Holiday Activities with Food Schemes Register

Hampshire County Council is seeking to establish a register of suppliers for the provision of funded Holiday Activities and Food Schemes (HAF). Once established the Council will then use the register to secure suitable suppliers to provide Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) schemes across Hampshire. This will replace to the current Holiday Actives with Food Schemes Framework which expires at the end of June 2027 The Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme is a Department for Education (DfE) funded programme designed to deliver healthy free holiday activities for benefits-eligible Free School Meal children across the school holidays. School holidays can be pressure points for some families because of increased costs (e.g. food and childcare) and reduced incomes. For some children that can lead to a holiday experience gap, with children from disadvantaged families: less likely to access organised out-of-school activities; more likely to experience ‘unhealthy holidays’ in terms of nutrition and physical health; and more likely to experience social isolation.  The HAF Programme is targeted towards children and young people who attend school, aged 4-16, in receipt of benefits-related free school meals. The county currently has approximately 37,000 eligible children (subject to change). The Council is looking to work with multiple suppliers to ensure a range of activities in each district and that eligible children can access a local scheme Hampshire County Council require providers to have high regard to safeguarding and all bidders will be required to evidence compliance with robust safeguarding practices. The Local Authority also requires providers to have high regard to access and inclusion and bidders must be able to evidence that they have robust policies and inclusive practice in place.