School holidays can be a pressure point for some families because of increased costs (such as food and childcare) and reduced incomes. For some children, that can lead to a holiday experience gap with children from disadvantaged families experiencing the following:

• less likely to access organised out-of-school activities
• more likely to experience ‘unhealthy holidays’ in terms of nutrition and physical health
• more likely to experience social isolation.

Free holiday clubs are a response to this issue and evidence suggests that they can have a positive impact on children and young people and that they work best when they achieve the following:

• provide consistent and easily accessible enrichment activities
• cover more than just breakfast or lunch
• involve children (and families) in food preparation.

The funded holiday club places are for children who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals (FSM).

Children and Young people who have a Social Worker or early help worker and they feel attendance at a HAF Programme would be beneficial, may also be able to access a funded place.

Children who attend the HAF Programme should have opportunities to:

• eat more healthily over the school holidays
• be more active during the school holidays
• take part in engaging and enriching activities which support the development of resilience, character, and wellbeing along with their wider educational attainment
• be safe and not to be socially isolated
• have a greater knowledge of health and nutrition
• be more engaged with school and other local services.

We also want to ensure that the families who participate in this programme:

• develop their understanding of nutrition and food budgeting
• are signposted towards other information and support, for example, health, employment, and education.

The programme for Easter and summer runs for a minimum of four hours a day, for four days a week (four weeks over the summer). Each programme will run at different times and may have different ways of delivering the programme, but every programme is free for eligible children and their families to attend.

For Christmas 2022 there is an alternative delivery model available. The delivery options for Christmas 2022 are as follows:-

• four hours a day for four days face to face delivery
  or
• at least two days of four hours a day face to face provision. Alongside these participating children to receive at least two days’ worth of food and activity packs.

Each programme will be expected to provide a range of exciting activities and games and a healthy main meal. In addition, there should be a range of enjoyable and interesting opportunities for children to try new things and make new friends. Further ideas are included on the information sheets. You may want to work with local artists, musicians, and local organisations that can come in and provide some enriching activities for the children.

Element One - Food
There is an expectation that at least one healthy, balanced meal a day will be provided. There is no requirement for the meals to all be hot, but hot meals are encouraged where possible. The meals must meet School Food Standards: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-food-standards-resources-for-schools. All food provided as part of the HAF Programme must comply with regulations on food preparation and consider allergies and dietary requirements in line with the new allergen legalisation Natasha's Law: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/natashas-legacy-becomes-law along with preferences as well as any religious or cultural requirements for food. If delivering the two day face to face model with a food hamper, please provide us with details of the contents of your food hampers in line with the HAF Programme.

Element Two – Enriching and Physical Activities
Clubs must provide fun and enriching activities that provide children with opportunities to develop new skills or knowledge which are age appropriate. They must provide activities which meet the Physical Activity Guidelines (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/physical-activity-guidelines-uk-chief-medical-officers-report) on a daily basis. If delivering the two day face to face model with activity packs, please detail the contents of your activity packs in line with the HAF Programme.

Element Three – Nutritional Education
Clubs must include an element of nutritional education each day aimed at improving the knowledge and awareness of healthy eating for children.

Element Four – Food Education for Families and Carers
Clubs must include at least weekly training and advice for parents, carers, or family members on how to source nutritional food and prepare and cook low-cost nutritious meals.

Element Five – Signposting and Referrals
Clubs must be able to provide information, signposting or referrals to other services and support that would benefit the children who attend their provision and their families. This may include, but is not limited to, information about Citizen’s Advice, debt and financial education, healthcare professionals, family support services, housing support officers, and Jobcentre Plus.
 
To further support applications and development of programmes, we will soon have more information documents on particular aspects and a training programme to support partners. Information of these will be communicated through email and available on our dedicated website https://www.theeducationpeople.org/holiday-activities-and-food-programme-kent/

School holidays can be a pressure point for some families because of increased costs (such as food and childcare) and reduced incomes. For some children, that can lead to a holiday experience gap with children from disadvantaged families experiencing the following.

