Vouchers worth £15 per child per week being provided to eligible Sefton families over the school summer holidays – provided by the Conservative Government
Sefton’s website proudly claims that the “Council is providing vouchers worth £15 per child per week to families eligible for free school meals, over the school summer holidays.
More than 9,000 families who may be worrying about the cost of the upcoming school holiday will be able to use the vouchers to buy food from local supermarkets, either in-store or online.”
However, this is not money from the Council but is allocated by the Conservative Government through the Holiday Activities and Food programme.
Since 2018, the HAF programme has provided support to children in receipt of free school meals through holiday periods.
The HAF programme is a response to this issue. Evidence shows that free holiday clubs can have a positive impact on children and young people. They work best when they:
• provide consistent and easily accessible enrichment activities
• cover more than just breakfast or lunch
• involve children and parents in food preparation
• use local partnerships and connections, particularly with the VCSO sector
Since 2021, the HAF programme has enabled the Government to support hundreds of thousands of children and their families throughout the Easter, summer, and Christmas school holidays.
FACT: This is money provided by the Conservative Government since 2018 for distribution by local councils. It is not Sefton Council’s funding.
Further reading:
https://www.sefton.gov.uk/mysefton-news/latest-news/vouchers-worth-15-p…
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/holiday-activities-and-food-…
