Number of Devon children receiving school holiday food support continues to rise

With the school Christmas holidays just around the corner, many families in Devon who are struggling financially are worrying about how to afford household essentials.

Devon County Council are supporting families to help put food on the table for children who would normally receive free school meals during term time.

Over 21,000 supermarket vouchers, worth over £900,000, have been sent to low-income families in Devon to help them buy food over the winter school holidays. Each child currently eligible for free school meals during term time has received a £45 voucher to spend during the Christmas holiday and February half term break to replace the meals they would have had at school during the day.

It’s the equivalent of £15 per child per week of the school holidays, and is being distributed in one lump sum now to allow families some flexibility on how they spend the vouchers and try to help with the additional pressure winter and the festive period puts on household budgets. They can be redeemed in major supermarkets across Devon and arrangements are in place for families who cannot get to a supermarket.

The money for these vouchers has come from the Government’s series of Household Support Funds, which is allocated to councils for them to help residents who are struggling to meet their food, energy, water and other essential living needs. Earlier this year we secured £10 million from the Government to cover the period from April 2023 until March 2024 and we’ve supported more than 38,000 households so far.

Councillor Roger Croad, our Cabinet Member for Communities, said:

“We’ve been sending eligible families these holiday vouchers since December 2020 thanks to Government funding, and have so far spent over £12 million to help prevent children going hungry over the school holidays.

“It’s a mark of the economic situation we’re in that this year the number of children eligible for free school meals has risen to a record high. It’s gone up from 16,000 three years when we started sending these vouchers in 2020, to some 21,000 now. That’s around a fifth of the total number of pupils in Devon’s schools.

“As we move into colder winter months, and with the cost of food, energy, water and other essential items remaining high, household budgets are really stretched. The financial challenges faced by some families can be intensified during the school holiday because of increased costs such as food, especially with the current cost of living, and reduced incomes due to childcare. We are concerned that for some, this winter is going to be especially difficult.

“Thankfully the Government’s decision to continue it’s ‘household support fund’ for now means we’ve once again been able to buy these supermarket vouchers to support families during the summer so their children don’t go hungry.

“And we are continuing to work with our local government, voluntary and community sector partners to use the rest of Devon’s latest £10 million share of the Government’s Household Support Fund to make sure we identify those who are struggling so we can make sure they get the help they need.

“If you’re struggling financially, for whatever reason, please take some time to look at our website and check what support you may be eligible for, and refer back to it if your circumstances change over the coming months.”

With the end of term fast approaching, we’ve already sent these supermarket vouchers to families whose children currently receive free school meals, so please check your inbox and redeem them. If you were expecting to receive the vouchers, but didn’t, get in touch with our team as soon as possible by emailing freeschoolmeals@devon.gov.uk or calling 0345 155 1019.

People’s circumstances change all the time, so if you didn’t previously qualify for free school meals but your income has recently reduced or stopped, please apply via our website. It’s the quickest and easiest way for your eligibility to be assessed and you will get an instant decision.

You can find out more about the free school meal holiday voucher scheme and other support available to help people in Devon with the rising cost of living on our website.