Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme Derby

The Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme is designed to provide children and young people with access to healthy food and enriching activities during the school holidays.

The food programmes is for families who might otherwise struggle to provide healthy meals for their children during the school holidays. HAF combine free school meals with physical activities, enrichment and opportunities for children to socialise, helping provide positive experiences.

Local authorities coordinate HAF programmes in their areas, working with schools, charities, community organisations, sports clubs and other eligibility providers to deliver activities to eligible children.

For HAF providers, providing a suitable meal is an important part of delivering a successful programme.

HAF programmes can be delivered by a range of organisations, depending on the arrangements established by the relevant local authority.

These could include:

• Schools and academies
• Holiday clubs
• Sports clubs and activity providers
• Community organisations
• Charities
• Youth organisations
• Community centres
• Other organisations working with local authorities or approved HAF partners

If you are an external HAF provider responsible for delivering activities, ICare Cuisine can support the food element of your programme by providing meals for the children attending.

To qualify for free school meals and by extension, the HAF Programme, families must meet specific income thresholds. This support is crucial for families who might otherwise struggle to provide for their children’s nutritional needs during the school holidays. Children in foster care or under the care of a local authority automatically qualify, recognising the unique challenges these children face.

Parents receiving certain benefits may also qualify for the programme, ensuring that support reaches those who need it most. During the application process, families typically need to verify their eligibility, which helps maintain the integrity and effectiveness of the programme.

By adhering to these criteria, the programme ensures that its resources are directed towards families who will benefit the most, thereby maximising its positive impact on the community

Funding for the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme is provided through the local authorities, Schools, Charities, community groups and activity providers can apply by putting in an application through your local Council or teaming up with one of our approved partners to make it happen.

To qualify for the funding, you’ll need to:

• Organise fun activities for eligible children during the school holidays
• Include activities that are engaging, educational and encourage physical activity
• Provide nutritious meals that meet the required nutritional standards
• Promote healthy eating and food education

A few important things to consider:

• Applications usually go through the local authority’s HAF coordinator or online portal
• Registration forms must be completed to secure a place
• The funding will cover the costs of meals, staffing, activities and operational costs
• Most HAF programmes are for kids aged 5-16 years
• If you can’t apply directly, you might be able to team up with a local authority or one of our approved providers to deliver a service

This is where Icare Cuisine can help.

ICare Cuisine can work with external HAF providers across Derby to arrange meals that are delivered directly to your activity venue.

We can discuss your programme requirements, including:

• The dates your programme is running
• Number of children attending
• Number of meals required
• Delivery locations
• Preferred delivery times
• Menu requirements
• Dietary requirements
• Food allergies and intolerances
• Hot or chilled meal requirements

Our aim is to make arranging the food element of your HAF programme as straightforward as possible.

Our flexible ordering process is designed around the needs of schools and HAF providers.

Our Ordering Process
We make ordering simple and easy to do by phone or online, and we’ve got a wide range of meals to choose from. You just pick the delivery dates and times that suit your programme and we’ll take care of the rest.

• Choose from a wide range of hot meals, sandwiches and balanced lunches
• Order by phone or online
• Select your delivery dates and quantities
• Let us know about any dietary requirements or special meal requests
• We’ll even help with menu planning to make sure the meals are suitable for all ages

Whether you need a one-off delivery or ongoing support throughout the holidays, we can work with you to find a solution that fits your programme.

Delivery Schedules

• We do deliveries 7 days a week, which is perfect for holiday clubs and extended programmes
• Meals are delivered at a time that suits you, so you can be sure that everything will run smoothly
• We work with your session schedule (e.g. lunch service at schools or clubs)
• Reliable, on-time delivery supports smooth service during busy HAF periods

HAF providers need a catering partner they can trust to deliver nutritious meals consistently and efficiently. That’s us, as our meals are carefully prepared to meet the kids’ nutritional needs, while still being tasty and fun to eat.

Every menu we offer is designed with the kids in mind! By leaving meal preparation and delivery in the hands of ICare Cuisine. This allows schools and organisations to focus on delivering engaging and fun activities without the extra pressures of food prep and management to deal with.

We also accommodate any number of special requirements, such as:

• Food allergies
• Religious dietary requirements
• Vegetarian and vegan diets
• Cultural preferences
• Special educational needs and dietary considerations

Working with a local provider like ICare Cuisine for meal delivery HAF programmes offers several advantages:

• Reliable deliveries directly to your venue.
• Freshly prepared meals and sandwiches.
• Child-friendly menus that encourage healthy eating habits.
• Faster communication and responsive customer service.
• Greater flexibility for last-minute changes and special requests.
• Local knowledge and support throughout your programme.

Our Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) meal delivery service is here to help schools, activity providers and community groups give kids an awesome holiday experience.

The kids get to enjoy healthy, tasty meals that help them focus, learn and get stuck in with their activities, staff save loads of time and parents can rest easy knowing their kids are getting the good stuff. Whether you’re running a small holiday club or a big programme, we provide a reliable solution and excellent meal delivery service in your local area.

We know that running a successful HAF programme is all about more than just great activities. Kids need great tasting food to keep them going and give them the energy to participate all day long.

That’s why schools and organisations trust us to deliver.

What Sets Us Apart?

• Over 20 years of meal delivery experience
• More than 200 meal options available
• Hot, chilled, frozen, and sandwich meal choices
• Menus designed to meet School Food Standard
• Excellent food hygiene ratings
• Catering for all dietary requirements and allergies
• Seven-day delivery service, including school holidays
• Friendly and experienced customer support team
• Flexible ordering for programmes of all sizes