48.5948.59 Examination and records. 48.59(1)(1) The county department or, in a county having a population of 750,000 or more, the department or an agency under contract with the department shall investigate the personal and family history and environment of any child transferred to its legal custody or placed under its supervision under s. 48.345 and of every expectant mother of an unborn child placed under its supervision under s. 48.347 and make any physical or mental examinations of the child or expectant mother considered necessary to determine the type of care necessary for the child or expectant mother. The county department, department or agency shall screen a child or expectant mother who is examined under this subsection to determine whether the child or expectant mother is in need of special treatment or care because of alcohol or other drug abuse, mental illness or severe emotional disturbance. The county department, department or agency shall keep a complete record of the information received from the court, the date of reception, all available data on the personal and family history of the child or expectant mother, the results of all tests and examinations given the child or expectant mother and a complete history of all placements of the child while in the legal custody or under the supervision of the county department, department or agency or of the expectant mother while under the supervision of the county department, department or agency. 48.59(2)(2) At the department’s request, the county department shall report to the department regarding children who are in the legal custody or under the supervision of the county department and expectant mothers of unborn children who are under the supervision of the county department. 48.59 AnnotationA county with a population under 500,000 [now 750,000] may, by ordinance under s. 19.21 (6) [now s. 19.21 (5)], provide for the destruction of obsolete case records maintained by county social services agencies. 70 Atty. Gen. 196.
CHILD WELFARE AGENCIES
48.59948.599 Definitions. In this subchapter: 48.599(1g)(1g) “Child” means a person under 18 years of age. For purposes of the authority to provide care and maintenance for a child placed in a residential care center for children and youth operated by a child welfare agency and of counting the number of children for whom a child welfare agency may provide such care and maintenance, “child” also includes a person 18 years of age or over, but under 21 years of age, who is placed in a residential care center for children and youth operated by a child welfare agency under an order under s. 48.355, 48.357, 48.365, 938.355, 938.357, or 938.365 that terminates after the person attains 18 years of age, under a voluntary transition-to-independent-living agreement under s. 48.366 (3) or 938.366 (3), or under the placement and care responsibility of another state under 42 USC 675 (8) (B) (iv). 48.599(1r)(1r) “Physical restraint” includes all of the following: 48.599(1r)(b)(b) A device or garment that interferes with a child’s freedom of movement and that the child is unable to remove easily. 48.599(1r)(c)(c) Restraint by a child welfare agency staff member of a child by use of physical force. 48.599(2)(2) “Psychotropic medication” means an antipsychotic, antidepressant, lithium carbonate or a tranquilizer. 48.599 HistoryHistory: 1989 a. 336; 2015 a. 55. 48.6048.60 Child welfare agencies licensed. 48.60(1)(1) No person may receive children, with or without transfer of legal custody, to provide care and maintenance for 75 days in any consecutive 12 months’ period for 4 or more such children at any one time unless that person obtains a license to operate a child welfare agency from the department. To obtain a license under this subsection to operate a child welfare agency, a person must meet the minimum requirements for a license established by the department under s. 48.67, meet the requirements specified in s. 48.685 and pay the applicable license fee under s. 48.615 (1) (a) or (b). A license issued under this subsection is valid until revoked or suspended, but shall be reviewed every 2 years as provided in s. 48.66 (5). 48.60(2)(2) This section does not include: 48.60(2)(a)(a) A relative or like-kin, guardian, or person delegated care and custody of a child under s. 48.979 who provides care and maintenance for such children. Effective date noteNOTE: Par. (a) is shown as amended by 2023 Wis. Act 119 eff. 7-1-25 or on the date specified in the Department of Children and Families notice published in the Wisconsin Administrative Register under 2023 Wis. Act 119, section 122 (1), whichever is earlier. Prior to that date par. (a) reads: Effective date text(a) A relative, guardian, or person delegated care and custody of a child under s. 48.979 who provides care and maintenance for such children.
