Decision details

Proposed Decision:

Cabinet Member for Education and Skills to;

1.     Approve the proposed HAF delivery model and commissioning approach from 2025.

2.     Commence formal procurement activity to tender for a service, award a contract(s) (three years, with a 12 month break clause) and develop robust contract management for oversight of the contract(s) performance.

3.     Confirm that in accordance with Decision 23/00009  that Corporate Director Children, Young People and Education accept Future allocations of the Holiday Activity and Food Grant for use in accordance with the grant determination letter which will be issued by the Department for Education and the relevant terms and conditions, provided these remain substantially the same as the current; and to delegate authority to the Director of Education and SEN to manage and deploy the accepted Holiday Activity and Food Grant in accordance with the grant conditions and arrangements detailed in the report, including entering into contracts through a compliant procurement route and have a team in place to roll out the HAF Programme from 2025-2026 and beyond.

4.     Delegate authority to the Director of Education and SEN, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, to take other necessary actions, including but not limited to entering into contracts, Service Level Agreements (SLAs) or other legal agreements, as required to implement the decision.

Reason for the Decision:

If KCC wishes to make use of the DfE Grant for Holiday Activity Fund Services, a key decision is required to confirm the delivery model and commissioning approach.  This will determine the policy approach, confirming how KCC intends to deliver against the DfE requirements.  The decision will also provide authority to enter into relevant contracts.

·       Total value of contract exceeds £1m and impacts across more than two electoral divisions.

Background:

The Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme in Kent focusses on children’s physical health and wellbeing by providing healthy food and exciting activities for children and young people during the school holidays. Families of children aged four to 16 years, who are in receipt of benefits-related free school meals, can access free opportunities during the Easter, summer, and Christmas holidays. This programme is funded by the Department for Education (DfE), accompanied by grant conditions.

Since 2021 The Education People (TEP) have been commissioned through an “additional works request” to manage the HAF programme. CYPE have been exploring opportunities regarding a move towards a more long-term provision for HAF and how this may look from June 2025 and beyond, should the funding continue.

Soft Market Engagement has been conducted to seek the best possible solution for procuring a new HAF service. In addition, extensive engagement with young people and schools has been undertaken, to gather their views, ideas and suggestions regarding HAF delivery and activities. 

What is being proposed?

As part of soft Market Engagement, a variety of options were explored with a focus on maximising delivery for those young people with SEND, aged 11+ and those with low school attendance. The options considered were:

1. Do Nothing
2. Set up a new grant scheme
3. Develop a light touch Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) or similar compliant contract route under the new Procurement Act 2023 with soft lots
4. Develop a Framework contract arrangement
5. A mix of the above

The proposed decision is  Option 3 - to develop a light touch DPS or a similar compliant contract route. This will allow targeting of areas that have not had take-up while the soft lotting will support smaller grassroots organisations to apply for more localised provision. Previous experience has proven this to be successful.  Both the procured and internal activity will focus on providing school holiday activities and food for children and young people eligible for the HAF scheme. Additionally, it is proposed to create a HAF Programme Team within KCC, carrying out the non-procurement activity.

As Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, I agree to:

1.     Approve the proposed HAF delivery model and commissioning approach from 2025.

2.     Commence formal procurement activity to tender for a service, award a contract(s) (three years, with a 12 month break clause) and develop robust contract management for oversight of the contract(s) performance.

3.     Confirm that in accordance with Decision 23/00009  that Corporate Director Children, Young People and Education accept Future allocations of the Holiday Activity and Food Grant for use in accordance with the grant determination letter which will be issued by the Department for Education and the relevant terms and conditions, provided these remain substantially the same as the current; and to delegate authority to the Director of Education and SEN to manage and deploy the accepted Holiday Activity and Food Grant in accordance with the grant conditions and arrangements detailed in the report, including entering into contracts through a compliant procurement route and have a team in place to roll out the HAF Programme from 2025-2026 and beyond.

4.     Delegate authority to the Director of Education and SEN, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, to take other necessary actions, including but not limited to entering into contracts, Service Level Agreements (SLAs) or other legal agreements, as required to implement the decision.