Extreme poverty created by ‘no recourse to public funds’ a factor in deaths and abuse of children

Published by Professional Social Work magazine, 8 December, 2022

There have been 26 deaths or serious abuse of children from families in England with No Recourse to Public Funds since 2004, new research reveals.

Although migrant children have the same rights as all children in England and Wales under the Children Act and UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), children under NRPF experience severe poverty and destitution because families are excluded from benefits and homelessness assistance.

Andy Jolly, a lecturer in the school of health professions at Plymouth University who conducted the research, said this creates the conditions where “harm and endangerment to children thrive”.

He examined 26 serious case reviews of children in families who were subject to NRPF rulings between 2004 and 2021.

Nearly two thirds (18) were from the past five years and a third (nine) were from London or Greater London.

Children, often from families surviving on food vouchers, were found to be “crying for food”, “stealing food from other children” at school and “undernourished, poorly clothed, grubby and destitute”.

Others were living in “unsanitary conditions” and experienced “social isolation” and “parental mental ill health” including schizophrenia, postnatal depression, PTSD, anxiety and depression.

Some children displayed trauma behaviours at school, including being disruptive or biting teachers.

Housing was “damp and mouldy” or overcrowded, and lack of proof of address meant some families could not access healthcare. Children were moved around the country due to unstable tenancies or to save local authority housing costs, meaning they missed needs assessments and schooling, says the study.

Domestic violence was found to be mentioned “in numerous reviews” and “was sometimes exacerbated by immigration status” with women vulnerable because they were not legally entitled to work or claim benefits.

Staff at an A&E treating one homeless family found in a park noticed they “appeared to have few possessions, apart from the clothes they were wearing, and the children had no socks or shoes”.

Jolly said: “The social and economic contexts of the families' lives caused harm to children and diminished the capabilities of their parents to care for them safely due to institutionalised exclusion from welfare safety nets.”

Confusion over immigration status also caused issues with children’s entitlement to services, or meant families were reluctant to seek help. And “suspicion and scepticism from professionals towards families” meant the focus was on potential fraud rather than the welfare of the child.

Local authorities in England have a duty under the Children Act to support children in families with NRPF. But analysing the agency response, Jolly found language barriers were a common factor, with no interpreters present and a lack of data sharing between authorities. Health services were not always informed when families with a history of domestic violence moved area.

There was also a lack of understanding about NRPF and the differing entitlements of immigration statuses, the research found.

Overall, “inadequate support and missed opportunities” were cited in 17 of the cases looked at, violence and abuse in 14, and mental health or housing in 12 cases. Physical health was a factor in ten cases, and language and culture in 11. Destitution as a safeguarding concern was cited in eight cases.

The findings of the research highlight “vulnerabilities caused by exclusionary policies, exacerbating social deprivation and isolation experienced by the children and families, and making it more difficult for professionals to respond in ways which safeguarded children’s welfare”.

It adds: “The social and economic contexts of the families' lives caused harm to children and diminished the capabilities of their parents to care for them safely due to institutionalised exclusion from welfare safety nets.”