THERESA CASEY

Theresa's career has spanned adventure play for children with disabilities, developing play projects for children in disadvantaged communities with the Foundation for Child Development, Thailand, and supporting inclusion through play in schools and networks of community settings. She has a degree in painting from Edinburgh College of Art and a Post Graduate in Playwork from Heriot Watt University.

In 2011 Theresa was elected to serve a second 3 year term as President of the International Play Association, a worldwide membership-based association whose purpose is to preserve, protect and promote the child's right to play as a fundamental human right. This voluntary role involves leading the international Board on implementation of strategic goals on behalf of IPA members in 50 countries around the world. IPA is currently working closely with the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in the development of their General Comment on article 31.

She is particularly known for her books on play and for the Play Inclusive (P.inc) Action Research project, is a fellow of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust and her work has been recognised through a number of national and international awards.

She is the mother of two young children who keep her on her toes and make sure she practises what she preaches!

"I've been extremely fortunate to spend time with playing children in different cultures and contexts (some of them not growing up in the kind of environments any parent would choose for their children). Those children have taught me what the right to play means for children at a very profound level. Of course it is about joy and laughter but also about dignity, survival and children's very best interests." Theresa Casey

Awards

2008
Play Scotland: Outstanding Achievement Award (National and International)
2006
K Blundell Trust: Awarded to support research on play for children in difficult circumstances
2005
Right to Play Award - IPA (International Play Association): Awarded to the Play Inclusive Action Research Project
2000
Joint first prize - International Playground Design Competition IPA (International Association for the Child's Right to Play): Awarded for the development of a play area in Bangkok
1996
Fellow of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust. Research fellowship in Finland, Sweden and the Ukraine on adventure play for children with special needs and disabilities
1990
Prince’s Trust: study of visual arts in the Netherlands

Books

Inclusive Play - Practical Strategies for Children from Birth to Eight 2nd Edition (2010)

"Written from the author's deep commitment to young children's play, this second edition is straightforward and enthusiastically written and packed with good advice and activities to both enhance and challenge current play practices and adults' thinking. It's a great combination of initial theoretical justification followed by many good examples of play situations to which practitioners can relate." - Professor Emeritus Janet Moyles, Early Years & Play Consultant

Environments for Outdoor Play- a practical guide to making space for children (2007)

"This practical book helps the reader plan, design and manage the kinds of settings that afford children the opportunities to carry out a wide range of self-directed activities that are so important to their development. It’s ideal for community workers, the organizers of after-school programs, children’s hospitals staff and groups of caring parents." - Roger A. Hart, Director Children’s Environments Research Group, City University of New York

SAGE is offering a 20% discount on Inclusive Play, 2nd Edition and Environments for Outdoor Play plus free postage and packaging. To order your copy of this book, please call Customer Services on 020 7324 8703, or visit www.sagepub.co.uk/education and quote the reference: UK10SM010

Other publications include:

Outdoor play for everyone: Meeting the needs of individuals (2011) in White, J. Shared Vision and Values for Outdoor Play in the Early Years. London: SAGE
Touchstones of Inclusive Play (2008) in: Kreuzer, M. and Ytterhus, B. (eds) Social Inclusion and Marginalisation of Disabled Children in Integrative Groups of Kindergartens. Munich: Reinhardt-Verlag
Inclusive Play - practical strategies for working with children aged 3-8 (2005) London: Paul Chapman Publishing
Celebrating Children’s Participation (2005) Glenrothes: Barnardos Participation Service/Fife Council
Inspiring Inclusive Play, the P.inc Pack (2004) Edinburgh: The Yard
Inclusion, Friendship and Play: A Play Inclusive briefing paper (2003) Edinburgh: The Yard
Four Papers on Play commissioned by Play Scotland (2003)
Review of Existing School Grounds Research (2003) Edinburgh: Play Scotland, sportscotland and Grounds for Learning
Play for Life (2001) (handbook on play and playwork) in Thai, co-author, Bangkok: The Foundation for Child Development