HAF Annual Report 2024/25
Promotion and marketing
The communications strategy included a mix of both digital and print communications to reach the target audience. It took in to consideration some of the county’s more vulnerable low-income families that do not have frequent access to online services. To ensure a successful promotion and delivery of the HAF programme, we used a combination of:
- geographically targeted social media campaigns
- press releases,
- local newsletters
- advertorial in regional parent-focused magazines
- print promotion across libraries and family centres
Work was also undertaken on developing communications strategies to reduce no-shows. This included:
- Regular booking system reminders sent to parents. These reminders informed parents that they were booked on to clubs.
- Bespoke reminders sent from providers to parents.
- Social media comms asking any families to cancel places if they are no longer able to attend.
- Sharing of attendance data with schools upon request. Allowing schools to make note of which families are accessing HAF locally and which aren’t.
Centralised booking system
2024/25 saw the first full year of Buckinghamshire HAF operating with a centralised booking system. This allowed us to accurately track the total number of individual children and young people accessing the programme. For 2024/25 this was 3,518 (30% overall reach). The booking system also enabled wider advertisement of the programme, and vouchers were sent directly to parents. It also made it easier for schools to order the vouchers as they were distributed automatically through the system itself.
The wider advertisement enabled by the centralised booking system resulted in 98.9% of places being booked prior to delivery. This helped achieve the highest percentage of bookings achieved so far in Buckinghamshire. This resulted in a higher number of children and young people attending the programme and benefiting from its offer.
Co-designed marketing material
An additional piece of work was also completed in collaboration with some HAF-eligible young people to help co-design some HAF marketing material aimed at those aged 11 plus, with the co-designed materials used on social media posts and within our HAF booklet.
