HAF: the London experience
As part of our partnership with the Greater London Authority (GLA), the Mayor’s Fund for London hosted a vibrant and informative discussion this morning for local authorities, delivery partners, London infrastructure bodies and charities in the food insecurity space interested in the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme in the capital.
In the wake of the Government’s Autumn 2021 announcement of future HAF funding, this event provided a special opportunity to share views about the programme so far, examine how the design of the programme played out on the ground and ensure that best practice is embedded into HAF delivery in the years ahead.
As the largest and most established independent provider of support to local community groups to deliver holiday and food programmes, we commissioned an independent researcher, Laura Wyatt-Smith, to make sure that we gathered as much information as possible on how the scheme was running in order to make sure we collectively do even better in London in the years to come. The result is the report below.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL REPORT: HAF 2021 – London’s experience and recommendations for government
Our research shows how amazingly well London has done in stepping up to rollout HAF across the capital in 2021. It also shows how, thanks to the Government’s HAF policy, many more young people not only benefited from good quality, healthy food, but also crucially, were able to see and make new friends, be active, learn new skills, stay safe, have fun, relax and, hopefully, begin to recover emotionally and physically from the challenges of the pandemic. However, it also shows powerfully the gaps in the provision and the changes that could helpfully be implemented as the programme continues into 2022 and beyond.
KEY FINDINGS FROM THE REPORT INCLUDE:
OUR RECOMMENDATIONS TO GOVERNMENT INCLUDE:
We are committed to working in this space to support local authorities and community partners and will run our holiday provision programme for young people, Kitchen Social, for the next three years. We will also continue to deliver our Take & Make recipes boxes to councils and local delivery hubs which will support families at home.
Our many thanks go to the GLA for supporting this work, alongside our gratitude to the local authorities, local community providers, families and young people who gave their time and shared their views so willingly.
