This report uses data from NRPF Connect to evidence costs, caseloads, and immigration status of people with no recourse to public funds who were provided with accommodation and financial support by councils across the UK between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025. Such support is provided when statutory social care duties are engaged.
What data is being reported?
NRPF Connect is a case management tool used by councils in England, Scotland and Wales to record details of households with no recourse to public funds that are provided with accommodation and/or financial support when social care duties are engaged.
NRPF Connect is hosted by LoCTA Ltd and operated by the NRPF Network in partnership with the Home Office. It is used on a voluntary basis and subscribers pay an annual subscription fee.
The dataset includes:
- Referrals recorded on NRPF Connect and the financial support provided to households between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025 (downloaded on 29/07/2025)
- Home Office weekly performance report between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025 (downloaded on 13/08/2025)
The report focuses on data regarding adults with care needs and families, as NRPF Connect provides the only UK-wide dataset for these groups. Although NRPF Connect is also used by councils to obtain immigration updates about looked after children and care leavers, grant funding reporting for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children takes place outside of NRPF Connect, therefore finance information provided for this group is usually only indicative of the overall costs incurred.
What changes have been made?
This year, we have changed the way of counting households receiving financial support to provide a more complete picture of caseloads and costs. Any person or family that was provided with financial support at any point between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025 will be counted regardless of whether they were still being supported at the end of the year.
In previous years, we reported on a snapshot of households that were receiving financial support at the end of the financial year, i.e. on 31 March. As we are now reporting on all households that received financial support at any point throughout the year, comparisons with previous annual financial support data cannot be made. Referrals have always been counted across the whole year, and that method remains the same.
We now profile the immigration status of supported households as it is recorded at the start date of the report (i.e. 1 April 2024) or when the immigration status field is first completed if the person or family’s support started at a later date in the year. We also profile the immigration status of referrals added throughout the year when the immigration status field is first completed. The immigration status field may have been populated by the results of a look-up performed on the Recourse to Public Funds checker or otherwise will usually be completed by the Home Office when a person’s details are initially added to NRPF Connect. For families, we report on the immigration status of the lead parent or carer.
How we use the data
The dataset is the only UK-wide data drawn from case information relating to households requesting or receiving local authority support. The data demonstrates the costs incurred by councils through delivering essential support to households with no recourse to public funds to alleviate homelessness and destitution. The data also provides an insight into the people receiving support in terms of their immigration status, duration of support, and make-up of family households.
The dataset is used to inform policy recommendations that we make to central and devolved governments. These are raised with the Home Office when the report is published and with other government departments and parliamentarians when we respond to consultations and parliamentary inquiries, etc. Read our recent evidence submissions.
The data is often referred to by other organisations and academic researchers.
Definitions
‘Adults with care needs’ or ‘adults’ are people who requested, or were provided with, accommodation and financial support under the following legislation:
- Section 18(1) of the Care Act 2014
- Section 19(1) of the Care Act 2014
- Section 12 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968
- Section 35 of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014
- Section 117 of the Mental Health Act 1983
- Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996
- Section 1 of the Localism Act 2011
‘Families’ are families with a child under 18 that have been provided with accommodation and financial support under the following legislation:
- Section 17 of the Children Act 1989
- Section 22 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995
- Section 37 of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014
‘Looked after children and care leavers’ are children and young people who have been provided with accommodation and financial support under the following legislation:
- The Children Act 1989, as amended by the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000
- Section 20 of the Children Act 1989
- Section 25 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995
- Sections 29 & 30 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995
- Part 6 of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014
‘No recourse to public funds’ includes people who have:
- Leave to remain with a ‘no recourse to public funds’ condition
- No lawful status
- A pending asylum claim or appeal
- Leave subject to a maintenance undertaking, such as an adult dependent relative
- Pre-settled status or a pending EUSS application and are ineligible for means-tested benefits
Further guidance and information
For more information about who has no recourse to public funds and what services they may be entitled to, see the NRPF Network website.
For more information about how statutory duties apply to people with no recourse to public fund, please refer to our detailed practice guidance, which is supported by the Local Government Association, Association of Directors of Children’s Services and Association of Directors of Adult Social Services.