Club 365 - Summer 2022 Update
North Lanarkshire Council · 13 September 2022
Back to Education, Children and Families Committee — 13 September 2022 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Education, Children and Families Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☒ Yes ☐ No Ref GMcL/MD Date 13/09/22 Club 365 - Summer (2022) Update From Gerard McLaughlin, Head of Education (North) Email mclaughling@northlan.gov.uk Telephone 01236 812269 Recommendations It is recommended that the Education, Children and Families Committee: 1. Endorse the content of this report. 2. Endorse the updates of Club365 summer programme The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority All priorities Ambition statement (10) Engage with children, young people, parents, carers, and families to help all children and young people reach their full potential Executive Summary North Lanarkshire Council has a range of established Summer Holiday provision and other successful programmes including Club 365 (for primary aged children in receipt of free school meals), Community Learning and Development’s (CLD) Summer Programme and Active and Creative Communities Summer interventions. Over the last 4 years, the national funding picture in relation to tackling holiday hunger has evolved with several funding packages being made accessible to local authorities to support vulnerable and low-income families throughout the pandemic. Moving out of the pandemic, the Scottish Government has confirmed its intent to continue support in this area with two recent funding announcements: 1. A £21.752m funding package for the continuation of free school meal summer 2022 holiday support payments across Scotland. North Lanarkshire will receive £1.555m. 2. A £10.000m funding package for summer 2022 holiday initiatives, which will provide coordinated access to food, childcare, and activities for low-income families. NLC have been allocated circa £0.765m (Appendix 1). The Service recognises the key objectives of Club 365 are now being reflected through national policy initiatives. The Service continues to develop the Club 365 offer to support those most in need through the enhanced additional and intensive offers during Summer 2022.
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1. Background 1.1 Of the national £10.000m targeted holiday package, North Lanarkshire Council has been apportioned £0.765m. The investment aims to build on and enhance existing local provision, with the purpose of addressing the negative impacts associated with extended periods of isolation and lack of participation in normal activities during the pandemic. 1.2 This funding forms part of the Scottish Government’s social renewal agenda following the pandemic and is focused on getting it right for every child by promoting the wellbeing of children and young people as Scotland recovers from Covid-19. 1.3 The funding is aimed at children and young people most likely to be experiencing continued disadvantage and who will therefore have been particularly adversely affected by the pandemic. 1.4 The funding guidance recognises several groups of children and young people may have particular wellbeing needs which require targeted support. These include children from low-income households (Free Meal Entitled), with a disability or additional support need, who are care experienced and those supported by a child’s plan. A full list as advised by Scottish Government can be found Appendix 2. 1.5 Pre-lockdown statistics indicate that 21% of children and young people in North Lanarkshire are affected by low income and material deprivation (Local Child Poverty Action Report 2019). This translates into 31,888 pupils in SIMD 1-4 (the highest in Scotland) and more than 19,000 pupils entitled to Free School Meals (FSM), 15,032 (inclusive universal entitled) of which are in primary education. 1.6 The diagram included at Annex B illustrates the core components from Scottish Government guidance and indicates the possible options that a Summer Programme offer could include. Education, Children and Families focus has been directed across the following four themes: • Opportunities to reconnect – with friends, peers, face to face social activity, outdoor activities and trusted adults. • Opportunities to play, be active and enjoy – such activities can provide key learning opportunities, promote wellbeing and confidence and support the return to School in autumn. • Equity – the offer should be inclusive and accessible for all, barriers to participation such as transport should be mitigated as far as possible. • Engagement – build on existing trusted relationships and communications methods so that children and families have awareness of the offer and feel encouraged to engage. 1.7 In addition to the themes outlined in 1.6, Education, Children and Families will focus on three overarching principals from guidance to underpin and deliver the programme: • Co-creation with children, young people, and families – as far as possible within the implementation timeframe the voice of children and young people will shape our offer. • Building on existing services, assets and knowledge of what works – funding should be used to enhance any existing work already underway in relation to summer programmes, building on and expanding models of good practice. It is anticipated that funding will also provide the opportunity to fill gaps and create new provision led by local knowledge and experience. • Partnership working and coordination – it is expected that existing and new local partnerships will play a key role in building the offer. Partnerships will contribute to ensuring a joined up whole system approach is achieved and that a broad range of interests can be supported. 1.8 The authority has extensive experience in delivering and supporting various Summer Programmes and initiatives, albeit through localised service arrangements. Previous experience and activity include Club 365 (18 Sites), The Community Learning and Development Summer Programme, Active and Creative Communities Summer Activities and New College Lanarkshire Enhanced Summer School transition offer.
