HAF-funded Fit for All sessions should create opportunities for families and participants to learn about healthy eating and positive lifestyles.
Healthy Eating
HAF-funded projects are expected to include activities that help children and young people to understand more about the benefits of healthy eating and nutrition. Most groups build this in through informal activities that suit participants’ ages, needs, interests and food and eating habits. These include: getting children involved in food preparation and cooking; simple growing projects; taste tests; discussing food and healthy eating during mealtimes; and enrichment activities which relate to food – eg through a visit to a farm or allotment site.
Positive Lifestyles
Providers should encourage participants to discuss and make healthier choices about smoking, vaping, drugs and alcohol.
Support for Families
The Fit for All programme its commited to supporting the families of participants to bring up, advocate for and take opportunities that benefit the wellbeing of their children and their family. Everyone that delivers Fit for All signposts families to Early Help, family support services, housing support, Jobcentre Plus, SENDIASS and the local authority SEND offer, Citizen’s Advice and other sources of information and support as appropriate. Fit for All supports this through information and online briefing sessions for groups, including introductions to other services.
Many groups that deliver Fit for All also provide direct assistance and support to families – including by providing links to local food and help with preparing and cooking nutritious food. Fit for All supports this by helping to fund community lunches and food club activities.
Community Lunches and Food Club
The Fit for All programme is, from time to time, able to make small grants available toward the cost of organising community lunches for families of participants. These events create opportunities for wider advice about the issues listed above and about accessing nutritious food. This includes by helping families make links to local food projects, including: food-growing; food-preparation; food waste prevention; and food-delivery projects. Fit for All may also help groups to develop these links through its Food Club project.