The Importance of Emotional Intelligence in the Management of a Playwork Setting.

Our philosophy, as a manager and former manager of playwork settings, is that the most important resource in the setting is the people involved within it. James has managed a playwork setting for four years and Angela has managed a range of play settings during her twenty year career. At the beginning of our careers, we both believed that acquiring experience and knowledge of children and associated theory was the key to effective training and development. However as our careers developed, our opinions changed. Goleman’s (1996) work on Emotional Intelligence has had a significant impact on how James leads and supports his playwork team, and in this article we reflect on how an appreciation of emotional intelligence may produce more effective playwork practitioners