DCF 58.02(24)(24)  “Voluntary kinship care” means the program under s. 48.57 (3m), Stats., when the child is not placed in the relative caregiver’s home under a court order or a voluntary transition-to-independent-living agreement and is not under the placement and care responsibility of a child welfare agency.
DCF 58.02(24m)(24m) “Voluntary placement agreement” means an agreement under s. 48.63 (1) (a) or (b) or (5) (b), Stats., or a substantially similar tribal law of a tribe located in Wisconsin.
DCF 58.02(25)(25)  “Voluntary transition-to-independent-living agreement” means a voluntary agreement under s. 48.366 (3) or 938.366 (3), Stats., or a substantially similar tribal law of a tribe located in Wisconsin.
DCF 58.02 HistoryHistory: CR 19-159: cr. Register October 2020 No. 778, eff. 11-1-20; correction in (21) made under s. 35.17, Stats., Register October 2020 No. 778; CR 21-107: am. (4) (b) 3. a., (8), (14) (b), cr. (23g), (23r), (24m), am. (25) Register June 2022 No. 798, eff. 7-1-22.
DCF 58.03DCF 58.03Types of relative caregiving. This chapter applies to the following types of relative caregiving of a child:
DCF 58.03(1)(1)Court-ordered out-of-home care placement. A relative applying for or receiving kinship care payments on behalf of a child that was placed in the relative’s home under a court order or a voluntary transition-to-independent-living agreement and is under the placement and care responsibility of a child welfare agency. A relative under this subsection shall also apply for or have applied for a license to operate a foster home under ch. DCF 56, unless the child was placed in the relative caregiver’s home by a court order of a tribal court.
DCF 58.03(2)(2)Voluntary. A relative applying for or receiving kinship care payments on behalf of a child residing with the relative for a child that was not placed in the relative caregiver’s home under a court order or a voluntary transition-to-independent-living agreement and is not under the placement and care responsibility of a child welfare agency. The child’s living arrangement with the relative may be informal or the relative may be the child’s guardian under s. 48.9795, Stats., or a tribal private guardianship order.
DCF 58.03(3)(3)Guardian appointed for child in need of protection or services. A relative that is applying for or receiving long-term kinship care payments and is a child’s guardian under s. 48.977, Stats., or a tribal court order that is substantially similar to an order under s. 48.977, Stats.
DCF 58.03 HistoryHistory: CR 19-159: cr. Register October 2020 No. 778, eff. 11-1-20; correction in (1) made under s. 35.17, Stats., and correction in (2) made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 7., Stats., Register October 2020 No. 778; CR 21-107: am. (2), (3) Register June 2022 No. 798, eff. 7-1-22.
DCF 58.04DCF 58.04Requirements for applicants and kinship care and long-term kinship care relatives.
DCF 58.04(1)(1)Application.
DCF 58.04(1)(a)(a) All applicants. The relative caregiver applies for kinship care payments or long-term kinship care payments using the application form prescribed by the department.
DCF 58.04(1)(b)(b) Court-ordered out-of-home care placement.
DCF 58.04(1)(b)1.1. If the child is placed in the home of the relative caregiver under a court order or a voluntary transition-to-independent-living agreement and a child welfare agency has placement and care responsibility for the child, the relative caregiver also completes the application for a license to operate a foster home, including the completion of forms prescribed by the department under ch. DCF 56.
DCF 58.04(1)(b)2.2. Notwithstanding subd. 1., a relative caregiver of a child placed in the relative caregiver’s home under a court order or a voluntary transition-to-independent-living agreement is not required to apply for a license to operate a foster home if the child was placed in the relative caregiver’s home by a court order of a tribal court.
DCF 58.04 NoteNote: If a relative caregiver has a private guardianship of the child under s. 48.9795, Stats., or a tribal private guardianship order, a child welfare agency does not have placement and care responsibility for the child, unless there is another court order giving the child welfare agency placement and care responsibility.
DCF 58.04(1)(c)(c) More than one child. A relative caregiver may apply for kinship care or long-term kinship care for more than one child on the same application form.
DCF 58.04 NoteNote: DCF-F-CFS2023, Kinship Care Payment Application, is the application prescribed by the department if the relative caregiver is not required to apply for a license to operate a foster home. DCF-F-2483-E, Joint Court-Ordered Kinship Care and Foster Care Application –Part A is the application form prescribed by the department if the child is in a court-ordered out-of-home care placement. Both application forms are available on the department’s website at https://dcf.wisconsin.gov/forms.
DCF 58.04(2)(2)Cooperation with agency. The relative caregiver cooperates with the kinship care agency, including all of the following:
DCF 58.04(2)(a)(a) Completing and returning any forms prescribed by the department.
DCF 58.04(2)(b)(b) Returning phone calls from the kinship care agency.
DCF 58.04(2)(c)(c) Providing information through home visits, interviews, and documentation as necessary for the kinship care agency to determine or redetermine the eligibility of the relative caregiver for kinship care or long-term kinship care.
DCF 58.04(2)(d)(d) Applying for other forms of assistance for which the child may be eligible, including financial assistance and medical assistance for the child.
DCF 58.04 NoteNote: See the Kinship Navigator Portal at https://dcf.wi.gov/kinship/navigator for information on available resources.
DCF 58.04(2)(e)(e) Cooperating with referral of the child’s parent or parents to the child support agency, except in any of the following circumstances:
DCF 58.04(2)(e)1.1. The child is 18 years of age or over.
DCF 58.04(2)(e)2.2. The relative caregiver has a pending good cause claim under s. DCF 58.12.
DCF 58.04(2)(e)3.3. The relative caregiver requested and the kinship care agency granted a good cause exemption to the requirement that a relative caregiver cooperate with referring the child’s parent to the child support agency under s. DCF 58.12.
DCF 58.04(2)(f)(f) Notifying the kinship care agency of a change in circumstances specified under s. DCF 58.10 (1).