“I learned how to share my ideas and to explain what I need for me, my children and the local area”
Participant
About
Earls Court
We tested the toolkit at Earls Court, next to a large 40-acre development site owned by the Earls Court Development Company (ECDC). ECDC are running an extensive programme of community engagement for the masterplan of the site and these sessions allowed them to expand on this work, to hear specifically from parents of very young children.
Impact and Insights
The Earls Court Development Company has close links to many local charities, group and organisations including Solidarity Sports , a local charity that aim to nurture disadvantaged children’s wellness through the power of play. They were able to host the session and invite the parents of children who attend their sessions to participate.
The insights from the session complemented the engagement work being carried out in the area, and reinforced the need for a park that can meet a range of needs for children of different ages and their carers.
Similar to other pilot case studies, it was found a number of the parents are experiencing isolation and were looking for places and spaces to meet other parents throughout the year.
We found that a venue that is familiar to parents and carers is the best place to hold a session. It might have familiar toys and participants will feel more comfortable using the space.
How we tested the toolkit
We tailored the sessions to look at the public realm within the wider masterplan.
Across three sessions parents mapped their neighbourhood, collaged their ideal outdoor spaces, heard about plans for the development itself and visited the local area.
In session 3 we were joined by the landscape architect and the developer team and the parents shared their vision for a child friendly Earls Court, with them.
“The Family Voices Toolkit has been invaluable in helping us engage meaningfully with local young families and ensure our plans for Earls Court work for them. We intend to continue bringing young voices into our public realm design process, particularly around place spaces, so that they can help shape the places that are most important to them.”
Rebekah Paczek, The Earls Court Development Company
Preparation
Solidarity Sports, a local charity, provided a venue, led on recruitment and organised childcare and food (cooked by a local mum). The charity runs an under 5s group so they had no trouble in finding parents of young children who were keen to be involved.