Helping parents through the summer break
“If you’re not lucky enough to have family nearby to help, the financial pressures associated with 24/7 childcare are enormous. Add to that trying to hold down a job, wearing your ‘employee’ and ‘parent’ hats on rotation, and it can feel like a very long six weeks. ”
By Matt Parsonage, Head of Communities at Clarion Futures
As anyone with school age children will attest, the arrival of the summer holidays can be a real mixed bag of emotions.
Whilst kids are excited about the prospect of six weeks without school filled with (occasional) sunshine, sandwiches and fun with their friends, parents can feel conflicted. Looking forward to spending time with their children but concerned about the challenges the school holidays can sometimes bring.
If you’re not lucky enough to have family nearby to help, the financial pressures associated with 24/7 childcare are enormous. Add to that trying to hold down a job, wearing your ‘employee’ and ‘parent’ hats on rotation, and it can feel like a very long six weeks.
Struggling to survive the summer break
I wasn’t surprised to read the results of a survey published recently by Save the Children, which found that two thirds of parents in low income households are worried about their children missing out on experiences during the school holidays, with a third saying they were having to scale back their food shops in order to survive the summer break.
We know that low income households, including many of those living in social housing, have been hardest hit by the cost of living crisis. And whilst our residents benefit from paying heavily subsidised rents and can access money guidance through Clarion Futures, many are still in a precarious financial position.
Over the summer break, many councils rely on the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme to support low-income families. This is funded by the government and as the name suggests, it provides “healthy food and enriching activities” to children eligible for free school meals.
This is undoubtedly a fantastic programme, but it’s not reaching all those who need it. There are too many families who don’t meet eligibility criteria for free school meals but who are experiencing hardship.
That’s why we work with participating councils and local partners running the HAF schemes – anything from drama groups and dance camps to sports clubs and play groups – to provide funding to cover additional free spaces for children who don’t receive free school meals but are in need of support.
Visit to the AFC Wimbledon Foundation holiday scheme. From left to right, the adults in the photo are Phil Miles (Director of Clarion Futures), Cllr Ross Garrod (Leader of Merton Council), Fiona Sutherland (Community Development Manager at the AFC Wimbledon Foundation) and John Horwood (Communities Officer at Clarion Futures).
Safe spaces for children to play and have fun
One example of this is our support for the AFC Wimbledon Foundation’s Active Dons holiday scheme in Merton, south west London, which runs four days a week throughout the summer with around 100 8-16 year olds signed up. Our funding has topped up that provided by Merton Council through HAF, meaning they can run for an additional hour each day and enabling them to hire a member of staff to support children with special educational needs, as well as offering spaces to children not eligible for free school meals. The children get a hot lunch every day and healthy snacks, and it’s all completely free – a lifesaver for parents who wouldn’t be able to afford expensive holiday clubs.
In the same vein, our Roman Road Adventure Playground in Tower Hamlets – the first adventure playground in the country to be built by a housing association – continues to offer a safe place for children and young people to play and explore their imaginations. It’s something I’m really passionate about, especially at a time when council play provision is dwindling due to budget cuts.
Open each weekday during the summer holidays and after school and on Saturdays in term-time, the playground is staffed by a team of play workers who facilitate a wealth of self-directed activities completely free of charge, as well as trips to the beach and other local attractions subsidised by Clarion Futures. We know from speaking to parents that it’s invaluable at all times of the year, but even more so in the summer, giving them a break from the 24/7 childcare rollercoaster and providing a space for kids to just be kids.
And as we inch towards the start of another term, perhaps we can all take a moment to think about how we can work with our peers and partners to make a difference to our residents the next time the school holidays come around.
This piece first appeared on the website of Inside Housing on 23 August 2023.