone working with children.