Information for professionals
Thank you to everyone who participated in our HAF 2023 we are now working on our programme for the final year, 2024.
The Department for Education (DfE) funded Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) programme aims to support children, young people and families over the Spring, Summer and Winter holidays.
Further detail about what the HAF programme is and why it was created can be found here. Information for professionals about the HAF programme is set out below.
Who is this programme for?
Funding will be prioritised for school aged children and young people from reception to year 11 (inclusive) who are receiving benefit related free school meals, and their families. Eligible children will be sent a code to use for booking a HAF place from their school.
Parents will give providers their code to book their child’s place.
Extended criteria
Parents and carers will be aware that we have been running the Department for Education (DfE) Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme for a number of years in Devon.
The programme is continuing for the coming financial year and will cover the Easter, summer and Christmas holidays for 2024. Unfortunately, unless we hear from the DfE to the contrary, we believe it likely that this will be the final year of the programme. The HAF programme has proven a great success, with growing numbers of children and young people attending, and increasingly more activity providers registering to be part of the delivery. It’s fully funded by the DfE, and they set the criteria for those attending and the aims of the programme.
Nationally, the aim is to provide activities, including a nutritional meal, during the school holidays to young people, aged five to 16 who are eligible for benefit-related Free School Meals (FSM).
That means, it’s a condition of their funding that places are allocated to children and young people who are eligible for FSM first. Beyond that, we have taken a decision locally to use an extended criteria.
If there are any places available after allocation to children who are eligible for FSM, and if there is still sufficient DfE funding to do so, places can be offered to parents and carers of children and young people with Educational Health and Care Plans, (EHCPs); children in care, or who have been in care; and young carers.
We are very happy for places to be given to children and young people who meet the extended criteria, but in the first instance, we have to prioritise the allocation of places to those who are eligible for benefit-related FSM.
If your child is eligible for benefits-related FSMs, then they can book places on our HAF programme when activities become available. Parents and carers will have been sent a code by their school which is unique to their child and can be used for the Easter, Summer and Christmas offers for 2024 to book a place.
If your child is not eligible for benefits-related FSMs, but has an EHCP, or is (or has been) in care, or is a young carer, then they can be considered for a funded extended criteria place on activities if places are still available after children eligible for FSM have been allocated places.
If you are a parent or carer of a child who meets the extended criteria, please contact your preferred provider and let them know that you are asking for an extended criteria place and explain the category so we can ensure that the funding is allocated. Our HAF providers will hold a waiting list for these places and allocate them a week before the holiday period starts.
———————————————————————–
An optional 15% of the funding can be used to subsidise places for children who are not in receipt of benefit related free school meals but match the following criteria:
- Children in care
- Children previously looked after
- Children with EHCP
- Young Carers
Please note the number of these places are limited. HAF Providers will hold a waiting list for extended criteria places and will not be able to confirm a place until a week before the Holiday period. Priority must be given to the Benefit Related Free School Meal Children.
Additionally, not all activity providers will be able to accommodate the full age range of the programme. Please check with the provider what age group is appropriate for their activity.
When you book a HAF extended criteria place, you will need to tell the provider that you are asking for an extended criteria place and explain the category. They will then record this as your code for 2024.
Paid-for places
A number of HAF providers are registered with Ofsted and will offer paid-for places as well as HAF-funded places. Please use this link to see what government help is available to pay for childcare: Childcare Choices | 30 Hours Childcare, Tax-Free Childcare and More | Help with Costs | GOV.UK
When is the programme running?
Overall, Devon County Council is expected to offer the equivalent of six weeks’ holiday provision to eligible children (a total of 24 days of at least four hours, including a nutritious meal each day).
Providers will offer:
- Spring – a maximum of four days of face-to-face provision.
- Summer – four weeks of face-to-face provision, which cover a maximum of 16 days of at least four hours provision.
- Winter – a maximum of four days of face-to-face provision.
How do the children we are working with access the programme?
To access the programme, parents and carers should book a place directly with one of the providers in their local area.
We are currently planning our provision for Spring 2024, and will update this as soon as the list is finalised.
Please refer parents and carers to this list. Booking details for each provider are given in the list.
What if the child has additional needs?
If the child requires assistance for the activity, parents and carers should contact the given provider to discuss further – the parent or carer may be welcome to attend or the activity provider may offer extra support for the child.
The providers on offer include those experienced in working with children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and are therefore appropriately trained to support children with a disability or additional needs.
Contact information
If you have any queries, please email haf@devon.gov.uk.