DCF 56.07(8)(c)(c) Any outdoor porch on a first floor that is more than 4 feet above grade or on or above the second floor of a foster home shall have a railing suitably designed to safeguard foster children who may be on the porch.

DCF 56.07(9)(9) Maintenance and repair. The foster home, all other buildings and structures on the premises and all equipment and furnishings shall be maintained in a safe and proper state of repair. Broken, rundown, defective, inoperative or unsafe building parts, furnishings and equipment shall be promptly repaired, replaced or discarded.

DCF 56.07(10)(a)(a) The outside recreation and play space, furnishings, and equipment for a foster home shall be maintained in a clean and sanitary condition.

DCF 56.07 HistoryHistory: CR 00-020: cr. Register February 2002 No. 554, eff. 3-1-02; correction in (4) (g) made under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 7., Stats., Register December 2003 No. 576; EmR0937: emerg. revisions as in CR 10-021, eff. 1-1-10; CR 10-021: am. (4) (a) 1., 2., (5) (a) and (6) (d) 1., cr. (4) (a) 1m. Register September 2010 No. 657, eff. 10-1-10; EmR1050: emerg. cr. (1m), (2) (b), (3) (d), renum. (2) to be (2) (a) and am., r. and recr. (4) (g), am. (4) (d), (i), (10) (a), eff. 1-1-11; CR 10-148: cr. (1m), (2) (b), (3) (d), renum. (2) to be (2) (a) and am., r. and recr. (4) (g), am. (4) (d), (i), (10) (a) Register August 2011 No. 668, eff. 9-1-11; corrections in (1m), (2) (b) intro.), (3) (d), (4) (g) 1. made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 7., Stats., Register February 2012 No. 674.

DCF 56.08(1)(a)(a) Materials and equipment that may be hazardous to children, such as power tools, flammable or combustible materials, insecticides, poisons, plastic bags, detergents, alcohol, tobacco products and medications, shall be stored in areas not readily accessible to foster children.

DCF 56.08(1)(b)(b) The licensee shall make every reasonable effort to identify and immediately correct any hazard to the safety of foster children while the children are in the foster home, on the premises or being transported.

DCF 56.08(3)(a)(a) Cats, dogs and other pets vulnerable to rabies which are owned by any member of the household shall be vaccinated as required under local ordinance and documentation of the vaccinations shall be provided to the licensing agency.

DCF 56.08(3)(b)(b) Household pets known to be vicious or infected with any disease transmittable to humans may not be kept in the foster home or elsewhere on the premises.

DCF 56.08(4)(a)(a) Any licensee or other person acting on behalf of the licensee who transports foster children for any purpose shall possess a valid driver’s license. The licensing agency may establish additional requirements in this area by written policy, provided that the additional requirements do not prevent a foster parent from using the reasonable and prudent parent standard when making decisions concerning a child’s participation in age or developmentally appropriate extracurricular, enrichment, cultural, and social activities under s. DCF 56.09 (2m).

DCF 56.08 NoteNote: For example, agencies cannot prohibit all youth from getting rides from peers or require that foster parents obtain prior agency approval for every person transporting the child.

DCF 56.08(4)(b)(b) No licensee or person acting on behalf of a licensee may transport any foster child under the age of 8 years or less than 80 pounds in weight in any private motor vehicle unless the following conditions are met, as required in s. 347.48 (4), Stats.:

DCF 56.08(4)(b)1.1. Each child who is less than one year old or who weighs less than 20 pounds being transported in a vehicle shall be properly seated and restrained in a rear-facing individual child car safety seat in the back seat of the vehicle.

DCF 56.08(4)(b)2.2. Each child who is at least one year old but less than 4 years old or who weighs at least 20 pounds but less than 40 pounds shall be properly restrained in a forward-facing individual child car safety seat in the back seat of the vehicle.

DCF 56.08(4)(b)3.3. Each child who is at least 4 years old but less than 8 years old, who weighs at least 40 pounds but not more than 80 pounds, or who is 4 feet 9 inches tall or less, shall be properly restrained in a shoulder-positioning child booster seat.

DCF 56.08(4)(c)(c) Each child who is not required to be in an individual child car safety seat or booster seat when being transported shall be properly restrained by a seat belt, except as provided in s. 347.48 (2m), Stats., and ch. Trans 315.

DCF 56.08(5)(b)(b) No unloaded firearm or other dangerous weapon may be kept in a foster home unless stored and locked in an area not readily accessible to foster children. Ammunition materials and firearms shall be stored in separate locked areas that are not readily accessible to foster children.

DCF 56.08 NoteNote: A firearm need not be locked in an area not readily accessible to foster children if the firearm has been disassembled in such a manner that it is not operable. Trigger locks alone do not meet the above requirement but may be a supplemental safety measure in addition to the firearm being stored and locked in an area not readily accessible to foster children. A weapon cabinet with a glass front is not considered secure, even if it can be locked.