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1.9 The impact of the Covid-19 emergency has required Education, Children and Families to consider how best to continue delivery of elements of statutory education provision such as free school meals and local initiatives and policies such as Club 365. Club 365 has an annual budget allocation of £1.090m. 1.10 The introduction of specific provision for children of key workers and vulnerable families (Hub model) created an infrastructure and operating model that will be enhanced through the summer programme. 1.11 Since March 2020, by way of direct payment, the authority has provided over £10.000m (580K payment vouchers) to families of children and young people in receipt of Free School Meals. During this time, approximately £8.600m (471K payment vouchers) related to Club365 and Free School Meals payments amidst the academic terms impacted significantly by the Covid-19 pandemic and corresponding restrictions. 1.12 This system will be built on to deliver the Scottish Government policy on funding free school meals during holiday periods until Spring Break 2022. NLC will receive a £1.555m funding allocation of the total circa £21.752m available to all councils. 2. Report 2.1 Universal Offer - Free School Meal Payment 2.1.1 The Service has continued to administer the Free Meal Entitled ‘FME’ holiday payments to families who qualify through Revenue and Benefits criteria. 2.1.2 On the 1st of July, 10,246 families of children and young people in receipt of FME received a £2.50 per day payment via direct bank transfer or voucher, equating to £80 per child. A total of £819,680 was issued over the summer as shown in table 1. Table 1 No of pupils Individual payment Total amount issued 10246 £80 £819,680 2.1.3 FME holiday payments will continue during the October, Winter, February and Spring breaks 2022/2023. The service will continue to utilise the previously outlined methods to ensure prompt payment. 2.1.4 The Service is continuing to work with schools and the Financial Inclusion team to raise awareness of the range of benefits and support available to families. 2.2 Additional Club 365 Summer Programme 18 Sites (Mainstream) 2.2.1 Club 365 operated 18 mainstream hubs for the duration of the Summer Break (46 days) from Thursday 30th June until Sunday 14th August from 11.30am to 1.30pm each day. The provision was targeted at primary aged pupils entitled to Free School Meals. 2.2.2 Over the first 5 weeks of provision, over 1500 individual pupils attended one of the 18 hubs. Table 2 below outlines the weekly attendance at each venue.
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Table 2 2.3 Enhanced Additional Summer Club 365 Offering Club 365 3 Sites (ASN) 2.3.1 The enhanced Club 365 offer for pupils with Additional Support Needs (ASN) operated across 3 hubs for 20 days, Monday to Friday between 10am to 2pm each day from Monday 4th July until Friday 29th July. 2.3.2 In its second year of operation, 321 applications were received from parents and carers for hub provision. Table 3 below, details the applications received per hub and provides comparison with applications for Spring Break 2022. Building on feedback and engagement with stakeholders/parent councils from the Summer 2021 and Spring Break 2022 provision, demand increased by over 440% as reflected in the table below. Table 3 – ASN hub applications summer 2022 ASN Venue Spring Break 2022 Summer 2021 Drumpark School 10 83 Firpark Primary School 36 130 Redburn School 26 108 Grand Total 72 321 2.3.3 Table 4 below provides an overview of the weekly attendance across the 3 ASN hubs. Table 4 – weekly attendance Primary Hubs Delivery Partner Wk 1 (4 Days) Wk 2 (7 Days) Wk 3 (7 Days) Wk 4 (7 Days) Wk 5 (7 Days) Wk 6 (7 Days) Wk 7 (7 Days) Total Abronhill Primary School Active Schools 47 138 106 97 105 116 77 686 Berryhill Primary School Active & Creative Communities 49 139 133 142 141 96 97 797 Braidhurst High School Third Sector 17 163 95 63 88 62 61 549 Brannock High School Active Schools 80 176 174 144 169 146 143 1032 Carbrain Primary School Active Schools 67 248 150 120 151 185 168 1089 Chryston High School Active & Creative Communities 54 221 174 127 184 100 103 963 Fir Park Stadium Third Sector 47 141 135 63 82 88 119 675 Getting Better Together Third Sector 235 368 388 347 382 348 258 2326 Kilsyth Primary School Active & Creative Communities 37 110 102 82 94 53 63 541 Made4U in ML2 Third Sector 74 211 163 166 115 138 93 960 Old Monkland Primary School Active Schools 28 80 69 74 94 73 50 468 Orchard Primary School Active & Creative Communities 11 89 72 56 63 55 46 392 Sacred Heart Primary School Active Schools 74 155 127 106 110 106 77 755 St Augustine's Primary School Active & Creative Communities 41 109 80 69 100 44 49 492 St Bernadette's Primary School Active & Creative Communities 37 98 93 58 84 53 40 463 St Dominic's Primary School Active Schools 34 155 98 90 127 97 89 690 St John Paul II Primary School Active & Creative Communities 25 123 107 48 105 92 68 568 St Marys Primary School Active Schools 29 105 96 86 77 107 104 604 Total 986 2829 2362 1938 2271 1959 1705 14050 Daily Average Per Site 14 22 19 15 18 16 14 781 Venue Locality Week 1 (5 Days) Week 2 (5 Days) Week 3 (5 Days) Week 4 (5 Days) Drumpark School Central 66 81 71 83 Firpark Primary School South 140 167 158 167 Redburn School North 112 126 125 140 Total pupils 318 374 354 390 Daily Average Per Site 21 25 24 26
