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Playwork is an alternative approach to working with children developed by the UK adventure playground pioneers after the Second World War. Despite its rich history and current professional status in the UK, little accurate history is known about how the practice of playwork developed from the work on adventure playgrounds. This article describes the historical development of playwork from a community of practice to a national profession and now international movement. It outlines how playwork has been variously defined in the last forty years and discusses the challenges that these multiple identities pose in securing professional recognition of playwork on a global scale.