CO0444 Holiday Activity Fund 2024 Reopening

The Department for Education has provided Essex County Council with funding in order to deliver the holiday activity and food programme (HAF) across Essex during the Easter, Summer and Winter school holidays. Active Essex will be managing the programme on behalf of Essex County Council. Active Essex and Essex County Council will also be managing the HAF programme on behalf of Thurrock Council. Across Essex and Thurrock the programme is called Essex ActvAte.

Essex ActivAte will engage and support young people and families who are eligible for benefits based free school meals and families most in need. The programme will provide free and inclusive holiday clubs across the county that will include a range of fun physical and enrichment activities, a free nutritious meal, nutritional education and mentoring and support for the young person and whole family. The programme aims to improve health generally, including, crucially, mental health and aim to provide the families with the knowledge and support to live healthier, happier lives.

We are looking for delivery partners or consortiums who can lead and deliver Essex ActivAte clubs across Essex and Thurrock during the main school holidays.

During 2021 we piloted the programme which delivered over 400 holiday clubs, supporting over 20,000 young people and their families. Over the next few year’s, it is our aim to extend the programme so that every young person who is eligible for benefits based free school meals, or is in need of this holiday support has the opportunity to engage in a local club.

Key outcomes of each Essex ActivAte club are:

· To provide free and inclusive holiday activity clubs for eligible young people

· To provide a safe environment for young people to attend in the school holidays

· To provide a fun, high quality holiday club experience for the young people

· To support the social skills of the young people attending

· To provide mentors and role model through the Essex ActivAte club staff

· To ensure that young people have at least 1 nutritious meal each day

· To provide education for the young people and whole family around eating more healthy, nutritious meals, on a budget

· Providing signposting and support for the whole family so that they have the understanding and knowledge to improve their physical and mental health and wellbeing, support network and opportunities.

Through the programme we will be providing inclusive mainstream Essex ActivAte clubs, SEND specialist clubs and Mental Wellbeing hubs. Partners may apply to deliver just 1 type of club or all 3 types of clubs as part of the Essex ActivAte programme.