Frequently asked questions
FAQs for providers
How do I apply to deliver the Break-Away School Holiday programme 2011/2012?
Applications for funding are open 1 – 26 August 2011.
Why is there limited funding available for providers this year?
In some areas, a number of community organisations who delivered the Break-Away programme in 2010/2011 will continue to be funded for the 2011/2012 year. This means there will be limited funding available for new applicants in these areas. This applies mostly to northern and central North Island regions and Auckland.
How many providers were selected for 2010/2011 and who are they?
A total of 66 organisations delivering 30,000 one-week programme places were approved to operate programmes in 2010/2011. Please note since approval three organisations have withdrawn due to capacity issues. The places allocated to them will be re-allocated to other providers in the area.
Where were the Break-Away programmes be located in 2010/2011?
Break-Away School Holiday Programmes were delivered in communities of high need. These were based on the 2006 Index of High Deprivation which measures a level of deprivation based on nine variables.
A total of 30,000 one-week school holiday programmes places were provided in the following areas:
Far North District, Whangarei District, Auckland City, Waitakere City, Papakura District, Manakau City, Franklin District, South Waikato District, Tauranga City, Whakatane District, Opotiki District, Gisborne District Hastings District, Wairoa District, Napier City, Rotorua District, Tararua District, New Plymouth District, Whanganui District, Porirua City, Hutt City, Greymouth District, Christchurch City, Dunedin City.
How many organisations applied to run programmes in 2010/2011?
A total of 79 organisations applied for the second year of the Break-Away School Holiday Programmes to run in the 2010/2011 Summer and April school holidays. This compares with 51 in the previous year.
How were providers selected to run programmes in 2010/2011?
Providers were selected through an application process. Requests for Proposals (RFPs) opened on 22 March 2010 and closed on 30 April 2010.
A Selection Panel was convened to assess the proposals against the criteria outlined in the RFP.
Who was on the panel to assess the applications?
Membership of the selection panel consisted of representatives from Family and Community Services, Child, Youth and Family, Ministry of Health, Te Puni KÅkiri, Department of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs, Ministry of Youth Development, NZ Police, a youth representative and community representatives.
Five panels were held across the country.
How were the locations selected for the 2010/2011 year?
The criteria require that the Break-Away School Holiday Programmes be delivered in areas that have a high community need as based on the NZDep2006 Index of Deprivation.
Priority was given to the following regions based on deprivation levels:
- Northland (Whangarei and Far North Districts)
- Auckland (Manukau, Auckland, Papakura and Waitakere Cities)
- Waikato (Rotorua, Taupo, South Waikato)
- Bay of Plenty (Tauranga, Opotiki, Whakatane)
- Gisborne (Gisborne)
- Hawke's Bay (Hastings, Napier, Wairoa)
- Manawatu/Whanganui (Whanganui, Tararua)
- Taranaki (New Plymouth)
- Wellington (Porirua, Hutt City)
- South Island (Greymouth, Christchurch, Dunedin).
What are high socio-economic deprivation areas?
High socio-economic deprivation areas are based on the NZDep2006 Index of Deprivation which is used by the Ministry of Health. It measures areas, not individual people. This index has a rating of 1-10 with a value of 10 indicating the most deprived 10 percent of areas in New Zealand.
The variables used to measure the index are as follows:
|
Income |
People aged 18-64 receiving a means tested benefit |
|---|---|
|
Income |
People living in equivalised households with income below an income threshold |
|
Owned home Support Employment |
People not living in own home People aged <65 living in a single parent family People aged 18-64 unemployed |
|
Qualifications |
People aged 18-64 without any qualifications |
|
Living space |
People living in equivalised households below a bedroom occupancy threshold |
|
Communication |
People with no access to a telephone |
|
Transport |
People with no access to a car |
What was the criteria for assessing applications in 2010/2011?
Applications were assessed against the following criteria:
- Experience working with young people
- Capacity and knowledge to deliver holiday programmes
- Networking and collaboration
- Organisational viability
- Quality of programmes
- History of service delivery
- Ability to provide culturally appropriate experiences.
Was there any community representation on the assessment panels?
Community representatives were drawn from appropriate areas to ensure local knowledge.
Where do the Break-Away School Holiday Programmes fit under Fresh Start?
