About Lambeth’s Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme
Lambeth Council has been awarded funding by the Department of Education (DfE) to co-ordinate a local Holiday Activities and Food Programme (HAF) during spring, winter and summer school holidays, 2024. This programme will deliver free activities and healthy food for school aged children and young people (4-16 years: Reception to Year 11) eligible for and in receipt of benefit-related Free School Meals (FSM).
In the UK, 12% of households with children (equivalent to 2.3 million children and 1.3 million adults living with them) have experienced food insecurity since August 2020. Low-income families with children on FSM are suffering the effects of food insecurity more severely. In the past year, 41% of households with children registered for FSM reported food insecurity (Food Foundation, 2021). There are more than 12,000 children eligible for FSM in Lambeth.
School holidays can be particular pressure points for some families because of increased costs (such as food and childcare) and reduced incomes. For some children this 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 are more likely to experience social isolation.
This funding provides Lambeth with the opportunity to expand and upscale holiday enriching activities across the borough.