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2.3.4 In addition to the ASN offer, 1100 activity passes were issued to families of pupils within the ASN sector providing cinema and leisure passes. The passes included access to North Lanarkshire’s swimming pools and the Time Capsule Waterpark. 2.3.5 Further evaluation of the complexities of ASN hub delivery will take place throughout 2022/2023, with a particular focus on building capacity to deliver a more targeted model. 2.4 Intensive Club 365 Summer Offer (Targeted Children and Young People) 2.4.1 The intensive offer focused on empowering lead officers to work with children, young people and families at risk of experiencing disadvantage. This provision included individual, small group and family activities. These interventions have been scoped out, planned and coordinated through the Virtual School. 2.4.2 The Service received requests for summer supports, and these were submitted from Education, Children and Families staff including Social Work locality teams, Intensive Services, Kinship Team, Community Learning and Development and from school clusters. A total of 397 requests were received for individual young people and/or family supports with over 5500 being delivered via activities, vouchers for family days out or direct input from Virtual School staff. 2.4.3 Bespoke support packages for a small number of young people who struggle to access and engage within a group setting are being delivered as individual summer projects. This has included activities such as trips to local parks, the seaside or places of interest, developing skills for life (budgeting and food/clothes shopping), hill-walking and interactive visits to the local fire service station. This approach maximises opportunities from available funding whilst working to further enhance the offer across each of the implementation levels: Universal, Additional, and Intensive. 2.4.4 The table below outlines the range of activity offers made available to children, young people and their families and the allocation of each resource. Table 5 Activity No issued No of Families/Young People NL Activity/Sports Camps 127 127 families Family Swim and Skate Pass 277 277 families Family Swim Pass 269 269 families Family Cinema Treat 1473 363 families Glasgow Science Centre 1191 279 families World of Wings, Cumbernauld (Thurs – Sun only) 1148 280 families Amazonia @ Strathclyde Park 1275 312 families Strathclyde Park Outdoor Adventure 16 16 young people Virtual School individual/group/family supports 108 78 young people 5884 3. Measures of success 3.1 Attendance and participation of children and young people in this targeted provision. 3.2 Successful partnership working to support children and young people. 3.3 Future evaluation of the programme.
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4. Supporting documentation 4.1 Appendix 1 – SC Summer 2022 – Funding Allocation & Guidance 4.2 Appendix 2 – Scottish Government Targeted Groups 4.3 Appendix 3 – Mainstream Venues 4.4 Appendix 4 – Club 365 Review and Evaluation Report – Policy & Strategy 23/01/2020 https://mars.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/egenda/images/att93103.pdf 4.5 Appendix 5 – Summer support for children Summer support for children - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) 4.6 Appendix 6 – Club 365 ASN Summer Programme Highlights Video https://vimeo.com/737502378/9a48e30a4 Gerard McLaughlin Head of Education (North)
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5. Impacts ( http://connect/report-template-guidance ) 5.1 Public Sector Equality Duty and Fairer Scotland Duty Does the report contain information that has an impact as a result of the Public Sector Equality Duty and/or Fairer Scotland Duty? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? The implementation of the findings of the options appraisal presented to Committee January 2020 will support children and families most affected by poverty and help to mitigate the impact of the welfare reform changes within North Lanarkshire. This will meet the requirements of the Fairer Scotland Duty by reducing inequalities caused by socioeconomic disadvantage. If Yes, has an assessment been carried out and published on the council’s website? https://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/your-community/equalities/equality-and-fairer- scotland-duty-impact-assessments Yes ☒ No ☐ 5.2 Financial Impact Does the report contain any financial impacts? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, have all relevant financial impacts have been discussed and agreed with Financial Solutions? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Inclusive of in-year funding for Universal Free Meal Holiday Vouchers (£1.555m) and 2022 Summer Holiday Provision (£0.765m), the Club 365 programme, and its associated linked activities, there is a combined total revenue budget of £3.410m for these activities during 2022/23. At this stage it is anticipated aggregate expenditure across the programmes will be £3.052m. As in previous years the Service will utilise the residual funding to underpin the family support element of the Club 365 programme. Procurement Procurement framework planned use Summer 2022: • The Club 365 provider Framework will be utilised for delivery at 4 mainstream hubs within the additional offer. • The Vocational and Skill Based Intervention Framework has been utilised to support activity delivery across ASN hubs. 5.3 HR policy impact Does the report contain any HR policy or procedure impacts? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant HR impacts have been discussed and agreed with People and Organisational Development? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.4 Legal impact Does the report contain any legal impacts (such as general legal matters, statutory considerations (including employment law considerations), or new legislation)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant legal impacts have been discussed and agreed with Legal and Democratic Solutions? Yes ☐ No ☒
