Rule-Making Notices (Hearing Notices)

•   To provide a mental health screen to all children entering foster care.

•   To determine any supplemental payments for a child's special needs.

A placing agency, in accordance with a licensing agency, may place a child in a foster home that is certified to provide a given level of care if the child's level of need is at or below the level of care that the foster home is certified to provide. A placing agency may place a child with a level of need that is higher than the level of care that a foster home is certified to provide if the placing agency grants an exception and documents in the child's electronic case record what services and supports will be provided to meet the child's needs. A child whose level of need is lower than 5 may not be placed in a Level 5 foster home, except for continuation of an existing placement during planning for the child's transition to a less restrictive setting following a reassessment.

Supplemental Payments, Exceptional Payments, and Retainer Fee

Supplemental Payments. A placing agency shall make supplemental payments for a child's special needs to a foster parent who operates a foster home with a Level 2 to 5 certification. The placing agency shall determine the amount of a supplemental payment based on the total of all of the following:

•   `Identified needs and strengths.' A dollar amount determined by the department multiplied by the total points that the placing agency rates a child to determine the presence of special needs on a form prescribed by the department. The placing agency will use information obtained from the standardized assessment tool to rate the child relative what is developmentally appropriate for a child of a similar age in the following areas:

□   Adjustment to trauma.

□   Life functioning, including physical, mental, and dental health; relationships with family members; and social skills.

□   Functioning in a child care or school setting.

□   Strengths.

□   Behavioral and emotional needs.

□   Risk behaviors.

□   Child's language.

•   `Level of care higher than level of need.' An amount determined by the department if a foster home's level of care certification is higher than the level of need of a child placed in the foster home and the foster home has a Level 3 or 4 certification.

Exceptional Payments. A placing agency may make exceptional payments to a foster parent to accomplish any of the following:

•   Enable the child to be placed in a foster home instead of being placed or remaining in a more restrictive setting.

•   Enable the placement of siblings or minor parent and minor children together.

•   Assist with transportation costs to the school the child was attending prior to placement in out-of-home care.

•   Replace a child's basic wardrobe that has been lost or destroyed in a manner other than normal wear and tear.

•   For a child placed in a foster home before February 21, 2011, and who remains placed in that foster home, equalize the total monthly payment amount lost by the child's foster parent due to implementation of the new method of determining supplemental payments.

The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 allows the state to claim federal funds for expenses to assist a foster child with transportation costs to the school the child was attending prior to placement in out-of-home care.

Retainer Fee. A placing agency may provide a monthly retainer fee to a foster parent to maintain openings in a foster home for emergency placements. This fee may not be considered part of the foster care payment for a specific child.

Other

•   A foster parent may not smoke or allow another person to smoke in a foster home or in a vehicle when a foster child is present.

•   The rule incorporates provisions of DSP Memo Series 2009-05 that was jointly issued by the Department of Health Services and the Department of Children and Families. It provides that a foster parent may not use any type of physical restraint on a foster child unless the foster child's behavior presents an imminent danger of harm to self or others and physical restraint is necessary to contain the risk and keep the foster child and others safe. If physical restraint is necessary, the rule provides certain prohibited practices.

Summary of, and comparison with, existing or proposed federal regulations

Under 45 CFR 1355.32 and 1355.33, the federal Administration for Children and Families conducts a Child and Family Services Review of each state's child welfare system every 5 years. States found not to be operating in substantial conformity with federal requirements shall develop a program improvement plan. The program improvement plan must set forth the goals, the action steps required to correct each identified weakness or deficiency, and dates by which each action step is to be completed in order to improve the specific areas.

42 USC 671(a)(24) requires that the state plan for foster care and adoption assistance include a certification that, before a child in foster care under the responsibility of the state is placed with prospective foster parents, the prospective foster parents will be prepared adequately with the appropriate knowledge and skills to provide for the needs of the child, and that such preparation will be continued, as necessary, after the placement of the child.