• Less likely to access organised out-of-school activities.
• More likely to experience ‘unhealthy holidays’ in terms of nutrition and physical health.
• More likely to experience social isolation.

Free holiday clubs are a response to this issue and evidence suggests that they can have a positive impact on children and young people and that they work best when they achieve the following.

• Provide consistent and easily accessible enrichment activities.
• Cover more than just breakfast or lunch.
• Involve children (and families) in food preparation.
  Please click on the buttons below to view some helpful documents.

The delivery model of your programme must be included in your application, we have included both the four days and two days with additional resources models for you to select from.
Please discuss with the HAF team your proposed delivery model if it differs from the above. We appreciate that depending on age group and needs of the community a varied model is sometimes required.

Please find below the application and funding forms, guidance notes and information about Natasha’s Law for the 2022 HAF Programme delivery.
Natasha's Law 
Natasha's Law Food Standards Agency

HAFP Application form 2022

HAF Application form checklist 2022

Introduction Webinar for HAF Programme Partners

To support your application the following information regarding the elements of the HAF Programme is detailed below.

There are several elements to providing the full HAF Programme offer. As the COVID-19 restrictions are eased, the expectation is that all programme partners will be able to offer the full programme. The provision that you agree to offer will be monitored by the HAF Programme Team and details of monitoring and evaluation procedures will be sent in due course.

The deadline for applications for Easter 2022 delivery will be 25 February 2022.

We will accept applications throughout the year, with deadlines for specific delivery times as follows:

Summer 2022 – 10 June 2022
Christmas 2022 – 4 November 2022

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to reply to this email and one of the HAF Programme team at [email protected]

Schools hold information about the children that attend and often know which families are eligible. You can get in touch with the school to ask who the best contact person for your programme would be.

If families have not yet checked their eligibility for FSM, they can use the eligibility checker below:

https://www.cloudforedu.org.uk/ofsm/kent/

If you need any further support, please email the HAF Programme Team.

We are currently exploring the use of an online eligibility checking tool and will communicate with HAF Programme partners when details are available.

Please note: Families who are not eligible for benefits related free school meals or not referred by their Social Worker or Early Help Worker cannot be funded through the HAF Programme.

The evidence from the pilot schemes clearly shows that involving families in the programme has the greatest impact. Providers must include at least weekly training and advice sessions for parents, carers, or other family members. These should provide advice on how to source, prepare and cook nutritious and low-cost food. Programme partners will be required to demonstrate how they plan to include families, and the HAF Programme Team will get further information as part of the monitoring process.

Programme partners can advertise the programme in their usual way. This may include getting in touch with local schools, using social media, and approaching other local organisations who have contact with families. Each programme will have its own information and booking system. When sharing information:

• provide a range of contact details (for example phone number, name of lead person, email address, website)
• make it clear which delivery model you plan to use
• be clear about how flexible you can be, if at all, once a booking is made
• be prepared to support families who may need help in completing the forms.

It is important that partners have safeguarding at the forefront of their programme. This must include the following points.

• A designated safeguarding lead with up-to-date training that includes a working knowledge of the Kent procedures.
• Making sure that all staff understand safeguarding and the policy and procedures that are used by the programme.
• Ensuring that enough information is collected about children and young people in case any action needs to be taken. This includes the child’s full name, date of birth, address, who has parental responsibility for the child/young person, the school that the child/young person attends (this also helps with eligibility), and emergency contact details for the parent/carer.

All programme partners commit to making their programme accessible for a wide range of children, ensuring that they meet the legal requirement of the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments. With parental agreement it may also be helpful to contact the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) at the child’s school to help build a picture of what support may need to be offered. Using forms to get detailed information about each child and their needs will enable programme partners to ensure that every child is fully included and can enjoy the opportunities that are offered.

If you have questions, please email [email protected]