Delivering Safe Easter HAF Programmes – Lessons from the Frontline

2025-12-17 11:26

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.