COVID Winter Grant Distribution - Find a freedom of information request

1. How did you distribute the COVID Winter Grant to vulnerable families, i.e. cash, food parcels or retail supermarket vouchers?

2. Did you use this grant to distribute financial support to families of children eligible for free school meals?

3. How many children were eligible for Free School Meals and how many children claimed financial support via the grant scheme?

4. Did you use the grant to distribute support to other vulnerable families / individuals and if so, which groups, i.e. homeless etc.?

5. If using supermarket vouchers a. Which supplier(s) did you use to distribute the vouchers?

b. How did you choose a supplier?

c. What were your top three mandatory requirements for the service?

d. Did you coordinate the ordering to all beneficiaries/recipients, or was access delegated to schools to administer and order?

e. Did you enter into a direct contract with the supplier or call off via a framework?

f. When does your contract end?

6. If Government funding or a grant extension is not in place for May half-term or summer holidays, will you continue to operate and fund the scheme?

7. Which role(s) and job functions manage the contract for this service?

1. Those 2, 3 and 4 year olds who were eligible for early years pupil premium qualified for the CWGS.

School/College children and young people eligible for free school meals qualified for CWGS

We distributed funding via early years providers/schools and other educational setting/providers who had children and young people in attendance on the basis of £35 per child for Christmas / £15 per child for February half term and £30 for Easter. This was to support eligible children to access food during the holidays. Either by the provision of vouchers or food parcels and that was a local decision of the school/provider.

2. Yes - as 1 above.

3. Period FSME Including independent schools Number Actually Funded:

• Christmas - 21708 21816
• Feb Half term - 22487 as of 19 March 2021 22198
• Easter - 22746 as of 10 May 2021 22728

4. The remaining funding was allocated via District councils to support individuals and families with or without children with the provision of food/utilities costs and other costs for essential items with the exception of approximately 7k which was allocated to young Carers for the provision of food/utility costs via Barbados as our commissioned provider

5.

a. Delegated to schools and early years settings on how the grant was delivered.

b. N/A.

c. N/A.

d. As 5a.

e. N/A.

f. N/A.

6. Extension announced by Government for May half-term.

7. N/A.