DCF 56.09 Note
Note: Disclosure of confidential information is governed by ss.
48.78 and
48.981 (7), Stats., and other state and federal laws and regulations.
DCF 56.09 History
History: CR 00-020: cr.
Register February 2002 No. 554, eff. 3-1-02; corrections in (2) (c) made under s.
13.92 (4) (b) 7., Stats.,
Register November 2008 No. 635;
EmR0937: emerg. revisions as in
CR 10-021, eff. 1-1-10;
CR 10-021: am. (1) (d), (g), (m), (2) (a), (g), (3) (a), (4) (b), (5) (f), (11) (a) 4. and 8., cr. (1m), r. and recr. (7)
Register September 2010 No. 657, eff. 10-1-10;
EmR1050: emerg. cr. (1) (am), (bm), (cm), (dm), (em), (fm), (gm), (hm), (o), (1g), (1m) (d) to (g), (4) (dm), (g), (10) (g), am. (1) (h), (1m) (b), (c), (2) (a), (4) (e), r. and recr. (2) (c), r. (2) (h), (i), eff. 1-1-11;
CR 10-148: cr. (1) (am), (bm), (cm), (dm), (em), (fm), (gm), (hm), (o), (1g), (1m) (a) (title), (b) (title), (c) (title), (d) to (g), (4) (dm), (g), (10) (g), am. (1) (h), (1m) (b), (c), (2) (a), (4) (e), r. and recr. (2) (c), r. (2) (h), (i)
Register August 2011 No. 668, eff. 9-1-11;
EmR1414: emerg. cr. (1m) (cm), eff. 8-1-14;
CR 14-054: am. (1m) (b), (c), cr. (1m) (cm)
Register April 2015 No. 712, eff. 5-1-15;
EmR1633: emerg. am. (2) (e), cr. (2m), (11) (a) 10., eff. 11-18-16;
CR 16-051: am. (2) (e), cr. (2m), (11) (a) 10.
Register July 2017 No. 739, eff. 8-1-17; correction in numbering in (2m) (e) 1., 2. made under s.
13.92 (4) (b) 1., Stats.,
Register July 2017 No. 739;
CR 21-107: am. (1) (i), (2m) (a), (b) (intro.), (5) (d), (6) (b), (7), (9) (b), (c), (12) (intro.) Register June 2022 No. 798, eff. 7-1-22. DCF 56.10(1)(1)
Appeal. An applicant for a license to operate a foster home who is denied a license or a licensee whose license is revoked or whose application for renewal of the license is denied may appeal the decision by asking for a hearing in accordance with ch.
227, Stats.
DCF 56.10 Note
Note: The appeal rights described in this section relate only to licensure decisions. Foster parents also have appeal rights for non-licensure decisions as provided under s.
48.64 (4), Stats., and ch.
HA 3 rules. Any decision made by a circuit court regarding a placement or a placed child is not appealable by the foster parent under this section.
DCF 56.10(2)
(2) Request for a hearing. A request for a hearing shall be in writing and shall be addressed to the department of administration's division of hearings and appeals. The date of the request for a hearing shall be the date on which the request is received by that office. Any request for a hearing shall be received no more than 15 days after the date of the notice of the agency decision to deny, revoke, or not renew the license.
DCF 56.10 Note
Note: A request for a hearing may be mailed to Division of Hearings and Appeals, P.O. Box 7875, Madison, WI 53707-7875; faxed to (608) 264-9885; or delivered to 4822 Madison Yards Way, Madison, WI 53705.
DCF 56.10(3)
(3) Arrangements for a hearing. In response to a request for a hearing under this section, the division of hearings and appeals shall appoint a hearing examiner, set a date for the hearing and notify the parties in writing at least 10 days before the hearing of the date, time and place of the hearing and of the procedures to be followed.
DCF 56.12
DCF 56.12
Foster parent handbook. A licensing agency shall provide each licensed or prospective foster parent with a copy of the agency's foster parent handbook prior to or at the time of the issuance of the license to operate a foster home. The foster parent handbook shall include information on the following topics:
DCF 56.12(1)(d)
(d) Description of the concept of and procedures for permanency planning, permanence goal options, and concurrent permanency planning.
DCF 56.12(1)(f)
(f) A brochure that explains the foster parent insurance program and information regarding how to file a claim under that program.