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If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.5 Data protection impact Does the report / project / practice contain or involve the processing of personal data? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, is the processing of this personal data likely to result in a high risk to the data subject? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, has a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) been carried out and e- mailed to dataprotection@northlan.gov.uk Yes ☐ No ☒ 5.6 Technology / Digital impact Does the report contain information that has an impact on either technology, digital transformation, service redesign / business change processes, data management, or connectivity / broadband / Wi-Fi? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Where the impact identifies a requirement for technology, has an assessment been carried out (or scheduled) by the Enterprise Architecture Governance Group (EAGG)? Yes ☐ No ☒ 5.7 Environmental / Carbon impact Does the report / project / practice contain information that has an impact on any environmental or carbon matters? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.8 Communications impact Does the report contain any information that has an impact on the council’s communications activities? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Corporate Communications are represented on the Club 365 strategic planning group and support all promotion activity related the Club 365 programme. During the continued development of the enhanced additional offer (ASN) over Summer 2022 the service recognises communication with parents and carers is a critical aspect of delivery. The service throughout 2022/2023 will work to develop a booking system which will inform staffing specialism, transport and operational planning requirements. 5.9 Risk impact Is there a risk impact? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the key risks and potential impacts, highlighting where the risk(s) are assessed and recorded (e.g. Corporate or Service or Project Risk Registers), and how they are managed? A programme risk register is maintained and monitored by the project team. The Councils Safety and Wellbeing team are represented at strategic planning meetings and support regular risk assessments at Club 365 sites. Grant funding has allowed the service to grow the enhanced additional offer (ASN) from Summer 2021, with attendance and application requests demonstrating demand for this provision. The service will need to explore funding options to continue this delivery if grant monies are not available
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Delivery of the enhanced additional offer and capacity at hubs is driven by staff with experience and training within ASN. Whilst hubs within this offer have been supported by a range of internal and external teams, the service will continue to explore options to ensure significant staffing capacity exists to maintain and grow any future delivery in this area. Appendix 1 - SG Summer 2022 – Funding Allocation & Guidance Early Learning and Childcare Directorate Alison Cumming, Director E: alison.cumming@gov.scot 12th April 2022 ADDITIONAL FUNDING – TARGETED HOLIDAY PROVISION FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN IN SUMMER 2022 Dear Colleagues, I am writing in relation to the £10 million in additional funding committed in the December Budget for the targeted provision of accessible activities, childcare and food for primary school children from low income families during the 2022 school summer holidays. On 25 March COSLA Leaders considered a proposal for funding to enhance existing local delivery and have approved a flexible funding allocation of that £10 million to local authorities. This will be allocated through General Revenue Grant as a redetermination in March 2023. The breakdown of this funding by local authority is provided at Annex A. We have engaged closely with CoSLA officers on the development of these proposals, and agreed that Local Authorities across Scotland should use this funding to augment existing holiday provision within their area or, where there is little existing provision, to support the establishment of new services. We recognise that many local authorities and other local partners deliver holiday programmes currently and that plans may already be underway for this summer. The aim of this investment is to enhance and expand existing work, building on and learning from existing good practice while providing scope to innovate locally in response to what children and their families say would benefit them most. Building on this insight, the expectation is that within each local authority area there will be a mix of holiday provision making best use of existing cross-sectoral capacity, including both regulated childcare and organised children’s activities services. Services will vary across and within authorities. However,
