AB75: Bill Text

AB75, s. 1098 Section 1098. 48.981 (3) (c) 1. a. of the statutes is amended to read:

AB75,593,6 48.981 (3) (c) 1. a. Immediately after receiving a report under par. (a), the agency shall evaluate the report to determine whether there is reason to suspect that a caregiver has abused or neglected the child, has threatened the child with abuse or neglect, or has facilitated or failed to take action to prevent the suspected or threatened abuse or neglect of the child. If Except as provided in sub. (3m), if the agency determines that a caregiver is suspected of abuse or neglect or of threatened abuse or neglect of the child, determines that a caregiver is suspected of facilitating or failing to take action to prevent the suspected or threatened abuse or neglect of the child, or cannot determine who abused or neglected the child, within 24 hours after receiving the report the agency shall, in accordance with the authority granted to the department under s. 48.48 (17) (a) 1. or the county department under s. 48.57 (1) (a), initiate a diligent investigation to determine if the child is in need of protection or services. If the agency determines that a person who is not a caregiver is suspected of abuse or of threatened abuse, the agency may, in accordance with that authority, initiate a diligent investigation to determine if the child is in need or protection or services. Within 24 hours after receiving a report under par. (a) of suspected unborn child abuse, the agency, in accordance with that authority, shall initiate a diligent investigation to determine if the unborn child is in need of protection or services. An investigation under this subd. 1. a. shall be conducted in accordance with standards established by the department for conducting child abuse and neglect investigations or unborn child abuse investigations.

AB75, s. 1099 Section 1099. 48.981 (3) (d) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:

AB75,593,14 48.981 (3) (d) 1. In this paragraph, "agent" includes, but is not limited to, a foster parent, treatment foster parent or other person given custody of a child or a human services professional employed by a county department under s. 51.42 or 51.437 or by a child welfare agency who is working with a child or an expectant mother of an unborn child under contract with or under the supervision of the department in a county having a population of 500,000 or more or a county department under s. 46.22.

AB75, s. 1100 Section 1100. 48.981 (3m) of the statutes is created to read:

AB75,593,20 48.981 (3m) Alternative response pilot program. (a) In this subsection, "substantial abuse or neglect" means abuse or neglect or threatened abuse or neglect that under the guidelines developed by the department under par. (b) constitutes severe abuse or neglect or a threat of severe abuse or neglect and a significant threat to the safety of a child and his or her family.

AB75,594,7 (b) The department shall establish a pilot program under which a county department that is selected to participate in the pilot program may employ alternative responses to a report of abuse or neglect or of threatened abuse or neglect. The department shall select county departments to participate in the pilot program in accordance with the department's request-for-proposal procedures and according to criteria developed by the department. Those criteria shall include an assessment of a county department's plan for involving the community in providing services for a family that is participating in the pilot program and a determination whether a county department has an agreement with local law enforcement agencies and the representative of the public under s. 48.09 to ensure interagency cooperation in implementing the pilot program. To implement the pilot program, the department shall provide all of the following:

AB75,594,12 1. Guidelines for determining the appropriate alternative response to a report of abuse or neglect or of threatened abuse or neglect, including guidelines for determining what types of abuse or neglect or threatened abuse or neglect constitute substantial abuse or neglect. The department need not promulgate those guidelines as rules under ch. 227.

AB75,594,14 2. Training and technical assistance for a county department that is selected to participate in the pilot program.

AB75,594,18 (c) Immediately after receiving a report under sub. (3) (a), a county department that is participating in the pilot program shall evaluate the report to determine the most appropriate alternative response under subds. 1. to 3. to the report. Based on that evaluation, the county department shall respond to the report as follows:

AB75,595,3 1. If the county department determines that there is reason to suspect that substantial abuse or neglect has occurred or is likely to occur or that an investigation under sub. (3) is otherwise necessary to ensure the safety of the child and his or her family, the county department shall investigate the report as provided in sub. (3). If in conducting that investigation the county department determines that it is not necessary for the safety of the child and his or her family to complete the investigation, the county department may terminate the investigation and conduct an assessment under subd. 2. If the county department terminates an investigation, the county department shall document the reasons for terminating the investigation and notify any law enforcement agency that is cooperating in the investigation.

AB75,595,14 2. a. If the county department determines that there is reason to suspect that abuse or neglect, other than substantial abuse or neglect, has occurred or is likely to occur, but that under the guidelines developed by the department under par. (b) there is no immediate threat to the safety of the child and his or her family and court intervention is not necessary, the county department shall conduct a comprehensive assessment of the safety of the child and his or her family, the risk of subsequent abuse or neglect, and the strengths and needs of the child's family to determine whether services are needed to address those issues assessed and, based on the assessment, shall offer to provide appropriate services to the child's family on a voluntary basis or refer the child's family to a service provider in the community for the provision of those services.

AB75,595,23 b. If the county department employs the assessment response under subd. 2. a., the county department is not required to refer the report to the sheriff or police department under sub. (3) (a) 3. or determine by a preponderance of the evidence under sub. (3) (c) 4. that abuse or neglect has occurred or is likely to occur or that a specific person has abused or neglected the child. If in conducting the assessment the county department determines that there is reason to suspect that substantial abuse or neglect has occurred or is likely to occur or that an investigation under sub. (3) is otherwise necessary to ensure the safety of the child and his or her family, the county department shall immediately commence an investigation under sub. (3).

