Children and Families with No Recourse to Public Funds July 2025-2026
Case reference FOI2026/01978
Received 18 August 2026
Published 15 September 2026
Request
1. Please provide the number of families with dependent children, where a parent or carer is subject to a No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) condition, who were receiving support from your Children's Services department(s) under section 17 of the Children Act 1989 from July 29th 2025 to July 29th 2026.
2. Please provide the total number of children within the families identified in Question 1 who were receiving support under section 17 of the Children Act 1989 from July 29th 2025 to July 29th 2026.
3. Please provide the number of families with NRPF supported under section 17 of the Children Act 1989 from July 29th 2025 to July 29th 2026, who were receiving financial support at a level broadly equivalent to Home Office asylum support rates or another basic subsistence-only rate.
4. Please provide the number of families with NRPF supported under section 17 of the Children Act 1989 from July 29th 2025 to July 29th 2026, who were receiving financial support at a level broadly equivalent to mainstream welfare benefit rates, fostering allowances, or another enhanced welfare-based rate.
5. Please provide, for the period 29 July 2025 to 29 July 2026:
a) The total number of families with dependent children, where a parent or carer was subject to a No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) condition, who approached your Children's Services department seeking financial support under section 17 of the Children Act 1989.
b) Of the families identified in (a), the number who received financial support following assessment under section 17 of the Children Act 1989.
c) Of the families identified in (a), the number who were refused financial support following assessment under section 17 of the Children Act 1989.
d) Where recorded, the number of families refused support because they were considered ineligible for assistance owing to the provisions of Schedule 3 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002.
If your authority records requests, assessments, or presentations under different terminology, please provide the closest equivalent data held.
6. Please provide details of the financial support rates, allowances, scales, or policies applicable to families with NRPF who receive the type of support referred to in Question 3, including any schedule showing amounts by household size, age of child, or other relevant criteria.
7. Please provide details of the financial support rates, allowances, scales, or policies applicable to families with NRPF who receive the type of support referred to in Question 4, including any schedule showing amounts by household size, age of child, or other relevant criteria.
8. Please provide the number of families supported under section 17 of the Children Act 1989 during the period of July 29th 2025 to July 29th 2026 where:
• a parent or carer was subject to NRPF;
• the family was subject to the eligibility restrictions contained in Schedule 3 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002; and
• following an assessment of need, the family was receiving financial support above a basic subsistence-only level.
9. Please provide copies of any current policies, guidance documents, assessment frameworks, or procedural documents used by your authority in determining financial support levels for families with NRPF under section 17 of the Children Act 1989.
Response
1. Please provide the number of families with dependent children, where a parent or carer is subject to a No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) condition, who were receiving support from your Children's Services department(s) under section 17 of the Children Act 1989 from July 29th 2025 to July 29th 2026.
Answer: This information is not held.
2. Please provide the total number of children within the families identified in Question 1 who were receiving support under section 17 of the Children Act 1989 from July 29th 2025 to July 29th 2026.
Answer: This information is not held.
3. Please provide the number of families with NRPF supported under section 17 of the Children Act 1989 from July 29th 2025 to July 29th 2026, who were receiving financial support at a level broadly equivalent to Home Office asylum support rates or another basic subsistence-only rate.
Answer: This information is not held.
4. Please provide the number of families with NRPF supported under section 17 of the Children Act 1989 from July 29th 2025 to July 29th 2026, who were receiving financial support at a level broadly equivalent to mainstream welfare benefit rates, fostering allowances, or another enhanced welfare-based rate.
Answer: This information is not held.
5. Please provide, for the period 29 July 2025 to 29 July 2026:
a) The total number of families with dependent children, where a parent or carer was subject to a No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) condition, who approached your Children's Services department seeking financial support under section 17 of the Children Act 1989.
Answer: This information is not held.
b) Of the families identified in (a), the number who received financial support following assessment under section 17 of the Children Act 1989.
Answer: This information is not held.
c) Of the families identified in (a), the number who were refused financial support following assessment under section 17 of the Children Act 1989.
Answer: This information is not held.
d) Where recorded, the number of families refused support because they were considered ineligible for assistance owing to the provisions of Schedule 3 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002.
If your authority records requests, assessments, or presentations under different terminology, please provide the closest equivalent data held.
Answer: This information is not held.
6. Please provide details of the financial support rates, allowances, scales, or policies applicable to families with NRPF who receive the type of support referred to in Question 3, including any schedule showing amounts by household size, age of child, or other relevant criteria.
Answer: This information is not held.
7. Please provide details of the financial support rates, allowances, scales, or policies applicable to families with NRPF who receive the type of support referred to in Question 4, including any schedule showing amounts by household size, age of child, or other relevant criteria.
Answer: This information is not held.
8. Please provide the number of families supported under section 17 of the Children Act 1989 during the period of July 29th 2025 to July 29th 2026 where:
• a parent or carer was subject to NRPF;
Answer: This information is not held.
• the family was subject to the eligibility restrictions contained in Schedule 3 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002; and
Answer: This information is not held.
• following an assessment of need, the family was receiving financial support above a basic subsistence-only level.
Answer: This information is not held.
9. Please provide copies of any current policies, guidance documents, assessment frameworks, or procedural documents used by your authority in determining financial support levels for families with NRPF under section 17 of the Children Act 1989.
Answer: This information is publically available on our council website and can be viewed via the following link:
https://herefordshirecs.trixonline.co.uk/chapter/families-with-no-recourse-to-public-funds
As such we consider this information to be exempt under Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 because it is reasonably accessible to you via other means. Please take this letter as a refusal notice under S17 of the Act.
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