Household Support Fund: support for children and young people in schools,
colleges and early years settings for the April half term Holidays.

Ahead of the April half term Holidays, families of eligible children and young people in
Oxfordshire schools and colleges will again receive support with the costs of food
during the holiday period, funded by the Department of Work and Pensions’ Household
Support Fund.

Due to changes in government funding, the County Council will be ending the support
in school holidays for households eligible for Free School Meals. This provision has
been funded by the government’s Household Support Fund. A new funding programme
has been introduced, which is effective from April 2026, called the Crisis & Resilience
Fund. As such the one week of support for Easter will be the final payment made on
this basis.

The County Council will be announcing a new funding programme in April. This will
propose allocating funding into other areas of activity to support low-income families
such as our Holiday Activities and Food programme and our new Family Hubs
programme.

We will also continue to maintain our Residents Support Scheme which households
can apply to for one off crisis payments. Parents may wish to refer to this scheme
which can be accessed from the following link: Oxfordshire Residents Support Scheme
| Oxfordshire County Council or by calling 01865 804171.

For the April half term Holidays your child will be eligible for £15. Your child’s school,
college or Early Years setting will provide the support to you in the form of a
supermarket voucher or equivalent.

Eligible children in schools and settings, are those entitled to benefits related to Free
School Meals, Early Years Pupil Premium, 2-Year-Old funding or if the family is
suffering from food hardship during these times.

Additional information on help with the rising costs of living is available on the Council’s
website here: www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/council/help-rising-living-costs.