Accessing the voice of children: a focus on play

This research set out to explore whether play could be used as a communication tool to support social workers in accessing the voices of children. A review of literature was undertaken using thematic analysis to identify themes within the literature sample. A key theme which emerged was the absence of the voice of the child within social research and the lack of evidence-based research on the benefits of play to support social workers when communicating with children. The lack of training pre and post qualification was also identified as a gap in social work education and practice, resulting in professionals lacking confidence in accessing the voice of children. Furthermore, as well as expressing the benefits of play, the literature also highlighted limitations and questioned whether play would be suitable for all children. Considering these main findings, the author recommended that more training on direct work with children be implemented within organisations and university curriculum. This dissertation also recognised the need for ‘practitioner researchers’ to explore the benefits of play to provide a more current, clear and accessible cohort of evidence to support social workers in accessing the voices of children. It is hoped that with more training and research, social work organisations and managers will consider using play to help prioritise direct work with children within practice, research and education.