Leisure
On this page, you can obtain more information about leisure activities that may suit both you and your child to provide you with a break from caring and to relax, whether it be for a few hours, a day, weekend or longer.
Click here to search for activities and organisations that may interest you.
MAX Card
Why not register for a free MAX Discount Card, which will afford your family the opportunity to access many attractions across the country with large savings for families. Hartlepool Carers offer MAX cards on behalf of the local authority and can be contacted on 01429 284876.
For more information about the benefits of a MAX card and where you can use them click here
Hartlepool Activities and Food Programme (HAF)
Hartlepool Holiday Fun – a project run by Hartlepool Borough Council in partnership with different organisations across the town and funded by the Department for Education – which provides activities for children and young people over the main school holidays throughout the year. As well as having a fantastic time they also get a tasty meal too.
Hartlepool Holiday Fun, part of the Holiday, Activities and Food Programme, offers a wide variety of provision to the children and young people of Hartlepool over the key holiday periods of Easter, summer and Christmas. The HAF Programme offers activities and food to children and young people in Hartlepool in receipt of benefits-related to free school meals of who meet other vulnerabilities.
We took the decision locally to make it so all provision is and will remain, free of charge to all children and young people with an active Education, Health and Care Plan or who are in receipt of Disability Living Allowance.
This holiday provision has featured a good mix of specialist SEND providers such as Springwell School and Families First North East to more universal provision such as multi-sports and arts and crafts and offers such as karate and mindfulness. One thing we have been sure to bring into our ethos is that all providers must offer provision that is adaptable to meet at least a certain degree of SEND needs based on their ability to offer the required levels of support.
Any provider unwilling to offer provision to SEND young people will not be approved for funding. We are also looking to work with the likes of 1 Hart 1 Mind 1 Future to offer training to our providers to better support them in offering provision to SEND children and young people.
Volunteering and Getting Involved
Hartlepool has a job and volunteer centre, further information can be found here. The Volunteer Hartlepool Team can be contacted on-line : Hartlepool Now :: Volunteering Contact Forms / Contact Volunteer Hartlepool
Or for more information, email volunteerhartlepool@hartlepool.gov.uk
Social Media
The National College provide a National Online Safety site and provide “#WakeupWednesday” weekly parent guides. https://nationalcollege.com
Other sources of information in relation to social media and on-line safety include:
| ParentZone (not SEND Specific) | https://nationalcollege.com |
| South West Grid for Learning (SEND specific) | https://swgfl.org.uk/topics/send-special-educational-needs-and-disabilities/ |
| Simon Finch (general online safety) | https://simfinuk.com/resources/parents-and-carers |
| Childnet | https://www.childnet.com/parents-and-carers/ |
| NSPCC | https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/ |
| Games and Apps Content | https://www.familygamingdatabase.com/home |
Travel training
Find more information here
National Development Team for Inclusion (NDTI) – Preparation for Adulthood Resources
Preparing for Adulthood: Friends, Relationships & Community – NDTi
