HAF Programme
Winter HAF programme boroughs to be confirmed soon
HAF (Holiday Activities & Food) Programme
The holiday activities and food (HAF) programme provides support to children from low-income families during school holiday periods.
Research has shown that the school holidays can be pressure points for some families and our HAF programme provides free nutritious meals, enriching activities and safe environments for children with SEND who are in receipt of benefits-related free school meals, require a minimum of 1:1 support and have an EHCP.
Our clubs run on a borough-wide basis and offer a friendly, fun, social and inclusive environment with specialist equipment and facilities and trained staff. Staff have extensive training in Working with Children with SEND, Managing Challenging Behaviour and Safeguarding along with a number of other courses.
About HAF
Children make friends and enjoy trying new things - G is a 9-year old girl with complex needs including ASD, sensory processing difficulties, hypermobility, communication challenges, as well as other conditions that include life-threatening allergies. G often uses a buggy for longer distances and has never been able to go on park visits as she attends without her chair and has not wanted to go outside of the venue. G made friends with some of the other children who attended a recent HAF programme and decided she wanted to try going to the park. Due to her cold-induced allergic reactions, the team took spare clothes, hat and gloves and her medication pack along with the usual first aid supplies and allowed her to try walking the short distance to the park. G absolutely loved being able to do what her peers were doing and took full advantage of the different equipment to explore. She was extremely excited to be able to tell her dad where she had been and he was beyond thrilled that G had achieved this giving her high fives and sharing her delight. G proudly announced “I went park… and I’m going again tomorrow!”. This may seem to be such a small thing for many children but for G it was a truly life-changing experience – she pushed herself to walk to the park, the team rallied around to ensure that she would be safe there despite her severe allergies and hypermobility issues. G was able to achieve the same thing the following day so this has opened up her world just a little bit more.
Children and young people can enjoy crafts and themed activities promoting confidence, positive relationships and of course, fun! They have indoor and outdoor spaces for physical activities and games. Our fun, interactive food sessions allow children to explore new smells, tastes and textures at their own pace – the children love to share new foods they have discovered through this activity with their families at home time!
If your booking is eligible, we will require you to complete the registration form and email us a copy of your child’s latest EHCP and a current photograph. We will then create a Tapestry account for your child where you will receive updates on what your child has been doing at the club (planners are typically uploaded within 72 hours of attendance). Please note that we cannot confirm your child’s place until all of these steps have been completed as we need all of the information to be able to create a tailored support plan for your child to ensure the service is safe and effective for them.
HAF Parent Feedback
My child is always happy to attend, to see the staff and to make new friends. Thank you for your unconditional support and for providing a safe, happy environment for our children to learn, play and grow. We look forward to sharing many more exciting days with you!”
I am so beyond happy with the SEN Easter HAF club.
The staff knew exactly how to engage my son, he was so comfortable with them which is a big deal for a child on the spectrum. He enjoyed it so much he asked me for more “Holiday Club”. I am very happy with the staff’s diligence and communication and, more importantly, the love and care they showed my son.”
For Families:
Our HAF programme are commissioned on a Summer, Winter and Easter holiday basis. Bookings typically open around one month prior to the start of the school holiday and you can register your interest by visiting www.eequ.org and entering where you live and the age of your child. You will see relevant Enabling Independence services for your borough to sign up for more information and bookings will go live if we have been commissioned for that holiday. Once bookings go live and you have submitted your booking, this will be confirmed for eligibility by the Local Authority before we are able to get in touch with you. If our scheme is full, we will operate a waitlist.
For Childcare Professionals:
All bookings are currently processed through www.eequ.org – our spaces are extremely limited and are booked very quickly. We may be able to accept additional children if you are able to fund this separately but would discuss this on a case by case basis. In this instance, please contact send@enablingindependence.org.uk and we will respond within two working days.
Think you could make a difference to children and young people’s lives and want some extra hours in the school holidays?
Why not apply to work at our HAF programme and help us change the lives of the children and families we work with