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in line with the Scottish Government’s mission to tackle child poverty I would be grateful if local authorities could focus on areas with higher SIMD ratings and support access for the six priority groups highlighted in the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan. The priority for investment remains to support children and families from low income households to access acitivities, childcare and food during the summer holiday period, recognising the opportunity that these services offer to improve the wellbeing of children, as well as providing opportunities to support families with their childcare needs. Coordinated provision of holiday childcare and activities should be integrated with food and whole family support, where appropriate, to support households that are particularly adversely impacted by poverty. Transforming the system of school age childcare and expanding provision of meals to include the school holidays are key ministerial priorities set out in the Programme for
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11 Government and Covid Recovery Strategy. It is expected that the learning from this summer’s holiday programme will contribute to designing a system of year-round school age childcare and food provision over the course of this parliament. To that end, evaluation will be collaborative, ensuring that key learning is appropriately evidenced and effectively shared, helping all partners develop future holiday programmes that meet the needs of low- income families. Further details on the priorities for this funding, including target groups and principles for delivery, are outlined in the accompanying guidance. This is being shared alongside a FAQ and driver diagram setting out the strategic intent for this policy. We will also provide further information about our approach to evaluation soon. I am hugely grateful to local authorities and partners for their continued efforts in supporting the wellbeing of children and families, particularly the most disadvantaged. Please share this information with your dedicated Local Authority leads and if you have any further questions related to this funding you can reach the Scottish Government team at holidayfoodandchildcare@gov.scot Yours sincerely, ALISON CUMMING Director, Early Learning & Childcare
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12 Annex A Funding for 2022 Summer Holiday Provision (£10 million) Local Authority Allocation Aberdeen City £279,262 Aberdeenshire £355,229 Angus £211,328 Argyll and Bute £134,711 City of Edinburgh £575,459 Clackmannanshire £109,837 Dumfries and Galloway £329,037 Dundee City £293,671 East Ayrshire £278,454 East Dunbartonshire £105,186 East Lothian £161,537 East Renfrewshire £118,349 Falkirk £286,300 Fife £740,209 Glasgow City £1,665,024 Highland £465,403 Inverclyde £131,096 Midlothian £161,643 Moray £173,447 Na h-Eileanan Siar £45,906 North Ayrshire £323,894 North Lanarkshire £765,665 Orkney Islands £40,589 Perth and Kinross £242,363 Renfrewshire £292,415 Scottish Borders £208,377 Shetland Islands £49,195 South Ayrshire £189,380 South Lanarkshire £576,816 Stirling £138,819 West Dunbartonshire £197,643 West Lothian £353,756 Total £10,000,000
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13 Appendix 2: Scottish Government Targeted Groups The funding is aimed at school age children age 5-14 from low income households. Around 9 in 10 children living in poverty are from households with one or more of the priority family characteristics identified in the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan, therefore 85% of this funding is intended to be targeted at children and young people from the priority family groups below: • Children from lone parent families • Children from ethnic minority families • Children from families with a disabled adult or child • Children from families with a young mother (under 25) • Children from families with a child under 1 year old Children from larger families (3+ children) Children from these family types are most likely to experience continued poverty related and other structural disadvantage. Consideration should be given to how the offer can be designed and delivered in such a way that these households are able to benefit from provision on offer – for example by ensuring provision is accessible to disabled parents and children. The remaining 15% of the funding can be used flexibly to reach other children, including under-fives and older children, who would benefit from access to free holiday childcare, food and activities and will be determined at local level. Local discretion could include, but is not limited to: • Children from other low income families • Care experienced children and young people • Young carers 3 • Children in need of protection • Children supported by a child’s plan • Children with ASN • Children who have undergone significant transitions, for example, starting in ELC, primary or secondary school The needs of these target groups, their views and priorities, should be considered when planning and delivering summer holiday provision to ensure services are inclusive, accessible and responsive to local needs across different language mediums, in collaboration with Local Child Poverty leads where practicable to align strategic approaches. Partners should also work together to agree how activities and services can be delivered in remote or rural areas, where the range of existing provision might be more limited and geographic barriers to access services may be considerable.