DCF 56.12(1)(g)
(g) A brochure that explains the foster care reimbursement and rate structure, including the clothing allowance.
DCF 56.12(1)(h)
(h) A brochure that explains the use and parameters of the reasonable and prudent parent standard.
DCF 56.12 Note
Note: Form DCF-P-5105,
Promoting Normalcy for Children in Out-of-Home Care, is available in the forms section of the department website at
http://dcf.wisconsin.gov, or by writing the Division of Safety and Permanence, P.O. Box 8916, Madison, WI 53708-8916.
DCF 56.12(2)(a)
(a) Agency expectations of foster parents in working with children's families and supporting family interaction plans.
DCF 56.12(2)(b)
(b) Expectations for foster parents in working with the licensing and placing agencies.
DCF 56.12(2)(d)
(d) Description of agency policies and procedures in cases of allegations of child maltreatment against foster parents.
DCF 56.12(2)(e)
(e) Procedures in the event of emergencies affecting the foster parent or any foster child.
DCF 56.12(2)(f)
(f) Procedures for filing grievances and appeals and the processes used by the agency in responding to such grievances and appeals.
DCF 56.12(2)(g)
(g) Procedures for reimbursement for such expenditures as travel costs, clothing for foster children, and school fees.
DCF 56.12(3)
(3) Information about caring for children, including:
DCF 56.12(3)(e)
(e) Independent living and the transfer of independent living skills.
DCF 56.12(4)
(4) Information about resources for foster families, including:
DCF 56.12(4)(a)
(a) A description of the support services available through the agency, including the availability of respite care services and how foster parents can access those services.
DCF 56.12(4)(b)
(b) Contact information for the Wisconsin Foster and Adoptive Parent Association, the National Foster Parent Association, the Wisconsin Foster Care and Adoption Resource Center, and, if available, local foster parent associations or support groups.
DCF 56.12 History
History: CR 00-020: cr.
Register February 2002 No. 554, eff. 3-1-02;
EmR0937: emerg. r. and recr. eff. 1-1-10;
CR 10-021: r. and recr.
Register September 2010 No. 657, eff. 10-1-10; correction to numbering made under s.
13.92 (4) (b) 1., Stats.,
Register September 2010 No. 657; correction in (1) (e) made under s.
13.92 (4) (b) 7., Stats.,
Register August 2011 No. 668;
EmR1633: emerg. cr. (1) (h), eff. 11-18-16;
CR 16-051: cr. (1) (h)
Register July 2017 No. 739, eff. 8-1-17.
DCF 56.13
DCF 56.13
Foster home level of care certification. DCF 56.13(1)(a)
(a) In this section, “child-specific license" means a license to operate a foster home that is issued to a relative of a child or an individual who has a previous existing relationship with the child or the child's family.
DCF 56.13(1)(b)
(b) A child-specific license may remain valid with any granted waivers or exceptions for the duration of the licensing period or up to 6 months after the child returns home or is placed elsewhere, whichever occurs first.
DCF 56.13(1)(c)
(c) A foster home operated by a foster parent with a child-specific license may be certified at any level of care.
DCF 56.13(2)
(2) Certification. A licensing agency shall certify each foster home for a level of care under subs.
(3) to
(7) commensurate with the foster parent's knowledge, training, skills, experience, and relationship to the child in accordance with the licensing agency's programming and capacity.
DCF 56.13(3)(a)(a)
Child-specific license. A licensing agency may grant a Level 1 certification only to a foster home operated by a foster parent with a child-specific license.
DCF 56.13(3)(b)
(b) Training. Each foster parent who operates a Level 1 foster home shall complete a minimum of 6 hours of pre-placement training under s.
DCF 56.14 (6) before or after the placement of a child but no later than 6 months after the date of initial licensure.
DCF 56.13 Note
Note: A foster parent with a child-specific license often does not actually receive this training before placement of the child but it is still referred to as “pre-placement training."
DCF 56.13(4)(a)1.a.a. Each foster parent who operates a Level 2 foster home shall complete a minimum of 6 hours of pre-placement training under s.
DCF 56.14 (6) before or after initial licensure but prior to the placement of any child in the home.
DCF 56.13(4)(a)1.b.
b. Notwithstanding subd.
1. a., each foster parent with a child-specific license who operates a Level 2 foster home shall complete the pre-placement training under s.