42 USC 675 (1) (G) defines “case plan" to include a plan for ensuring the educational stability of the child while in foster care, including an assurance that the state agency has coordinated with appropriate local educational agencies to ensure that the child remains in the school in which the child is enrolled at the time of placement or if remaining in such school is not in the best interests of the child, assurances by the state agency and the local educational agencies to provide immediate and appropriate enrollment in a new school, with all of the educational records of the child provided to the school.

42 USC 674 (4) (A) defines “foster care maintenance payments" as payments to cover the cost of (and the cost of providing) food, clothing, shelter, daily supervision, school supplies, a child's personal incidentals, liability insurance with respect to a child, reasonable travel to the child's home for visitation, and reasonable travel for the child to remain in the school in which the child is enrolled at the time of placement.

As part of the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008, 42 USC 675 (1) (G) was created and 42 USC 674 (4) (A) was amended to add the phrase “reasonable travel for the child to remain in the school in which the child is enrolled at the time of placement."

Comparison with rules in adjacent states

The assessment tool prescribed by the department is used statewide in Iowa and Illinois and is used parts of Minnesota and Michigan. Michigan and Illinois have a levels of care system for foster homes.

Summary of factual data and analytical methodologies

The non-statutory requirements of the rule are based on recommendations from the Out-of-Home Care/Adoption Committee and the Foster Parent Training Committee. The committees have worked with the department for the past 5 years to incorporate new federal laws into state law and policy by referring to other state models and national standards of child welfare practice. For the past 2 years, both committees have focused on developing policy to implement the levels of care and foster parent training initiatives in 2009 Wisconsin Act 28. Both committees have statewide membership of staff from counties, tribes, private child-placing agencies, foster and treatment foster parents, court personnel, advocacy agencies, and state government.

Analysis used to determine effect on small business

The proposed rule will affect private child-placing agencies, some of which are small businesses. The policies in the rule were developed in collaboration with members of the Foster Parent Training Committee and the Out-of-Home Care/Adoption Committee, which included representatives from child-placing agencies.

Much of the rule is based on current practices of the majority of agencies supporting treatment foster care. The sections on agency responsibilities were part of DCF 38 and have been rewritten into DCF 56 with few changes. Representatives from child-placing agencies indicated that their agencies already require foster parents to have as much or more than the training hours in the proposed rule. Many agencies that serve treatment foster parents and treatment foster children with higher needs already have a levels or intensity system with different foster parent qualifications, training, and payments. The rule will put structure and consistency to the levels of care that will help counties know what services they are purchasing as they work with different private agencies that provide similar services. Existing treatment foster homes will be grandfathered in as Level 3 foster homes and existing shift-staffed treatment foster homes will be grandfathered in as Level 5 foster homes. Some private child-placing agencies will choose to offer Level 4 foster homes and will certify these foster parents under the emergency and proposed rules. The administrative cost will be minimal.

In addition, the department will be providing 6 hours of the new pre-placement training without charge to the agencies. The department is also creating online training to allow agency staff to receive certification and recertification in administering the standardized assessment tool without charge.

Effect on Small Business

The rule will affect small businesses, but will not have a significant economic effect on a substantial number of small businesses.

The Department's Small Business Regulatory Coordinator is Elaine Pridgen, [e-mail]; [phone].

Fiscal Estimate

State fiscal effect

Indeterminate.

Local fiscal effect

Indeterminate.

Long-range fiscal implications

None.

Assumptions used in arriving at fiscal estimate

This rule incorporates the administrative rule under Chapter 38 into Chapter 56 to create one universal licensing code for foster care and treatment foster care providers. This is the second phase of creating the Levels of Care system passed in 2009 Wisconsin Act 28. This rule establishes the requirements for certification at levels 3, 4, and 5. A foster home is licensed at these levels based on a number of factors, including the level of knowledge, skill, training, and experience of the licensee. This rule establishes the minimum amount of training at each of these levels. In addition, this rule mandates the use of the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) rating tool. This rating tools is designed to consistently identify the needs of children, ensure that providers are addressing those needs, and determine reimbursements to foster and treatment foster parents.

The rule will affect counties and the Department, which operates the child welfare program in Milwaukee County. The rule is not anticipated to affect current foster care and treatment foster care providers. Most existing providers meet the qualifications in the rule and existing providers are grandfathered into the rule.