48.60(2)(b)(b) A bona fide educational institution whose pupils, in the ordinary course of events, return annually to the homes of their parents or guardians for not less than 2 months of summer vacation. 48.60(2)(d)(d) A hospital or nursing home licensed, approved or supervised by the department. 48.60(2)(f)(f) Institutions for mentally deficient children, which institutions have a full-time child population of not less than 150 children and which are subject to examination as provided in s. 46.03 (5). 48.60(3)(3) Before issuing or continuing any license to a child welfare agency under this section, the department shall review the need for the additional placement resources that would be made available by licensing or continuing the license of any child welfare agency after August 5, 1973, providing care authorized under s. 48.61 (3). Neither the department nor the department of corrections may make any placements to any child welfare agency where the departmental review required under this subsection has failed to indicate the need for the additional placement resources. 48.60(4)(b)(b) Notwithstanding ss. 121.78 (3) (a) and 121.79 (1) (a), a child welfare agency shall pay for the costs incurred by a school district in providing special education and related services to a child with a disability who has been placed with the child welfare agency under the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children under s. 48.988 or the Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children under s. 48.99. 48.60(5)(a)(a) No later than 24 hours after the death of a child who resided in a residential care center for children and youth operated by a child welfare agency, the child welfare agency shall report the death to the department if one of the following applies: 48.60(5)(a)1.1. There is reasonable cause to believe that the death was related to the use of physical restraint or a psychotropic medication for the child. 48.60(5)(a)3.3. There is reasonable cause to believe that the death was a suicide. 48.60(5)(c)(c) No later than 14 days after the date of the death reported under par. (a), the department shall investigate the death. 48.6148.61 Powers and duties of child welfare agencies. A child welfare agency shall have authority: 48.61(1)(1) To accept legal or physical custody of children transferred to it by the court under s. 48.355. 48.61(2)(2) To contract with any parent or guardian or other person for the supervision or care and maintenance of any child. 48.61(3)(3) To provide appropriate care and training for children in its legal or physical custody and, if licensed to do so, to place children in licensed foster homes and licensed group homes as permitted under s. 48.63 (1) (a), in shelter care facilities as permitted under s. 48.63 (1) (b), and in the homes of guardians as permitted under s. 48.977 (2). 48.61(4)(4) To provide for the moral and religious training of children in its legal custody according to the religious belief of the child or the child’s parents. 48.61(5)(5) If licensed to do so, to accept guardianship of children when appointed by the court, and to place children under its guardianship for adoption. 48.61(7)(7) To license foster homes in accordance with s. 48.75 if licensed to do so. 48.61 Cross-referenceCross-reference: See also ch. DCF 54, Wis. adm. code. 48.61548.615 Child welfare agency licensing fees. 48.615(1)(a)(a) Except as provided in par. (e), before the department may issue a license under s. 48.60 (1) to a child welfare agency that regularly provides care and maintenance for children within the confines of a residential care center for children and youth operated by the child welfare agency, the child welfare agency must pay to the department a biennial fee of $121, plus a biennial fee of $18.15 per child, based on the number of children that the child welfare agency is licensed to serve. 48.615(1)(b)(b) Except as provided in par. (e), before the department may issue a license under s. 48.60 (1) to a child welfare agency that places children in licensed foster homes, licensed group homes, shelter care facilities approved under s. 938.22 (2) (c), and in the homes of guardians under s. 48.977 (2), the child welfare agency must pay to the department a biennial fee of $254.10. 48.615(1)(c)(c) A child welfare agency that wishes to continue a license issued under s. 48.60 (1) shall pay the applicable fee under par. (a) or (b) by the continuation date of the license. 48.615(1)(d)(d) A new child welfare agency shall pay the applicable fee under par. (a) or (b) no later than 30 days before the opening of the child welfare agency. 48.615(1)(e)(e) An individual who is eligible for a fee waiver under the veterans fee waiver program under s. 45.44 is not required to pay the fee under par. (a) or (b) for a license under s. 48.60 (1). 48.615(2)(2) A child welfare agency that wishes to continue a license issued under s. 48.60 (1) and that fails to pay the applicable fee under sub. (1) (a) or (b) by the continuation date of the license or a new child welfare agency that fails to pay the applicable fee under sub. (1) (a) or (b) by 30 days before the opening of the child welfare agency shall pay an additional fee of $5 per day for every day after the deadline that the agency fails to pay the fee. FOSTER HOMES
