Agenda item - SEND SUMMER AND HALF TERM ACTIVITIES

Presentation from the Assistant Director Health, SEN and Disability

57.1    Ms Zoe Ansty (Manager of BHCC Outreach Service) and Ms F England (Parent and Carers Council (PaCC)) gave a presentation on activities held during the Summer holidays and October half-term in 2020 for children and young people with SEND. The Committee were advised that due to the ongoing pandemic it had been highlighted by PaCC that there was a need for an increase in the availability of holiday activities. This led to a city-wide development of activities through the voluntary sector, Brighton & Hove City Council and PaCC partner groups. The activities were funded by combining budgets from within the Families, Children & Learning Directorate. The activities provided included various sports events, day trips for families, kayaking, circus workshops and play sessions as well as online activities such as music workshops and peer support sessions. In total 92 different events were held during the summer, which were attended by over 203 people from the ages of 5 to 25, and during the half term multi-sport activities were held at Mouslecoomb Primary School which were attended by 53 people from ages 6 to 18. It was noted that both the summer and half term activities were attended by more males than females and the reasons for that would be looked at when future activities were planned to encourage more females to attend. The families and young people fully supported the provision and said that attending the provision had many benefits including allowing them to meet up with their friends, helping to reduce isolation, gave the young people something to look forward to, provided exercise and allowed them to take part in activities which were different from the norm. For the families of the young people it provided support during the holidays and gave some respite to parents and carers.  

57.2    The Chair was pleased to announce that Brighton & Hove City Council had been allocated just under £800k in the Holiday Activity and Food Programme. This programme aimed to make free places available to children who were eligible for free school meals, and would be the equivalent of four hours a day for four days a week for six weeks of the year. As a Local Authority there was some flexibility on how the provision would be delivered and so it was hoped that some of that funding could be used to offer further activities in the future.

57.3    The Chair thanked Ms Ansty and Ms England for the interesting presentation.

57.4    RESOLVED: The Committee agreed to note the presentation.