THE SECOND DECADE
Capital funding to set up new Toy Libraries came from a variety of grant giving sources and at first supported new developments in Clinics, Community Centres, Libraries but gradually the need for schools to develop positive means of facilitating home - school links lead to a flourishing development of Toy Libraries in schools. This, and the impact of the 1989 Children Act which lead to an increase in Toy Library age range up to 8, 11 or even 16 when provision for children with Special Needs was taken onboard. By 1990 there had been an enormous increase in the number of Toy Libraries situated in locations used by Bangladeshi families and the overall total of Libraries rose to 34.
At this stage Tower Hamlets operated a Neighbourhood system and Toyhouse succeeded in securing additional funding to employ two part time Toy Library Support Workers, 8 hours each to cover a section of the Borough with support responsibility for 17 or more Libraries each. A grant via the National Toy Libraries Association in 1991 enabled us to employ a part time bilingual Support Worker who was based in 3 or 4 Toy Libraries a week offering translation and interpreting services as well as cultural links to the Bangladeshi community and this led to a vast increase in the number of Bangladeshi families who felt able to access our services. Toyhouse now reached the point at which it could appoint a Co-ordinator.
London Docklands Development Corporation facilitated another new development in 1990. By means of a three year revenue grant, £2,000 worth toys and a Renault Trafic van, the Docklands Childminders Mobile Toy Library was born. This was a domiscilliary toy lending and family support service to Registered Childminders in Docklands which eventually extended both to the whole of Tower Hamlets and to families of young Children with Special Needs via grant aid from Tower Hamlets and the City Parochial Foundation. Despite a few ups and downs with funding and staff levels, the service still operates today although the Renault Trafic van was replaced by a new Renault Master van in 2002.Also the project was renamed the Home Visiting Mobile Toy Library and has nearly £9,000 worth of stock and can deliver to up to 70 family users, depending on levels of funding.
Another development in the 1990ies was the establishment of two Leisure Libraries for teenagers and young adults with a special need. Here the users themselves are able to be centrally involved in service delivery as well as in the selection of suitable stock. At the same time there were several new Toy Libraries opened catering particularly for children with Special Needs and this gradually lead us to explore the possibility of setting up a Soft Play specifically dedicated to them. In 1996 this became a reality as Toyhouse Special Soft Play was established at the Parents Advice Centre, Harford St. A weekly session is held during term time facilitated by both an English and a Sylhetti speaker, with a taxi service provided for those who would otherwise be prevented from attending. The provision is hugely successful, very popular and consistently over subscribed, although users have difficulty attending regularly due to the impact of their additional needs.
During this second decade training became an increasingly important aspect of the work of Toyhouse with provision of a free, annual Toy Library Training Course to 20 local people wanting to develop practical skills in Toy Librarianship. In conjunction with Tower Hamlets College we have built on this by tutoring a Level 3 accredited course, C.A.C.H.E. CPD Unit 16 “Supporting children & their families in Toy Libraries”.
Another aspect of our commitment to providing relevant training and learning opportunities to local people has been our development of specific support and training to volunteers. We have received two three year grants, first from the Department of Health to start this work and then the National Lottery Charities Board / Community Fund to develop it. Toyhouse has long been aware that active involvement in a Toy Library with your children has often been the start of a progression, through training and support, to paid employment in the Early Years sector. Toyhouse has long been committed to empowering local people in this way, well before this was formally acknowledged by Government policy.
In 1993 Toyhouse was increasingly seen as an important, established and respected part of early years provision in Tower Hamlets and a proposal from Tower Hamlets to negotiate a Service Level Agreement was warmly welcomed but was suspended by a change in political control when re-centralisation became a priority. Meanwhile in 1994 Toyhouse took the opportunity to become a Company Limited by Guarantee.
Another aspect of our service provision developed in the second decade was the annual Toy Day at which we disseminate quality toys bought in bulk at considerable discount direct from manufacturers and suppliers to member groups, thanks to capital grant aid we have raised during the year. This forms not only part of our commitment to service but also to quality assurance in member Libraries. Grant aid from Capital Radio enabled us to involve volunteer Librarians in the toy selection process, thus supporting our commitment to a user friendly service. This was further supported by the Carlton funded part time Peripatetic Bilingual Family Support Toy Librarian who, by means of a half termly Toy Library placement, was able to assist Libraries in difficulty to get themselves back on a firm operational footing.