There is a growing concern that adults who supervise children's play may restrict opportunities for children to engage in risky activities. Risk-benefit assessment is commonly advocated as a way of allowing children to take managed risks within settings. However 'risk-benefit' adopts a limited strategy of convincing professionals of the developmental benefits of risk, disregarding other factors which may also influence professionals when making risk assessments in their settings. This paper proposes an alternative approach to supporting practitioners in allowing risk by exploring the complexity of these influencing factors. A narrative literature review identifies five inter-related factors which affect professionals' attitudes to risk. The relationships between these factors are discussed and presented as a model which illustrates the complexity faced by practitioners when carrying out risk assessments. The authors argue that children's opportunities to benefit from risk in play may increase if these influencing factors could be explored within professional development. (author abstract)