Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) request.

We write to request the following information under the FOIA in relation to assessments of, and the provision of support to, families with No Recourse to Public Funds (“NRPF”) seeking access to support under section 17 of the Children Act 1989.

Contact details
1.Does your local authority have a separate team dealing with requests for support under section 17 Children Act 1989, for example an ‘NRPF team’?
No

2. If yes, please provide contact details for this team (telephone and email)

3. If no, please confirm where referrals for such support should be directed to and provide contact details (telephone and email)
MASH team. triage@wokingham.gov.uk 0118-908-8002.

4. Please also provide contact details for the relevant legal team supporting children’s services or dedicated NRPF team (telephone and email)
Joint Legal Team, Reading Borough Council Civic offices.

5. Is the local authority a member of NRPF Connect?
No

Policies
6. Do you have any guidance or policy documents or other such written material in respect of undertaking assessments and providing support pursuant to section 17 of the Children Act 1989 to families with no recourse to public funds (including documents specific to this issue, or of more general application but covering this issue)?
No

7. If yes, please provide us with a copy.

Assessments
8. How many families/children approached the local authority for support under section 17 of the Children Act 1989 between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024?
We cannot report on this.

9. How many of the families/children who approached the local authority for support under section 17 of the Children Act 1989 between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024 went on to receive a) financial support; b) accommodation; C) both.
10 families received financial support, 2 families accommodation.

10. How many of the families/children identified in question 8 had no recourse to public funds (either because of a restriction on their leave to remain or because they were undocumented)?
1 because of restriction which was then lifted.

11. How many families/children with no recourse to public funds received a) financial support; b) accommodation; C) both under section 17 following their assessment?
2 families , 1 accommodation and 1 subsistence.

12. How many pregnant persons approached the local authority for support under section 17 between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024. Of these, a) how many of the pregnant persons had no recourse to public funds, and b) how many of the pregnant persons with no recourse to public funds went on to receive a) financial support; b) accommodation; C) both.
Not reportable in relation to the number that approached as we don’t collect this information but no pregnant women with no recourse to public funds, have received financial support, accommodation under S17 in the last 12 months.

Subsistence:
13. Does the local authority pay a minimum rate of financial support to families/children with NRPF, who have no other means of income, under Section 17. If so, what is this rate?
No set identified rates

14. Does the local authority provide any additional payments, such as for young children, pregnant mothers, or maternity grants? If yes, please specify.
As above

Accommodation:
15. How many families with no recourse to public funds were supported to remain in their own accommodation by the local authority contributing to rent under section 17 between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022?
0

16. Please provide a list of the types of properties that have been used to accommodate families under section 17 between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022 (e.g., self-contained flat, HMO, B&B) and a breakdown of how many families were accommodated in each type of accommodation in this time period.
Emergency accommodation/refuge.

17. Does the local authority provide accommodation to families under section 17 that does not have access to kitchen space or cooking facilities?
Only in emergency

18. If your response to question 16 is yes, between the period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022: How many families were placed in accommodation with no access to kitchen space and/or cooking facilities?
0

Spending
19. Between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024 what was the total cost to the local authority of providing support to
a) Families under section 17: £20,466 (this includes the cost of things like translation services, nursery fees and therapies)
b) All families with no recourse to public funds under section 17: £3,961