The Break-Away School Holiday Programme is part of the Government's programme to help young New Zealanders reach their full potential.
The Break-Away package is one of the three initiatives announced by the Prime Minister on 26 August 2009. It includes the Prime Minister's Youth Programme, and Residential Respite camps. The holiday programme initiative provides stimulating, fun, structured holiday activity for young people who would not normally access these types of programmes.
FAQs for parents and caregivers
How much will the Break-Away School Holiday Programme programmes cost participants?
The programmes are offered at no cost to the participants or their families.
How long can my children be on the programme?
Young people aged 11–17 can be enrolled in the majority of the programmes for up to a period of five weeks, depending on the availability of vacancies and discussions with the providers of the services.
Can we change to another programme for any reason?
You are able to change to another programme, provided vacancies are available with the new provider.
Why isn't there a programme in my area?
The criteria require that the Break-Away School Holiday Programmes be delivered in areas that have a high community need as based on the NZDep2006 Index of Deprivation.
Priority was given to the following regions based on deprivation levels:
- Northland (Whangarei and Far North Districts)
- Auckland (Mangere-Otahuhu, Waitemata, Papakura Otara-Papatoetoe boards)
- Waikato (Rotorua, Taupo, South Waikato)
- Bay of Plenty (Tauranga, Opotiki, Whakatane)
- Gisborne (Gisborne)
- Hawke's Bay (Hastings, Napier, Wairoa)
- Manawatu/Whanganui (Whanganui, Tararua)
- Taranaki (New Plymouth)
- Wellington (Porirua, Hutt City)
- South Island (Greymouth, Christchurch, Dunedin).
Why do some programmes operate throughout the school holidays and others do not?
The Break-Away School Holiday Programmes offer a variety of different programmes. Some programmes are based around a specific activity and only run for a certain number of weeks.
What hours will the programmes operate?
The majority of programmes will operate at least 20 hours per week. Operating hours will vary from programme to programme.
Why do the programmes offer different activities in different communities?
Activities offered under Break-Away School Holiday Programmes depend on the provider, community interest and the age range of the participants. Some providers are sports organisations and offer physical activity programmes such as rugby, league and soccer. Others provide more generic activity based holiday programs without a specific theme.
Are there any programmes for disabled children?
All providers will, to the best of their endeavours, try to accommodate children with disabilities. The level of access will depend on the provider facilities and programmes. Not all successful providers have facilities that will cater for all disabilities.
Do I have to enrol my child or can they just turn-up on the day?
An enrolment process is mandatory even if they turn up on the day. This will generally include providing contact details and medical emergency information about your child.
How do I enrol my children on a Break-Away School Holiday Programme?
Programme details and contact details for each programme provider are available on this website
What is the child/supervisor ratio?
The child/supervisor ratio is based on the age range of the children and the risk level of the activity. There will generally be one adult to every 30 children. However, in a number of programmes the ratios are less - often one adult to every 10 children or lower. This is especially so when activities are considered to have an element of risk, such as swimming, kayaking and so on.
What standards do the organisations operating Break-Away School Holiday Programmes have to follow?
All Break-Away School Holiday Programme providers need to comply with the minimum Break-Away School Holiday Programme standards. These are available on the Family and Community Services website. There are some specific activities that need to comply with the industry minimum standards such as rock-climbing, kayaking, caving and so on.
Will all people managing/supervising the programmes be police-checked?
Providers have responsibility for police-vetting and approving all supervisors and managers of the programme before participating in the programmes.
Will children with medical or nutritional issues be accepted on to the programmes and how will they be managed?
Parents and caregivers are asked to identify any medical/nutritional needs on the enrolment forms. These will be managed by the providers. All children, to the best of the abilities of the provider, will be accepted onto the programmes.
Will food be provided on the programmes?
Some programmes will provide healthy food on their programmes. You will need to check with the providers first.
If food is provided, some allowances will be made for children with specific nutritional requirements. However, in general, we recommend that parents provide lunch for those children who have very specific food requirements as these may not be able to be catered for by the provider.
What is the complaints process if you are not happy with the service provided on the programmes?
A complaints process will be provided to you by all providers. For many providers this is a clear process to address issues and complaints.
