124 Acceptance of the Holiday Activities Fund 2021 Grant PDF 162 KB
Minutes:
The
Executive Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health and the Director of
Public Health submitted a report for the Executive’s consideration. The purpose
of the report was to provide details in respect of the Holiday Activities Fund
2021 (e.g. the delivery requirements) and request that the Council accepted the
grant on offer.
Over
recent years, the Government had piloted a range of approaches to delivering
school holiday activities with the aim of providing free healthy meals and fun
activities to disadvantaged children. In November 2020, the Government
announced that local authorities would be allocated a share of £220 million to
expand the Holiday Activities Fund (HAF) programme in 2021, so that it was
available for every child and young person eligible for free school meals
(FSM).
The
grant being made available to Middlesbrough Council was:
·
2020/21
FY = £105,340
·
2021/22
FY = £942,130
·
Total
indicative allocation = £1,047,470
Broadly,
the requirements of the HAF programme 2021 were to provide:
·
healthy
(hot) meals to School Food Standards;
·
enrichment
activities;
·
physical
activity and nutrition education;
·
signposting
and referrals to services and support that would benefit the children who
attend their provision and their families (e.g. Housing Support Officers,
Affordable Warmth Advisors);
·
inclusive
and accessible provision;
·
at
least 4 hours for 4 days a week - for 4 weeks in the summer, and for a week in
Easter and Christmas; and
·
Ofsted
registered providers where appropriate.
ORDERED
1.
That delegated
authority be granted to the Director of Public Health to accept the Holiday
Activities Fund 2021 grant.
2.
That the Director of
Public Health in consultation with the Director of Education, Prevention and
Partnership; Executive Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health and
Executive Member for Communities and Education be granted delegated authority
to sign off future implementation plans and allocate funding up to £150,000 per
provider to deliver the Holiday Activities Fund programme.
REASON
Poverty was a
significant issue in Middlesbrough, with 31.4% of children living in low income
families. The school holidays posed additional stresses on those families. The
provision of the HAF programme locally, alongside other holiday hunger and
wider food poverty work, would alleviate some of those stresses and benefit the
children most in need, particular in terms of holiday learning loss.