DCF 56.14 (6) before or after the placement of a child but no later than 6 months after the date of initial licensure.
DCF 56.13 Note
Note: A foster parent with a child-specific license often does not actually receive this training before placement of the child but it is still referred to as “pre-placement training."
DCF 56.13(4)(a)2.
2. Each foster parent who operates a Level 2 foster home shall complete a minimum of 30 hours of initial licensing training under s.
DCF 56.14 (7) during the initial licensing period.
DCF 56.13(4)(a)3.
3. Each foster parent who operates a Level 2 foster home shall complete 10 hours of ongoing training under s.
DCF 56.14 (8) in each 12-month period of licensure subsequent to the initial licensing period.
DCF 56.13(4)(b)
(b) References. An applicant for certification to operate a Level 2 foster home shall submit at least 3 favorable reference letters written by persons unrelated to the applicant. A reference letter shall include a statement indicating how long the person giving the reference has known the applicant, under what circumstances the person knows the applicant, and the person's knowledge of the applicant's characteristics under s.
DCF 56.05 (1) (b).
DCF 56.13(5)(a)1.1. An applicant for certification to operate a Level 3 foster home shall have at least 3 of the following:
DCF 56.13(5)(a)1.a.
a. A minimum of one year of experience as a foster parent or kinship care provider with a child placed in the applicant's home for at least one year.
DCF 56.13(5)(a)1.c.
c. A minimum of 500 hours of experience as a respite care provider for children under the supervision of a human services agency.
DCF 56.13(5)(a)1.e.
e. A college, vocational, technical, or advanced degree in the area of a child's treatment needs, such as nursing, medicine, social work, or psychology.
DCF 56.13(5)(a)1.f.
f. A substantial relationship with the child to be placed through previous professional or personal experience.
DCF 56.13(5)(a)1.g.
g. Work or personal experience for which the applicant has demonstrated the knowledge, skill, ability, and motivation to meet the needs of a child with a level of need of 3.
DCF 56.13(5)(a)2.
2. If an applicant for certification to operate a Level 3 foster home relies on experience that meets the requirements in subd.
1. b. or
f. as one of the 3 required criteria in this paragraph, the applicant shall also meet one of the criteria in subd.
1. a.,
c.,
e., or
g. DCF 56.13(5)(b)1.1. Each foster parent who operates a Level 3 foster home shall complete a minimum of 36 hours of pre-placement training under s.
DCF 56.14 (6d) before or after initial licensure but prior to the placement of any child in the home.
DCF 56.13(5)(b)2.
2. Each foster parent who operates a Level 3 foster home shall complete a minimum of 24 hours of initial licensing training under s.
DCF 56.14 (7e) during the initial licensing period.
DCF 56.13(5)(b)3.
3. Each foster parent who operates a Level 3 foster home shall complete 18 hours of ongoing training under s.
DCF 56.14 (8) in each 12-month period of licensure subsequent to the initial licensing period.
DCF 56.13(5)(c)
(c) References. An applicant for certification to operate a Level 3 foster home shall submit at least 4 favorable reference letters, as follows:
DCF 56.13(5)(c)1.a.a. Three of the letters shall be written by persons unrelated to the applicant. At least one of these reference letters shall be regarding the applicant's qualifications under par.
(a) 1., excluding par.
(a) 1. d. DCF 56.13(5)(c)1.b.
b. The fourth favorable reference letter shall be from a relative, preferably from an adult child if applicable.
DCF 56.13(5)(c)2.
2. `Content.' Each reference letter shall include a statement indicating all of the following:
DCF 56.13(6)(a)1.1. An applicant for certification to operate a Level 4 foster home shall have at least 4 of the following:
DCF 56.13(6)(a)1.a.
a. A minimum of one year of experience with children with a level of need of 3 as a foster parent or kinship care provider with a child placed in the applicant's home for at least one year.
DCF 56.13(6)(a)1.c.
c. A minimum of 500 hours of experience as a respite care provider for children under the supervision of a human services agency.
DCF 56.13(6)(a)1.e.
e. A college, vocational, technical, or advanced degree in the area of a child's treatment needs, such as nursing, medicine, social work, or psychology.
DCF 56.13(6)(a)1.f.
f. A substantial relationship with the child to be placed through previous professional or personal experience.