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14 Summer Holiday Food and Childcare Programme – Guidance for Local Authorities Purpose £10 million in additional funding has been allocated to Local Authorities for the targeted provision of a summer 2022 holiday programme offering coordinated access to activities, childcare and food for children age 5-14 from low income families. The purpose of this guidance is to help Local Authorities and any commissioned partners understand how this funding can be used, expected outcomes, and high- level expectations for reporting. Any further questions, please contact holidayfoodandchildcare@gov.scot. Why the funding has been provided Transforming the system of school age childcare and expanding provision of meals to include the school holidays are key ministerial priorities set out in the Programme for Government and Covid Recovery Strategy. Ministers have committed to: make holiday childcare provision available to all children from low-income families by 2023, starting with delivery of a summer 2022 offer to provide coordinated access to food, childcare and activities during the school holidays. Local Authorities across Scotland have been allocated funding to augment existing summer holiday provision within their area, or where there is no existing provision, to initiate the creation of services. These services should enhance equity by widening opportunities for children from low income families to play, socialise, get active and access a range of activities that broaden their experiences, supplement their learning and deliver positive outcomes, integrating food provision wherever possible. The expectation is that within each local authority area there will be a mix of holiday provision making best use of existing cross-sectoral capacity, including regulated and unregulated childcare services that offer flexibility and choice to families and respond to their needs. Services will vary across and within authorities, with an expected focus on coordinated services in areas with higher SIMD ratings. Childcare and activities provision may incorporate partners from across a range of sectors, whether regulated or unregulated by the Care Inspectorate, such as local authority providers, Out of School care providers; youth work; third sector organisations and activity-based clubs providing activities in the school holidays (whose primary function is not childcare). Local Authorities should make best use of existing provision and capacity within their area, working in partnership across sectors where practicable to plan, coordinate and deliver innovative models of holiday provision. The aim is to deliver integrated, flexible and accessible services that meet the needs of children age 5-14 from low income families, removing barriers to access which are context-specific, and shaped by issues such as geographical location, income level, family support, access to transport and the additional support needs of children. Childcare or activities should also be integrated with food and wider family support where possible for households particularly adversely impacted by poverty, as defined by this guidance.
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15 Summer programmes should also be rights-based and reflect the diverse needs and aspirations of children and their families. Activities and childcare provision can be delivered through various language mediums and should reflect participants’ needs, this includes offering sessions in Gaelic medium or other widely-spoken minority languages where appropriate. Improving the physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing of children and young people is key, as is making sure children and young people’s views are listened to and actively inform the planning and delivery of the holiday programme as well as future policy. Who the funding is intended to reach This investment aligns with the national mission to tackle child poverty. It also complements wider investment in school aged childcare and free school meal replacements for eligible families based on low income, and wider investment in education recovery. The funding is aimed at school age children age 5-14 from low income households. Around 9 in 10 children living in poverty are from households with one or more of the priority family characteristics identified in the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan, therefore 85% of this funding is intended to be targeted at children and young people from the priority family groups below: • Children from lone parent families • Children from ethnic minority families • Children from families with a disabled adult or child • Children from families with a young mother (under 25) • Children from families with a child under 1 year old Children from larger families (3+ children) Children from these family types are most likely to experience continued poverty- related and other structural disadvantage. Consideration should be given to how the offer can be designed and delivered in such a way that these households are able to benefit from provision on offer – for example by ensuring provision is accessible to disabled parents and children. The remaining 15% of the funding can be used flexibly to reach other children, including under-fives and older children, who would benefit from access to free holiday childcare, food and activities and will be determined at local level. Local discretion could include, but is not limited to: • Children from other low income families • Care experienced children and young people • Young carers • Children in need of protection • Children supported by a child’s plan • Children with ASN • Children who have undergone significant transitions, for example, starting in ELC, primary or secondary school The needs of these target groups, their views and priorities, should be considered when planning and delivering summer holiday provision to ensure services are inclusive, accessible and responsive to local needs across different language mediums, in collaboration with Local Child Poverty leads where practicable to align strategic approaches. Partners should also work together to agree how activities and services can be delivered in remote or rural areas, where the range of existing provision might be more limited and geographic barriers to access services may be considerable.
