Summer Programme 2025 Grant Award Scheme Guidance
The fund aims to enhance equity in holiday provisions for children and families living in poverty who may experience barriers to accessing food, childcare, and activities during the holidays.
Funding of up to £5000 is available to the public and third sector (voluntary organisations and community groups) to deliver holiday activities and experiences, integrating food and wider family support where needed, and targeted at children, young people, and families in the priority groups listed below.
Applications must be submitted by Sunday, 6 April 2025.
Who the funding is intended to reach
The funding is aimed at school-age children aged 5-14 from low-income households. Applications are welcomed from public and third-sector organisations that will deliver enhanced holiday activities and experiences throughout the summer of 2024 for the following targeted groups:
- Children from lone parent families
- Children from ethnic minority families
- Children from families with a disabled adult or child
- Children from families with a young mother (under 25)
- Children from families with a child under 1 year old
- Children from larger families (3+ children)
- Vulnerable children and young people (with an additional support need, care experienced, young carers, in need of protection, supported by a child's plan, those who have undergone significant transitions, for example, starting in ELC, primary or secondary school). This also includes pre-school and 14+.
- Children and young people from other low-income groups.
Who can apply
Public, third-sector, or not-for-profit organisations that are constituted or have a governing document and bank account, work with individuals, and satisfy the eligibility criteria in West Lothian can apply.
Individuals and private sector organisations are not eligible for this fund.
As the funding is specifically for working with children and vulnerable young people, applicants are required to have a Child Protection Policy and must ensure staff are appropriately recruited and have appropriate Protecting Vulnerable Groups certification.
How to apply
You can apply by clicking the link to the application form:
West Lothian Council Summer Programme 2025 Funding application (opens new window)
Online applications must be submitted by Sunday, 6 April 2025.
A copy of your constitution or governing document should be emailed to CLDYouthServices@westlothian.gov.uk by Sunday, 6 April 2025
Successful applicants must provide their organisation bank account details and either a copy of audited accounts or the last three months bank statements.
Partner providers have the opportunity to attend poverty awareness and referral options briefings for families to access support.
Successful applicants are expected to hold 25% of places for vulnerable children and young people for referrals from West Lothian Council professionals, e.g., social workers and school family link workers.
How applications are assessed
Applications are assessed by a decision panel with representatives of the West Lothian Community Learning and Development Steering Board to allocate funding to organisations likely to have the greatest positive impact for the target groups.
Applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application by 14 April 2025.
The guidance recommends making awards to organisations based on evidence that shows they contribute to the guiding principles that underpin the approach for Summer 2025:
- Partnership Working, building on existing services, assets, and knowledge.
- Co-creation of services with children, young people, and families.
- Moving towards a coordinated, integrated programme of childcare, activities, and food that promotes inclusion and aims to remove barriers to participation.
Food Criteria
The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that every child in Scotland has the best possible start in life, and that includes making sure that our children have access to healthy and nutritious food.
This criterion is not intended to replace or describe current Government nutrient guidelines for food provision in schools, rather, it is aimed at helping organisations who are providing food as part of this fund to plan and provide a meal that supports children and young people's health and wellbeing whilst being nutritious and enjoyable.
A nutritious lunch can comprise hot or cold foods that may be shop bought or cooked in-house.
| Food provision should comply with the following criteria | |
A DRINK | Drinks provided should be:
What cannot be funded are:
|
A MEAL | The meal should contain vegetables or fruit as per the five a day recommendation When purchasing food, try and use the traffic light system (opens new window) and avoid foods and drinks high (red) in saturated fats, sugars or salt. Please note that rehydrated pot meals cannot be funded, and we ask that you avoid deep-fried foods. |
SNACKS & PUDDINGS | Please be mindful of the use of high-fat, salt, and sugary products such as cakes, biscuits, sweets, chocolate, pastries, ice cream, and crisps; limited provision is anticipated. It is recommended to have freely available bread, basic salad vegetables, and fruit that children can fill up on if they are still hungry. |
Support Available
Support is available to help you develop your application.
For help completing your application, including how you can promote activities towards the target groups, contact CLDYouthServices@westlothian.gov.uk
Monitoring, Reporting and Evaluation
Evaluating the project will provide funders with information on delivery and reach of the funding, as well as help inform future policy and practice. A template reporting form will be sent to you at the end of the project. The evaluation must be completed and returned to CLDYouthServices@westlothian.gov.uk no later than 31 August 2025.
Health Advice
For the most up to date health advice, please visit NHS Inform (opens new window).
Staff, Volunteer, and Service User Safety
Local authorities should ensure the organisations they work with have appropriate processes for safeguarding and data protection in relation to employees, volunteers, and the people they are supporting.
Food Standards & Safety:
Nutrition
Many of the standards in the Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations 2020 will apply to holiday provision on school premises. In general, all of the Regulations that apply to food and drink provided on school premises will also apply to third party providers. It is recommended to engage with local authority catering leads who will be aware of what applies, to whom, and when.
Further detail can also be found in the Healthy Eating in Schools 2020 guidance (opens new window) which is statutory guidance designed to support the implementation of the Regulations. Even where the Regulations do not apply, it would be good practice to consider this guidance for holiday provision particularly where meals such as breakfasts and lunches are being provided.
Allergies
Allergy UK (opens new window) has useful factsheets on managing allergies.
Food information regulations - Natasha's Law
From 1 October 2021, changes to the Food Information Regulations 2014 came into effect, adding new labelling requirements for food that is pre-packed for direct sale (PPDS).
Environment and sustainable delivery
Local authorities and other partners are encouraged to consider how sustainable development can be reflected in their ethos, day-to-day operations and throughout the delivery of their programmes.
Some practices that local authorities may wish to consider are:
- Minimising the use of single-use plastics
- Where possible, use locally sourced food and ingredients
- Making use of food surplus organisations
- Ensuring there is a wide range of recycling and compost facilities for waste
- Growing fruit and vegetables and showing how they can be used and cooked
- Encouraging uniform banks/exchange schemes
- Encouraging active travel and use of public transport, promoting the young person's free bus travel scheme
- Encouraging children to engage with environmental issues and take a leading role in sustainable practices
