Decision details

To approve the proposed arrangements for the summer provision of the Holiday Activity and Food Programme during Summer 2021. Some exempt information may be included such as data relating to children who are eligible for free school meals and how provision has been planned.

To agree the approach to the local implementation of the Holiday Activities and Food programme in North Yorkshire for Summer 2021. NYCC will work with a lead provider (consortia of North Yorkshire Youth, North Yorkshire Sport and Rural Arts) to undertake some functions including:
• working with a range of local voluntary and community service organisations to build capacity with local groups and clubs and develop new groups, if required, to meet gaps in provision;
• award funding to local holiday club providers;
• support providers and help promote provision;
• help develop sustainable approaches;
• support and evaluate the community grant programme.

From December 2020 through to March 2021, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have operated a Covid Winter Grant Scheme, providing funding for local authorities to flexibly operate a local eligibility framework and approach to support vulnerable individuals and families. The scheme was unexpectedly extended for the Summer half-term period through the Covid Local Grant Scheme (CLGS). Both of these scheme are, in effect, replaced by a Department for Education (DfE) scheme – the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme.

The Holiday Activities and Food programme (HAF) is intended to provide healthy food and enriching activities to disadvantaged children and is intended to cover a minimum of one week at Easter, four weeks over the Summer and one week at Christmas.

The aim of the programme is to make free places available to children eligible for free school meals for the equivalent of at least four hours a day, four days a week, six weeks of the year. Local authorities – and partners – will have flexibility to determine how to deliver this level of provision to serve the needs of children and families in their area. Provision throughout the Easter holidays was based around home activity packs which were well received by eligible families. Summer provision will be delivered via face to face activities and this report will outline the planned arrangements for the programme. Following the summer provision a review will be carried out to inform planning for Christmas holiday provision.

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