Migrant Families Facing Welfare Restrictions
Enfield families with no recourse to public funds seek support from social services.
Published 10/08/2019
NB: The website this story was published on is no longer online
156 families in Enfield sought support from social services due to having a child in need after having no recourse to public funds in 2018.
These people are migrants with children who have no recourse to public funds (NRPF), which means they have the right to stay in the UK but are not entitled to any support from the council or government. The only support they can get is from social services through Section 17 of the Children’s Act (1989) if they become destitute or homeless.
Yaa, (not her real name) a single mother who had NRPF in Enfield, said: “I don’t have anything ... sometimes, if on the bus, if somebody eat the crisps or drink, my daughter start crying. I’m stressed, always stress.” She added: “Sometimes I go to the bus stop to beg.”
NRPF is part of the government’s hostile environment policy, which attempts to discourage migration to the UK by making it difficult for those who arrive.
The figure of 156 families was discovered by Project 17, who work to “end destitution among migrant children”, through a freedom of information request to Enfield Council. Amy Murtagh, Project 17’s interim director, said: "Many children in families with NRPF grow up in exceptional poverty, and are at high risk of homelessness, exploitation and abuse. Support provided under section 17 Children Act 1989 has become an essential safety net for these families.”
Rachel Benchekroun, who researches mothers with NRPF, said: “Mothers with no recourse to public funds have no safety net. If they are in a relationship which breaks down, they and their children may become homeless and destitute.” She added that mothers with NRPF often rely on informal networks of support, such as friends or churches. “When friends aren't able to accommodate them anymore, and they have nowhere else to go, their situation can become desperate.”
Often their situation can become so desperate that they have to seek support from social services. Yaa said: “I don’t have enough money to pay the rent. Now, if my daughter sees somebody shouting at the door, she cries. In her sleep, she shouts out, ‘Don’t hurt my mummy, don’t hurt my mummy’.”
There are organizations who help. Haringey Migrants Support Centre work with people across London who have NRPF. They helped Yaa get the NRPF lifted. Yaa said: “[the welfare advisor] helped a lot. This lady is a good lady. She has the patience.”
It is not known how many people have NRPF. Eve Dickson of Project17, said: “Neither local authorities nor central government collect data on how many people are in the UK with NRPF. The only data we do have is the numbers of families with NRPF supported under section 17 by local authorities, but this will only be a small proportion of the total population.”
Amy Murtagh added: “We want the government to end the practice of restricting access to mainstream welfare, and provide enough funding to local authorities who urgently need more funding to meet their statutory obligations towards all children in their area."
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but our research shows that local authorities are routinely failing to meet their duties under this legislation, with many leaving children street homeless or without enough money to eat or get to school