To ask for £20 a week?

If a child or young person becomes looked after, the LA is obliged to explore whether someone in the child's network can accommodate them (as registered foster carers). If the SW is talking about this child being looked after, then they will need to have some sort of plan for where the child lives. If it is just the child requesting to become looked after, that wouldn't necessarily lead to them becoming looked after.

Whether or not the child "chooses" to go into care is moot really when it comes to who they are placed with. If a child has nobody exercising PR, the LA may be obliged to accommodate - depending on age and circumstances. A young person "choosing" to becoming looked after would only come about if the LA assessed that they cannot return home (for whatever reason) AND the people with PR are unavailable or not in agreement. (Unless the child is homeless but that's a specific type of assessment)

I wonder if you provided more information about the circumstances if you'd receive more meaningful answers.

How would the child choose to go into care though?

Kinship doesn’t mean £0. Kinship carers can be assessed as family and friend foster carers and receive allowances to care for the child. Even a private fostering arrangement should include agreement about what financial support will be paid to the carer.

Kinship means £0.

Who is receiving the child benefit?

Apologies, I was mistaken and thought kinship had to be related.

Why not? Fits our LA definition

https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/children/social-care/fostering/types/kinship

YANBU to need financial support for caring for the child £20 doesn’t sound enough !
You need to get some advice from CAB. You may be entitled to benefits too

Someone is getting child benefit for this child and possibly UC you need to speak to the 18 yr old. Everyone knows it’s fair and correct that you need financial help to support this child, you don’t want to make money but you don’t want to be out of pocket either. Start to shout louder, be the squeaky wheel, advocate for this child, speak to your MP, start to get angry.

It's not kinship care

Can you ask whoever gets the child benefit for that at least ?

Have you discussed money with the 18 year old they could be receiving UC for the child. What are their living arrangements? Are you entitled to universal credit or would you be if you add the child to your claim? If so you can claim for them, the 2 child rule does not apply. You should contact Kinship Carers for support around s17 payments and other financial options.

If there is no one with parental rights, I’m assuming that the parents are deceased, the local authority hold corporate parenting responsibility and should therefore pay for the child’s care.

I’d probably suggest calling someone like Family Rights Group for advice on this complex situation as this young person is potentially extremely vulnerable.

How old is the child you’re caring for? Does anybody hold parental responsibility for them?

No financial support from the LA but there needs to be an arrangement with the parents - here’s what the guidance says. The LA needs to step in and support any conversation about money if you’re not comfortable to do so. I’d recommend reading the private fostering guidance which explains exactly what they should be doing to support the young person and keep them safe.

Why are you having a non related child so much?

Surely if there is Section 17 funding to facilitate a child remaining with you, the child is, de facto, looked after and there is a need for you to become a registered foster carer?

Section 17 funding is not to be used to fund a child living outside of their home. If a LA is funding a child living outside of the home, the child can be considered to be accommodated by the LA and therefore looked after. It would be inappropriate for the LA to fund a placement without formalising it - it's an inappropriate use of public funds.

If the SW's assessment is that the child shouldn't return home then they either need to accommodate under Section 20 or seek a Court Order. Age and long term plan will be a factor in the next steps.

As they haven't done that, I suspect this is more the case that a teenager has decided that they don't really want to return home and that the LA is working to ensure that they do return home.

OP, you need to understand from the SW, child, and parents what the medium to long term plan is to know what your next steps are. The LA shouldn't fund you unless the child becomes looked after. The parents would be responsible for paying you if their child is living with you. Then it could be considered a private fostering arrangement.

Even if it is a private fostering arrangement, the LA wouldn't fund that - they would only assess that it was appropriate. Since they haven't contacted you, it seems that it isn't being out forward as a private fostering arrangement.

You should be getting child benefit for this child which is more than 20 a week

Explain to social workers you need some financial support, sounds like they are trying to fob you off without paying

If you Google kinship foster care and the name of your council that'll give you more info on what you're entitled to