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16 Underpinning principles The driver diagram included at Annex A illustrates intended programme aims and outcomes. It is designed to help guide partners through design and delivery of services in order to identify what specific local action can be taken to help maximise the impact of this funding and improve the wellbeing of eligible children and young people. The 2022 Summer Holiday Programme should be viewed as a bridge between the 2021 Get Into Summer offer and future holiday provision, aligned with wider school age childcare expansion. It should retain what worked well last year while beginning to embed new practices to test the changes required to aid development of a year- round system of School Age Childcare and meals provision by the end of this parliament. Emphasis is on a rights based, stigma-free approach, shaped by what children, young people and their families tell us, aligned with GIRFEC. This should build on what currently exists - enhancing and co-ordinating services and assets locally and nationally - in partnership. Local authorities should ensure the organisations they work with have appropriate processes for safeguarding, child protection and data protection in relation to employees, volunteers and the people they are supporting. Where there are new pilots, work should start quickly to ensure staff and volunteers undergo disclosure checks, child protection and children’s rights training Focus for summer 2022 should be on: • Establishing effective local partnerships that work across all sectors to plan and deliver a holiday programme that coordinates and integrates childcare, activities and food. That promotes inclusion and aims to remove barriers to participation and is responsive to the needs of eligible children and families, making best use of existing provision at local level. • Developing effective and non-stigmatising approaches to targeting. Examples include ensuring language used in communications is inclusive; forging relationships with trusted community/faith leaders to promote maximum engagement, reach, and uptake amongst eligible groups; engaging trusted referral partners such as schools and relevant professionals to identify eligible children and families and communicate the offer to them; or offering funded places for eligible children and young people alongside paid-for places available to all to eliminate stigma. • Communication and promotion of the summer offer should be coordinated locally in order to maximise engagement among target groups. The Scottish Government is committed to inclusive, non-stigmatising communication - language, cultural differences and levels of digital literacy should all be considered. • Overcoming barriers to participation - consideration should be given to how to meet wider family needs and lower costs of participating in the programme, including through transport, food provision, financial inclusion, family support and referral on to wider services where needed. Principles of dignity and human rights should be applied, promoting non-stigmatising provision of services, and supporting inclusive service delivery, for example through cultural or linguistic inclusivity. Local authorities should be responsive to the particular needs of their communities, for instance by offering sessions in Gaelic medium or other widely- spoken minority languages as well as English where appropriate. • Taking a place-based approach to delivery that targets areas of multiple deprivation within each local authority area. This is to concentrate funding in areas that have the highest rates of poverty and begin to embed tests of change
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17 that will generate the learning required to develop holiday provision for low- income families from 2023 onwards • Integrating food provision alongside childcare and activities. Consideration should be given to tackling food insecurity and promoting healthy relationships with food through incorporation of dignified, nutritious and economical food preparation and provision where possible. The food on offer should be culturally appropriate, helping to demonstrate inclusion and to reduce barriers to participation. Working closely with local food suppliers should be encouraged to support local economies and reduce food miles. This aspect of the programme, which overlaps with nutritional education and food education, can be challenging and we encourage local authorities to plan and prepare for this as best they can, including engaging with experts and partners as appropriate. More detail on approaches local authorities and delivery partners may find useful can be found in the supporting materials section – Annex B The guiding principles to underpin this approach are: • Partnership Working, building on existing services, assets and knowledge It is expected that existing and new local partnerships will play a key role in ensuring the coordination and reach of provision, including both the regulated and unregulated sectors, to ensure a joined up whole system approach to its development and delivery. Working with the existing childcare sector (ELC and school age childcare), outdoor education providers, activity providers (including sports clubs) and the youth work and CLD sectors will ensure a broad range of interests can be supported. Holiday activities and childcare may already be in place at a local level delivered by a range of partners, and plans may already be underway for summer 2022 provision. The aim of this investment is to enhance any such existing work, building on and learning from existing good practice. Where holiday provision does not exist in any form, funding could be used to establish pilot scheme/s, or if more appropriate to channel all funding to partners to deliver, beginning to test the guiding principles and form the basis of future holiday provision. It is anticipated that this funding will support improved coordination of existing provision, fill gaps and create new opportunities, led by local knowledge and experience. Co-creation of services with children, young people and families It is important that, as far as possible, any local offers are shaped around what children and young people of all ages say/have said that they want and need. The priorities of those in the target groups outlined above should help shape delivery plans to ensure that support reaches those who would most benefit. Provision should be child-centric, providing opportunities to connect with friends, peers, wider community and the outdoors and to learn new skills. Activities should be as wide ranging and inclusive as possible aiming to cover a wide range of interests, backgrounds and circumstances and be shaped around a theme of fun and play with a view to providing positive experiences. Activities may include: sports; expressive arts; crafts; outdoor learning; outdoor play; trips and visits. Early engagement with children and young people from eligible groups will improve the design and delivery of services and encourage uptake.
