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University of Birmingham to lead research on impact of denial of recourse to public funds

University of Birmingham academics secure more than £700,000 to examine how the denial of recourse to public funds affects children living in the UK.

25 March 2025•3 min read
University of Birmingham crest on Green Heart on campus.

University of Birmingham academics have secured more than £700,000 to examine how the denial of recourse to public funds affects children and families living in the UK.

The project, led by social policy and society experts at the University of Birmingham, will be delivered over three years in collaboration with a multi-disciplinary team of researchers from the University of Glasgow, Glasgow Caledonian University, and Kings College London.

The researchers will be conducting a study of the longitudinal impacts of the denial of recourse to public funds on the health and well-being of migrant children and families in the UK.

The project is funded by the National Institute of Health and Care Research.

As of 2019, an estimated 175,000 children were living in households denied recourse. However, there is little to no information available on the long-term impacts of living without recourse to the basic welfare safety net on child health and development. Our new research project will seek to address this information gap.

Dr Andrew Jolly, University of Birmingham

Dr Andrew Jolly, Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work and Social Care at the University of Birmingham, said: “The ‘hostile environment’ enacted by successive UK governments has aimed to dissuade people to seek asylum or permanently immigrate to the UK. One of the policy measures forming the hostile environment is the No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) condition, a provision within the Immigration Rules which prevents most temporary migrants to the UK from accessing a range of welfare benefits and social housing provisions.

“As of 2019, an estimated 175,000 children were living in households denied recourse. However, there is little to no information available on the long-term impacts of living without recourse to the basic welfare safety net on child health and development. Our new research project will seek to address this information gap.”

The research coincides with a period of considerable public scrutiny of the interface between the UK’S immigration and welfare systems. We hope to bring some light to a discourse primarily characterised by ever-increasing heat.

David Stark, University of Birmingham

One of the few support provisions available to families facing destitution because of their NRPF status is under section 17 of the Children Act 1989. This places a duty on local authorities in England to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in need, which could include accommodation and financial support.

David Stark, Research Fellow in Social Policy at the University of Birmingham, added: “While successive court judgements dating back over the years have upheld the principle that section 17 provision cannot reasonably be denied to eligible migrant families in need, provision across the country remains patchy and inconsistent.

“During the project, we will work with partners from across the UK to engage with families from across the nine English regions, exploring the impacts of the denial of recourse, the differing health and developmental outcomes for families in need who have access to section 17 support and those who do not, and the disparities in provision from local authority to local authority. The research coincides with a period of considerable public scrutiny of the interface between the UK’S immigration and welfare systems. We hope to bring some light to a discourse primarily characterised by ever-increasing heat.”

Fieldwork on the project will begin in April 2025, and aim not only to explore the impact of the denial of access to the mainstream welfare support system on children and families subject to the NRPF condition, but also to outline good practice recommendations which can help bring about improved outcomes for some of those who need support the most.

Notes for editors

  • For media inquiries please contact Ellie Hail, Communications Officer, University of Birmingham on +44 (0)7966 311 409. Out-of-hours, please call +44 (0) 121 414 2772.

  • The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions. Its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers, teachers and more than 8,000 international students from over 150 countries.

Featured staff

  • Dr Andrew Jolly

    Assistant Professor

    Dr Andrew Jolly is an Assistant Professor at the University of Birmingham. His research interests centre around social work practice with migrant families, food poverty and bordering practices in social care.

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