Please use this page to support you in making a holiday application.
The holiday application form does not include a save and return option. So to avoid losing anything, you'll need to complete the application in one go. To help you do this, we've provided a list of the questions in the application form, so that you can gather any information you might need beforehand.
As a referrer, the crucial aspect of your role is to determine if it's the right time to refer the family for a holiday, by considering all potential safeguarding and risk factors. Please refer to the Safeguarding section below for any important considerations.
Safeguarding & Risk Factors
Application form questions
Please use this page to support you in making a holiday application.
The holiday application form does not include a save and return option. So to avoid losing anything, you'll need to complete the application in one go. To help you do this, we've provided a list of the questions in the application form, so that you can gather any information you might need beforehand.
As a referrer, the crucial aspect of your role is to determine if it's the right time to refer the family for a holiday, by considering all potential safeguarding and risk factors. Please refer to the Safeguarding section below for any important considerations.
Eligibility
There are lots of families going through tough times who can't get away together. We want to make the biggest difference we can to as many families as we can.
We focus our holiday offers on families who:
1. Are on a low annual income
Families must have a household income of less than £24,000, including means-tested benefits. Means-tested benefits are available to people who can demonstrate that their income and capital are below a certain level.
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Income Support
- Pension Credit
- Tax Credits (Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit)
- Housing Benefit
- Council Tax Support
- Social Fund (Sure Start Maternity Grant, Funeral Payment, Cold Weather Payment)
- Universal Credit
This does not include non-means-tested benefits, such as:
- Disability Living Allowance
- Personal Independence Payment
2. Haven’t had a holiday in the last 4 years
Families can’t have been on holiday together in the last 4 years. This does not include day trips or trips due other circumstances outside of the family’s control, such as bereavement.
3. Have at least one child under 18
There must be at least one child in the family who is under the age of 18 at the time of application. The lead name on the application has to have primary caring responsibilities of this child.
Family Details
In this section you will be asked to provide the following family and support guest details:
- Number of people you are applying for including their first names, surnames and dates of birth.
- Lead family contact details including phone number, email address, home address, local authority they live in.
- Ethnicity of all family members.
- Employment status of adults and teenagers.
Low cost breaks
Safeguarding
As a referrer, the crucial aspect of your role is to determine if it's the right time to refer a family for a holiday, considering all potential safeguarding and risk factors.
In this section you will be asked to:
- Confirm if there is anyone going on the holiday that may pose a safeguarding risk to members of the family or others that may come into contact with this family.
- Provide further details if there are any concerns.
Things to consider include:
| Who is attending? | Do you know everyone going on the holiday? Do you have any concerns about anyone attending? You need to make sure you know all members who will be travelling in order to make a judgement on whether or not a holiday is suitable for the family at this time. Consider if there is anyone going who may pose a risk to the family members or other people on holiday. |
| Mental ill-health | Holidays can cause increased stress and put strain on a family’s ability to cope. You should consider the impact of travelling to the holiday, being in a new environment, staying in unfamiliar accommodation and coping with unexpected situations. This is particularly important if you are aware of any mental-ill-health within the family. |
| Substance abuse – including alcohol & drug misuse | Holiday destinations can be geared up to provide easy access to alcohol. If family members have issues with alcohol/drugs, how will this be managed on the break? Could easy access to alcohol pose a risk to any family members in recovery? |
| Domestic abuse | Being somewhere new and the challenges of going on holiday can be stressful. Think about who is going on the break, what triggers there may be and how best to address them. |
| Behaviour and family dynamics | Having to navigate in unfamiliar and potentially overwhelming, new environments with children can be a challenge. Please consider how this may affect the children’s behaviour and subsequently the parent’s ability to cope in these circumstances. Are there any strategies you could put in place prior to the holiday? |
| Language barriers | We welcome families from all backgrounds. If a family is unable to read English, please assess how this might affect their ability to cope at a holiday resort. Information provided will primarily be in English, including site information packs, timetables and health & safety guides. If you apply for a family who is unable to read English, we may reach out to discuss if there is anything else we can do to support the family. |
| Physical health | Although holidays are a time for relaxing, they can also be quite full on! Please consider if there is anyone in the family with mobility issues* or who may require quick access to healthcare. At some resorts families may need to walk long distances, up/down stairs, or are located in a remote area. *Accessible holidays are available subject to availability. |
Additional support needs
| Please assess if the family members going will be able to cope with/without additional support. For some families, having an additional member of support may be beneficial, such as carers or single parents with lots of young children. |
| Financial hardship | Consider whether a holiday might place the family under any financial strain. Whilst the accommodation is funded by Family Holiday Charity there may be additional costs for the family to cover such as travel, food, or spending money that could add up. It’s important to ensure that the holiday is a good fit for their current situation. |
IMPORTANT
This list is not exhaustive. There may be other things to consider specific to the family that you are supporting. You should use your own knowledge of the family and your organisation guidelines to help identify any possible risk factors and make an informed decision on whether a holiday is suitable to submit an application for the family at this time.
For safeguarding purposes, all risk factors should be continually reviewed at point of application and throughout the weeks leading up to the family’s holiday if they are offered one. If anything changes within this period, it is your responsibility to flag it to our team and make a decision on whether the holiday is still suitable for the family.
If Children's Social Care is working with the family, then you may wish to seek advice from their social worker, about whether having a holiday would be in the best interests of the children and the family before proceeding.
Referrer & Family relationship
This section helps us to understand your relationship with the family, how well you know them, what type of support you are currently giving them and what level of support they will receive throughout the process.
In this section you will be asked:
- How long you have been supporting the family.
- How often you have contact with the family.
- The area of support you provide to the family.
- For a brief outline of what your support involves and how well you know the family.
Family Circumstances
This section helps us to further understand the families current circumstances.
In this section you will be asked:
- If there are any adults or children within the family that will be going on the holiday that have a physical or mental impairment that has a 'substantial' and 'long-term' negative effect on their ability to do normal daily activities as recognised under the Equality Act 2010.
- If there are any adults or children within the family that will be going on the holiday that have a life limiting condition.
Booking Info
The following information is required to help support the family at different stages in the booking process if they are offered a holiday.
In this section you will be asked:
- To consider if the family has additional needs that the travel agent will need to be made aware of, these could include requirements such as the family needing an accessible unit or preferring a quieter park due to cultural reasons or sensory needs.
- If at least one person going on the holiday can read English. If there is not, that you will ensure the family are appropriately supported.
- How the family plan to travel (car, train or other).
Past & Future Holidays
This section helps us to understand the family's current involvement in tourism.
In this section you will be asked:
- When did the family last have a holiday together.
- If the family have any future holidays planned or booked, if so, what are the details.
Barriers & Benefits to a holiday
This section helps us to understand the family's current involvement in tourism and why the family are not currently able to have a holiday without additional support.
In this section you will be asked:
- What have been the different barriers that have prevented the family going on a holiday.
- How you hope the family will benefit from the holiday and the difference it will make to them.
- What you feel needs to change to help the family take part in tourism independently.