48.61948.619 Definition. In this subchapter, “child” means a person under 18 years of age. For purposes of the authority to provide care and maintenance for a child and of counting the number of children for whom a foster home or group home may provide care and maintenance, “child” also includes a person 18 years of age or over, but under 21 years of age, who resides in the foster home or group home under an order under s. 48.355, 48.357, 48.365, 938.355, 938.357, or 938.365 that terminates after the person attains 18 years of age, under a voluntary transition-to-independent-living agreement under s. 48.366 (3) or 938.366 (3), or under the placement and care responsibility of another state under 42 USC 675 (8) (B) (iv). 48.6248.62 Licensing of foster homes; rates. 48.62(1)(1) Any person who receives, with or without transfer of legal custody, 4 or fewer children or, if necessary to enable a sibling group to remain together, 6 or fewer children or, if the department promulgates rules permitting a different number of children, the number of children permitted under those rules, to provide care and maintenance for those children shall obtain a license to operate a foster home from the department, a county department or a licensed child welfare agency as provided in s. 48.75. 48.62(2)(2) A relative or like-kin, a guardian of a child, or a person delegated care and custody of a child under s. 48.979 who provides care and maintenance for the child is not required to obtain the license specified in this section. The department, county department, or licensed child welfare agency as provided in s. 48.75 may issue a license to operate a foster home to a relative or like-kin who has no duty of support under s. 49.90 (1) (a) and who requests a license to operate a foster home for a specific child who is either placed by court order or who is the subject of a voluntary placement agreement under s. 48.63. The department, a county department, or a licensed child welfare agency may, at the request of a guardian appointed under s. 48.977, 48.978, or 48.9795, ch. 54, 2017 stats., or ch. 880, 2003 stats., license the guardian’s home as a foster home for the guardian’s minor ward who is living in the home and who is placed in the home by court order. Relatives and like-kin with no duty of support and guardians appointed under s. 48.977, 48.978, or 48.9795, ch. 54, 2017 stats., or ch. 880, 2003 stats., who are licensed to operate foster homes are subject to the department’s licensing rules. Effective date noteNOTE: Sub. (2) is shown as amended by 2023 Wis. Act 119 eff. 7-1-25 or on the date specified in the Department of Children and Families notice published in the Wisconsin Administrative Register under 2023 Wis. Act 119, section 122 (1), whichever is earlier. Prior to that date sub. (2) reads: Effective date text(2) A relative, a guardian of a child, or a person delegated care and custody of a child under s. 48.979 who provides care and maintenance for the child is not required to obtain the license specified in this section. The department, county department, or licensed child welfare agency as provided in s. 48.75 may issue a license to operate a foster home to a relative who has no duty of support under s. 49.90 (1) (a) and who requests a license to operate a foster home for a specific child who is either placed by court order or who is the subject of a voluntary placement agreement under s. 48.63. The department, a county department, or a licensed child welfare agency may, at the request of a guardian appointed under s. 48.977, 48.978, or 48.9795, ch. 54, 2017 stats., or ch. 880, 2003 stats., license the guardian’s home as a foster home for the guardian’s minor ward who is living in the home and who is placed in the home by court order. Relatives with no duty of support and guardians appointed under s. 48.977, 48.978, or 48.9795, ch. 54, 2017 stats., or ch. 880, 2003 stats., who are licensed to operate foster homes are subject to the department’s licensing rules.
48.62(3)(3) When the department, a county department, or a child welfare agency issues a license to operate a foster home, the department, county department, or child welfare agency shall notify the school district in which the foster home is located that a foster home has been licensed in the school district. 48.62(4)(a)(a) Monthly payments in foster care shall be provided according to the rates specified in this subsection. Beginning on January 1, 2024, the rates for care and maintenance provided for a child of any age by a foster home that is certified to provide level one care, as defined in the rules promulgated under sub. (8) (a), are $375 and for care and maintenance provided by a foster home that is certified to provide care at a level of care that is higher than level one care, the rates are all of the following: 48.62(4)(b)(b) In addition to the grants under par. (a) for basic maintenance, the department, county department, or licensed child welfare agency shall make supplemental payments for foster care to a foster home that is receiving an age-related rate under this subsection that are commensurate with the level of care that the foster home is certified to provide and the needs of the child who is placed in the foster home according to the rules promulgated by the department under sub. (8) (c). 48.62(6)(6) The department or a county department may recover an overpayment made under sub. (4) from a foster parent who continues to receive those payments by reducing the amount of the foster parent’s monthly payment. The department may by rule specify other methods for recovering those overpayments. A county department that recovers an overpayment under this subsection due to the efforts of its officers and employees may retain a portion of the amount recovered, as provided by the department by rule. 48.62(7)(7) In each federal fiscal year, the department shall ensure that there are no more than 2,200 children in foster care placements for more than 24 months, consistent with the best interests of each child. Services provided in connection with this requirement shall comply with the requirements under P.L. 96-272. 