The implementation of the CANS rating tool may identify some unmet needs for children, which could increase the costs of providing services to these children. Also, the CANS rating tool could more appropriately identify a lesser level of need for children who already are receiving special services, which may decrease costs to serve these children. Additionally, providing children with adequate services may reduce the length of stay for children in out-of-home care, reducing long-term costs. The net effect of these scenarios cannot be determined.

Agency Contact Person

Jonelle Brom, Bureau of Permanence and Out-of-Home Care, Division of Safety and Permanence, [phone], [e-mail].

Notice of Hearing

Commerce

Moveable Soccer Goals, Ch. Comm 9

rulemaking_notices CR 11-003 CR 11-003

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to section 167.21 (2), Stats., the Department of Commerce will hold a public hearing on proposed rules to create Chapter Comm 9, relating to anchorage of moveable soccer goals.

Hearing Information

The public hearing will be held as follows:

Date and Time:	Location:
February 15, 2011 Tuesday 10:00 a.m.	Conference Room 3B Tommy G. Thompson Center 201 W. Washington Avenue Madison, WI

This hearing is held in an accessible facility. If you have special needs or circumstances that may make communication or accessibility difficult at the hearing, please call [phone] or [phone] (TTY) at least 10 days prior to the hearing date. Accommodations such as interpreters, English translators, or materials in audio tape format will, to the fullest extent possible, be made available upon a request from a person with a disability.

Submittal of Written Comments

Interested persons are invited to appear at the hearing and present comments on the proposed rules. Persons making oral presentations are requested to submit their comments in writing. Persons submitting comments will not receive individual responses. The hearing record on this proposed rulemaking will remain open until February 23, 2011, to permit submittal of written comments from persons who are unable to attend the hearing or who wish to supplement testimony offered at the hearing. Written comments should be submitted to James Quast, at the Department of Commerce, P.O. Box 2689, Madison, WI 53701-2689, or Email at [e-mail].

Copies of Proposed Rules

The proposed rules and an analysis of the proposed rules are available on the Internet at the Safety and Buildings Division Web site at www.commerce.wi.gov/SB/. Paper copies may be obtained without cost from Norma McReynolds, at the Department of Commerce, Program Development Bureau, P.O. Box 2689, Madison, WI 53701-2689, or Email [e-mail], or at telephone [phone] or TDD Relay dial 711 in Wisconsin or [phone]. Copies will also be available at the public hearing.

Analysis Prepared by Department of Commerce

Statutes interpreted

Section 167.21 (2), Stats., 2009 Wisconsin Act 390.

Statutory authority

Sections 101.02 (1) and 167.21 (2), Stats., 2009 Wisconsin Act 390.

Related statute or rule

None known.

Explanation of agency authority

Under 2009 Wisconsin Act 390, s. 167.21, Stats., the Department is directed to develop rules to address the securing of movable soccer goals.

Summary of proposed rules

The proposed rules establish minimum standards for the securing of movable soccer goals to lessen the likelihood of the goals tipping over or overturning. The proposed rules apply to both existing and new movable soccer goals. The proposed rules reflect guidelines of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Summary of, and comparison with, existing or proposed federal regulations

The federal Consumer Product Safety Commission's has published Guidelines for Movable Soccer Goal Safety. The guidelines include a section on anchoring, securing and counterweighting soccer goals. The guidelines were published in 1995.

Comparison with rules in adjacent states

An Internet-based search of the anchoring or securing of movable soccer goals in the states of Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Minnesota found that none of the states have specific rules or programs regarding the subject.

Summary of factual data and analytical methodologies

The proposed rules were developed by reviewing the provisions under 2009 Wisconsin Act 390 in conjunction with the following documents:

•   ASTM F 1938, Standard Guide for Safer Use of Movable Soccer Goals, 2009.

•   ASTM F 2056, Standard Safety and Performance Specification for Soccer Goals, 2009.

•   ASTM F 2673, Standard Safety Specification for Special Tip-Resistant Movable Soccer Goals, 2008.

•   Consumer Product Safety Commission's, Guidelines for Movable Soccer Goal Safety.

Analysis and supporting documents used to determine effect on small business