Next Step Services can offer support to local authorities around families who have No Recourse to Public Funds. Next Step Services can provide accommodation and assist with the move on support by ensuring the client has the relevant applications with the Home Office.
The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) sets out human rights which people hold in the UK. The Human Rights Act 1998 operates to prohibit statutory authorities, including local authorities, from breaching individuals’ human rights by their action or inaction.
Key human rights that are relevant in the context of an NRPF human rights assessment include:
Article 2 Right to life
Article 3 Freedom from cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment
A person may fear return to their own country because they believe they may be killed, tortured or seriously harmed there.
Article 4 Freedom from slavery and forced labour
Similarly, a person may fear return to their own country because they believe they may be exploited, trafficked or re-trafficked, held in slavery or subjected to forced labour.
Article 8 Right to family and private life
Individuals have a right to maintenance of their family life, and this includes a right to live with family members present in the UK, and to contest custody of children in family law proceedings in the UK. Individuals and families who have resided in the UK for a long time, and have built close personal connections to their community and support workers.

Next Step Services has proved that by supporting the families who have no recourse to public fund it is ultimately cheaper for the local authority whilst promoting the needs of the children.