48.62(8)(8) The department shall promulgate rules relating to foster homes as follows: 48.62(8)(a)(a) Rules providing levels of care that a foster home is licensed to provide. Those levels of care shall be based on the level of knowledge, skill, training, experience, and other qualifications that are required of the licensee, the level of responsibilities that are expected of the licensee, the needs of the children who are placed with the licensee, and any other requirements relating to the ability of the licensee to provide for those needs that the department may promulgate by rule. 48.62(8)(b)(b) Rules establishing a standardized assessment tool to assess the needs of a child placed or to be placed outside the home, to determine the level of care that is required to meet those needs, and to place the child in a placement that meets those needs. A foster home that is certified to provide a given level of care under par. (a) may provide foster care for any child whose needs are assessed to be at or below the level of care that the foster home is certified to provide. A foster home that is certified to provide a given level of care under par. (a) may not provide foster care for any child whose needs are assessed to be above that level of care unless the department, county department, or child welfare agency issuing the foster home license determines that support or services sufficient to meet the child’s needs are in place and grants an exception to that prohibition. 48.62(8)(c)(c) Rules providing monthly rates of reimbursement for foster care that are commensurate with the level of care that the foster home is licensed to provide and the needs of the child who is placed in the foster home. Those rates shall include rates for supplemental payments for special needs, exceptional circumstances, and initial clothing allowances for children placed in a foster home that is receiving an age-related monthly rate under sub. (4). In promulgating the rules under this paragraph, the department shall provide a mechanism for equalizing the amount of reimbursement received by a foster parent prior to the promulgation of those rules and the amount of reimbursement received by a foster parent under those rules so as to reduce the amount of any reimbursement that may be lost as a result of the implementation of those rules. 48.62(8)(d)(d) Rules providing a monthly retainer fee for a foster home that agrees to maintain openings for emergency placements. 48.62(9)(9) As soon as the department is ready to implement the rules promulgated under sub. (8), the secretary shall send a notice to the legislative reference bureau for publication in the Wisconsin Administrative Register that states the date on which the provisions of 2009 Wisconsin Act 28, relating to foster care levels of care will become effective. 48.62 HistoryHistory: 1977 c. 354 s. 101; 1977 c. 418, 447; 1981 c. 20; 1985 a. 29 s. 3202 (23); 1985 a. 176, 281, 332, 403; 1989 a. 31, 336; 1993 a. 395 ss. 31m, 39; 1993 a. 437 s. 67; 1993 a. 446 ss. 79 to 82, 134m; 1993 a. 491; 1995 a. 275; 1997 a. 27, 334; 1999 a. 9; 2001 a. 69; 2005 a. 25, 232, 387; 2007 a. 20 ss. 810, 1322, 1323; 2009 a. 28, 71; 2011 a. 32, 87; 2013 a. 20; 2017 a. 59, 251; 2019 a. 9, 109; 2021 a. 58; 2021 a. 240 s. 30; 2023 a. 19, 119. 48.62 Cross-referenceCross-reference: See also ch. DCF 56, Wis. adm. code. 48.62 AnnotationA foster child in a family owned foster home under a one-year dispositional order is a resident of the household for insurance purposes. A.G. v. Travelers Insurance Co., 112 Wis. 2d 18, 331 N.W.2d 643 (Ct. App. 1983). 48.62 AnnotationFoster homes owned, operated, or contracted for by the department or a county department are immune from local zoning ordinances. Foster homes owned, operated, or contracted for by licensed child welfare agencies are not immune. All family operated foster homes are subject to local zoning. Municipal foster home licensing ordinances are unenforceable. 63 Atty. Gen. 34.
48.62 AnnotationState-licensed foster homes are immune from local zoning ordinances restricting the number of unrelated occupants of single family dwellings. 66 Atty. Gen. 342.
48.62348.623 Subsidized guardianships. 48.623(1)(1) Eligibility. A county department or, as provided in sub. (3) (a), an Indian tribe or the department shall provide monthly subsidized guardianship payments in the amount specified in sub. (3) (b) to a guardian of a child under s. 48.977 (2) or under a substantially similar tribal law if the county department, Indian tribe, or department determines that the conditions specified in pars. (a) to (d) have been met. A county department or, as provided in sub. (3) (a), a tribe or the department shall also provide those payments for the care of a sibling of such a child, regardless of whether the sibling meets the conditions specified in par. (a), if the county department, Indian tribe, or department and the guardian agree on the appropriateness of placing the sibling in the home of the guardian. A guardian of a child under s. 48.977 (2) or under a substantially similar tribal law is eligible for monthly subsidized guardianship payments under this subsection if the county department, Indian tribe, or department, whichever will be providing those payments, determines that all of the following apply:
