Families should not pay providers for time that their children have had funded by HAF. HAF, however, only funds a limited number of hours and only for eligible children and young people (who are FSM eligible or disabled or vulnerable).
Providers can charge for participants who:
- are not funded by HAF – ie they are not eligible for Free School Meals and do not have SEND
- are not funded by HAF for the hours in question – so a child might attend a session for 6 hours of which 4 could by HAF funded and 2 might be charged for
- have used up their HAF allowance of funded hours. HAF only pays for up to 80 hours a year for each eligible child. That is: 16 hours at Easter and Christmas and 64 hours over the Summer.
Equal Opportunities
All participants in HAF funded sessions (regardless of whether and how many of their hours are funded through fees) and this is that: should be treated equally (albeit in a customised way based on their needs and interests etc) including
- during activities and in the choices of activity available
- at mealtimes and in the choices of food, drink and snacks made available
- during registration and in other admin procedures.
So, for example: parents can’t buy a ‘better’ meal or activity for their child. But providers will customise what is provided to suit an individual child. A child can bring a packed lunch to a session or opt to take part in an enrichment activity – as long as every child who attends has the same right.
Donations
Families can make donations toward the cost of providers and these donations can be made available during sessions, eg at drop-off or pick-up. Donations must be voluntary. They must not be presented as being a condition of attendance and participation in a session.
Sources of Funding for Fee Hours
Some families may wish to fund further hours for participants from their own resources. Sometimes these may arise from:
- Free Childcare
- Universal Credit or Tax Credit childcare element
- Direct Payments from a Personal Budget.
Here is chart that shows how charging from different sources might work:
