Quick summary (for busy readers)
Easter Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) delivery is high-impact, high-pressure safeguarding work. This guide breaks down practical steps to run safe, compliant Easter provision: aligning to DfE HAF requirements, tightening recruitment and DBS check status visibility, managing food safety, running activity risk assessments, and keeping clear reporting for local authorities. It also explains how safeguarding software and digital safeguarding records reduce admin, improve oversight, and help you evidence compliance quickly.
Why Easter HAF delivery is a safeguarding hotspot
School holidays can increase vulnerability for some children and young people. HAF programmes are designed to support families with food and enriching activities, but delivery often involves:
- New venues and temporary staff
- Higher child-to-adult ratios than term time
- Mixed age groups and complex needs
- Fast-moving incidents and last-minute changes
That combination makes strong safeguarding systems non-negotiable.
1) Start with the DfE HAF requirements (then build your delivery plan)
Every local authority will have its own processes, but most providers are expected to evidence:
- A clear safeguarding policy and reporting routes
- Safer recruitment and appropriate checks
- Staff training and supervision
- Risk assessments for activities and venues
- Food standards and allergy management
- Incident logging and timely reporting
Practical tip: create a one-page “HAF compliance checklist” for Easter that your programme lead can run through daily.
2) Safer recruitment at speed (without cutting corners)
Easter delivery often means recruiting quickly. The risk is not that people are “bad”, it’s that gaps in process create blind spots.
Minimum safeguarding recruitment controls
- Verify identity and right to work
- Confirm role-appropriate DBS check status (and keep it visible to managers)
- Collect and verify references (especially for regulated activity)
- Confirm qualifications where relevant (first aid, coaching, food hygiene)
- Ensure staff understand your code of conduct and boundaries
The big operational win: one source of truth
When recruitment is high-volume, spreadsheets and email chains break down. Using safeguarding software like ours to centralise checks means:
- Managers can see real-time DBS check status
- You reduce duplication across sites
- You can evidence compliance to the local authority without scrambling
This is where digital safeguarding records become more than admin—they’re risk reduction.
3) Food safety and allergy compliance: make it boring on purpose
Food provision is a core part of HAF. The goal is to make food safety predictable and repeatable.
Controls to standardise
- Clear allergen process (collection, verification, storage, communication)
- Named lead for food safety on each day/site
- Safe storage and temperature checks (where applicable)
- Hygiene routines (handwashing, cleaning schedules)
- Incident response plan for allergic reactions
Practical tip: keep a “food safety pack” at each venue: allergen list, emergency contacts, incident forms, and a daily checklist.
4) Activity risk management: assess once, brief daily
Risk assessments shouldn’t live in a folder. They should shape what staff do.
What to include for Easter HAF
- Venue risks (entry/exit points, toilets, visibility, first aid access)
- Activity risks (sports, crafts, cooking, trips)
- Behaviour and inclusion risks (SEND needs, triggers, supervision)
- Transport and collection arrangements
- Weather contingencies (especially outdoor provision)
Daily briefings that actually work
- 10-minute start-of-day briefing: roles, ratios, key children, boundaries
- Midday check-in: what’s changed, any concerns, any incidents
- End-of-day debrief: log issues, update risk controls, share learning
5) Recording and reporting: protect children and protect your team
Local authorities often require clear reporting, but it’s also your strongest protection when something goes wrong.
What “good” looks like
- Concerns logged the same day
- Clear chronology (what happened, who saw it, what action was taken)
- Escalation routes followed consistently
- Evidence of follow-up and outcomes
If you’re relying on WhatsApp messages or memory, you’re exposed. Digital safeguarding records help you maintain a clean audit trail.
6) A simple Easter HAF safeguarding operating rhythm
Here’s a practical weekly rhythm for Easter delivery:
- Before delivery (2–4 weeks): recruitment checks, training, risk assessments, venue walk-throughs
- Week 1: tighten routines, confirm reporting lines, monitor staffing gaps
- Week 2: review incidents and near-misses, refresh briefings, adjust controls
- End of programme: compile reporting pack for the local authority, capture lessons learned
How safeguarding software supports Easter HAF delivery
If you’re managing multiple sites, temporary staff, and tight reporting deadlines, safeguarding software gives you:
- Central visibility of DBS check status and other checks
- Faster onboarding without losing control
- Consistent processes across venues
- Cleaner evidence for audits and local authority reporting
Final checklist: Easter HAF delivery done safely
- Policies and reporting routes are clear and rehearsed
- Recruitment checks are complete and visible (including DBS check status)
- Food safety and allergens are standardised
- Risk assessments are live documents, not paperwork
- Concerns and incidents are logged into digital safeguarding records
If you want to reduce admin while improving oversight, it may be time to centralise your checks and records with safeguarding software.