Rose Vouchers project

• The project has smashed its targets for the number of families it aimed to reach
• Feedback shows families have improved their eating habits, while children are suffering fewer mental and physical and developmental problems

ACTION

Initially launched as a pilot in Barnsley's Central district, the Rose Vouchers project, run by charity Alexandra Rose, has been so successful it has expanded to other areas of the town.

The premise of the initiative is simple: the vouchers are worth £3 per child every week (double if the child is less than a year old) and can only be redeemed at markets that sell fresh fruit and vegetables.

As Laura Hammerton, Barnsley Council's family centre development manager, explains an initial expression of interest in the scheme was followed up with a bid for funding that led to its launch in the town in December 2016.

Barnsley was the first area outside London to adopt the Rose Vouchers scheme, a significant factor being that the initiative was integrated into plans to regenerate the town centre market.

"We had a day when Alexandra Rose came to visit, saw the market and we presented them with our pitch. From that we were successful," says Hammerton.

Barnsley's Central area was identified as the best starting place for the project after an evaluation of the region's population and level of need. Barnsley is the 39th most deprived area of England under the Indices of Multiple Deprivation measure, while child poverty in the town is high at 23.8 per cent.

The pilot, allocated £30,000 from the Alexandra Rose charity and Big Lottery Fund to reach between 80 and 120 families, a target that Hammerton says was quickly achieved.

In October 2017, the funding was doubled - through grants from Comic Relief and the Big Lottery Fund - which enabled a second phase of the scheme to be rolled out in Barnsley's Dearne & South districts.

Hammerton believes the high participation levels were helped by good word of mouth from families who had engaged with the scheme.

"Some families, who might have been a bit socially isolated, have been told about the scheme by a friend who's already coming [to a family centre] so there's a lot of peer support where families have been promoting it to each other," she explains.

Criteria to join the scheme is largely based on low income. Families already in receipt of Healthy Start vouchers typically qualify, but Hammerton says those struggling financially are also looked at on a case-by-case basis.

She cites the example of one family who receive £24 per week in vouchers to spend on fruit and vegetables, a relatively high figure for the size of the family.

"I think in that particular family the mum is pregnant as well [and would receive a voucher] so that sum of money is making a real difference every week," she says.

The scheme supports Barnsley Council's early help offer by linking into existing healthy eating and cooking programmes run out of its family centres.

"It's not just about coming in and getting your voucher. It's also about accessing programmes that can support you to think about what you can do with that fruit and veg," Hammerton explains.

Participants are given recipes and shown new cooking skills as well as being invited to join tasting sessions so they can try new foods.

"We've also linked it in with our oral ID work so we can talk about things like good teeth brushing. We run some activities during our voucher collection sessions and can remind them what else we've got going on," adds Hammerton.

IMPACT

Hammerton says Barnsley Council is still evaluating the results of the scheme but the eating and purchasing habits of participating families were measured at the start and end of the investigation period.

"High volumes of families were eating takeaways and ready meals each week, but as you get further into the scheme it's reported less frequently," she explains.

An increased intake of fresh fruit and vegetables has also resulted in improved mental health and wellbeing reported among families as well as tackling medical issues like constipation in children.

The council aimed to reach up to 240 families across both phases of the three-year project, but have already seen 294 access the scheme. There are 268 families currently participating in the scheme.

The Rose Vouchers project won the Early Intervention Award at the 2017 CYP Now Awards.

This article is part of CYP Now's special report on early childhood development. Click here for more