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18 Moving towards a coordinated, integrated programme of childcare, activities and food, that promotes inclusion and aims to remove barriers to participation The aim is that within local authority areas there is a variety of provision that offers flexibility and choice to families and responds to their needs. Services will vary across and within authorities, with an expected place-based focus on coordinated services in areas with higher SIMD ratings. Where possible, financial inclusion should be integrated, offering access to holistic support for the wider family to help tackle hardship, for example, by signposting families to suitable partners for advice, or by hosting information sessions via services. The integration of services that offer longer sessions and allows parents to leave their children should be considered, allowing parents and carers more flexibility to work, train or study. Physical food provision, that compliments the free school meal alternative offer, should be integrated where possible, recognising the impact that food can have on children’s ability to participate in any activity. Use of the funding Funding should be flexible and responsive to the needs of eligible children and families, as defined by this guidance. In order to meet local needs, partnerships should be developed to plan and coordinate the most effective use of this funding to achieve policy objectives. This includes making best use of existing services and capacity across sectors (such as the out of school care sector, youth work or children’s services) to provide a broad and flexible programme, utilising the expertise of trusted partners to target provision most effectively. It is expected that the majority of spend will be on financing the cross-sectoral delivery of a coordinated programme of activities, childcare and food for school age children across each local authority area, with a particular focus on SIMD areas where practicable. This can include running bespoke programmes for eligible families or funding spaces for eligible children within existing local services alongside paid-for provision to eliminate stigma. Funding can be spread across varied providers who specialise in offering activities, childcare and food, including both regulated and unregulated providers. Consideration should also be given to: • Who is best placed to deliver services that meet the needs of eligible families and ensuring that potential partners are kept informed of ways they can bid in for funding. • Exploring alternative funding streams to supplement Scottish Government and Local Authority sources in order to create more sustainable holiday provision, e.g. through local sponsorship deals or entering partnerships with local businesses to provide services in kind. • Using funding for areas identified for improvement in the evaluation of the Summer 2021 offer, e.g. addressing barriers to participation, for example additional discretionary spend to mitigate against transportation costs; ensure staffing is in place at appropriate ratios and with the necessary training and experience to include children with Additional Support Needs. • Capital costs, such as the purchase of play equipment, or improvement to services that promote sustainability and quality experiences. • Paying for staff and volunteer training. • Food provision, ensuring food is varied, nutritious, and culturally appropriate.
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19 Monitoring, Reporting and Evaluation The £10 million funding is being paid to Local Authorities through the General Revenue Grant. Whilst this funding is not ring-fenced it is vital that the impact and learning of the programme be evidenced through proportionate reporting and evaluation mechanisms. There will be no interim reporting, the intention is that light touch reporting will be supplemented by participant evaluation workshops that will generate key learning required to inform future policy and practice and scale up holiday provision over the course of this parliament. Further information will be provided separately. Scottish Government commissioned engagement with participating children and young people will also help to understand whether the programme met their needs and feedback will shape future delivery.
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20 Annex A Summer 2022 Drivers Diagram During the 2022 summer school holidays eligible children and their families benefit from access to coordinated holiday activities, childcare and food provision, that meet their needs and help them thrive Prioritise those who would benefit most Take a place-based approach, with focus on SIMD-indicators Equity Identify and remove barriers to access Maintain awareness of potential sources of stigma and take steps to eliminate them Co-create cross-sectoral planning and delivery, that lays the groundwork for future collaboration Ensure robust information sharing processes to enable cohesive approach Whole Systems Approach Make best use of existing resources: build on local services/capacity and leverage multiple funding sources/streams Create coordinated access to childcare, activities and food Embedding quality food standards, that promote positive food relationships, meeting nutritional and cultural food requirements throughout provision Range of Options – providing flexibility and choice for children and families Child and Family Centred Opportunities for children to play, socialise and be active, particularly outdoors Effective targeted marketing - accessible to all, employing family referral and direct communications Stigma-free approach to delivery, shaped by the needs of children, young people and their families and aligned with GIRFEC
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21 Annex B Supporting Materials Food Offer, Food Standards and Safety All food provided as part of the programme must: • comply with regulations on food preparation: • take into account allergies and dietary requirements (see the allergy guidance for schools • take into account any religious or cultural requirements for food There is flexibility in the design of the food provision which should be tailored to ensure that all food meets the dietary needs of the children and families who attend. The food served should also be appropriate for the nature of the session, for example, offering cold packed lunches for parks or outdoor venues or for day trips. While there can be benefits to using a central food service to provide meals to services, we expect local authorities to carefully consider whether using a central food service is the right approach for providing high quality, attractive and tailored food for those attending the programme. Providing food on site can provide an opportunity to engage children and families in food preparation and nutrition. Providers have reported that when children are involved in designing menus and the preparation of food, they are more engaged and more willing to try new and healthier food. We recommend that local authorities consider the provision of the food element of the programme, in particular, that providers and children are offered the opportunity to be involved in the planning and preparation of food. Such a developmental approach is key to effecting long-term change in engagement with food and nutrition. There are also environmental factors to consider when planning the food provision and local authorities should consider whether clubs preparing food on their own premises would produce less food and packaging waste and result in fewer food- miles than off-site, centralised provision. Food Standards & Safety: • See further information and guidance from Food Standards Scotland on safe preparation and handling of food in the context of the pandemic. • Nutrition: • Many of the standards in the Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations 2020 will apply to holiday provision on school premises. In general, all of the Regulations that apply to food and drink provided on school premises will also apply to third party providers. It is recommended to engage with local authority catering leads who will be aware of what applies, to whom and when. • Further detail can also be found in the Healthy Eating in Schools 2020 guidance which is statutory guidance designed to support
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Appendix 3 – Mainstream Venues Table 2 – Summer mainstream attendance