AB75,596,7 3. If the county department determines that there is no reason to suspect that abuse or neglect has occurred or is likely to occur, the county department shall refer the child's family to a service provider in the community for the provision of appropriate services on a voluntary basis. If the county department employs the community services response under this subdivision, the county department is not required to conduct an assessment under subd. 2., refer the report to the sheriff or police department under sub. (3) (a) 3., or determine by a preponderance of the evidence under sub. (3) (c) 4. that abuse or neglect has occurred or is likely to occur or that a specific person has abused or neglected the child.

AB75,596,14 (d) The department shall conduct an evaluation of the pilot program and, by July 1, 2012, shall submit a report of that evaluation to the governor and to the appropriate standing committees of the legislature under s. 13.172 (3). The evaluation shall assess the issues encountered in implementing the pilot program and the overall operations of the pilot program, include specific measurements of the effectiveness of the pilot program, and make recommendations to improve that effectiveness. Those specific measurements shall include all of the following:

AB75,596,16 1. The turnover rate of the county department caseworkers providing services under the pilot program.

AB75,596,18 2. The number of families referred for each type of response specified in par. (c) 1. to 3.

AB75,596,20 3. The number of families that accepted, and the number of families that declined to accept, services offered under par. (c) 2. and 3.

AB75,596,22 4. The effectiveness of the evaluation under par. (c) (intro.) in determining the appropriate response under par. (c) 1. to 3.

AB75,596,24 5. The impact of the pilot program on the number of out-of-home placements of children by the county departments participating in the pilot program.

AB75,597,3 6. The availability of services to address the issues of child and family safety, risk of subsequent abuse or neglect, and family strengths and needs in the communities served under the pilot project.

AB75, s. 1101 Section 1101. 48.981 (7) (a) 4. of the statutes is amended to read:

AB75,597,9 48.981 (7) (a) 4. A child's foster parent, treatment foster parent or other person having physical custody of the child or a person having physical custody of the expectant mother of an unborn child, except that the person or agency maintaining the record or report may not disclose any information that would identify the reporter.

AB75, s. 1102 Section 1102. 48.983 (1) (b) 1. c. of the statutes is amended to read:

AB75,597,17 48.983 (1) (b) 1. c. A family that includes a person who has contacted a county department or an Indian tribe that has been awarded a grant under this section or, in a county having a population of 500,000 or more that has been awarded a grant under this section, the department or a licensed child welfare agency under contract with the department requesting assistance to prevent poor birth outcomes or abuse or neglect of a child in the person's family and with respect to which an individual responding to the request has determined that all of the conditions in subd. 2. exist.

AB75, s. 1103 Section 1103. 48.983 (1) (b) 2. a. of the statutes is amended to read:

AB75,597,20 48.983 (1) (b) 2. a. There is a substantial risk of poor birth outcomes or future abuse or neglect of a child in the family if assistance is not provided.

AB75, s. 1104 Section 1104. 48.983 (1) (i) of the statutes is repealed.

AB75, s. 1105 Section 1105. 48.983 (1) (j) of the statutes is repealed.

AB75, s. 1106 Section 1106. 48.983 (2) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB75,598,22 48.983 (2) Funds provided. If a county or Indian tribe applies and is selected by the department under sub. (5) to participate in the program under this section, the department shall award, from the appropriation under s. 20.437 (2) (1) (ab), a grant annually to be used only for the purposes specified in sub. (4) (a) and (am). The minimum amount of a grant is $10,000. The county or Indian tribe shall agree to match at least 25 percent of the grant money annually in funds or in-kind contributions. The department shall determine the amount of a grant awarded to a county, other than a county with a population of 500,000 or more, or Indian tribe in excess of the minimum amount based on the need of the county or Indian tribe for a grant, as determined by a formula that the department shall promulgate by rule. That formula shall determine that need based on the number of births that are funded by medical assistance Medical Assistance under subch. IV of ch. 49 in that county or the reservation of that Indian tribe in proportion to the number of births that are funded by medical assistance under subch. IV of ch. 49 in all of the counties and the reservations of all of the Indian tribes to which grants are awarded under this section. The department shall determine the amount of a grant awarded to a county with a population of 500,000 or more in excess of the minimum amount based on 60% of the number of births that are funded by medical assistance under subch. IV of ch. 49 in that county in proportion to the number of births that are funded by medical assistance under subch. IV of ch. 49 in all of the counties and the reservations of all of the Indian tribes to which grants are awarded under this section and on the rate of poor birth outcomes, including infant mortality, premature births, low birth weights, and racial or ethnic disproportionality in the rates of those outcomes, in that county or the reservation of that Indian tribe.

AB75, s. 1107 Section 1107. 48.983 (3) (title) of the statutes is repealed.

AB75, s. 1108 Section 1108. 48.983 (3) (a) of the statutes is repealed.

AB75, s. 1109 Section 1109. 48.983 (3) (b) of the statutes is renumbered 48.983 (3) and amended to read:

AB75,599,7 48.983 (3) Joint application permitted. Two or more counties and Indian tribes may submit a joint application to the department. Each county or Indian tribe in a joint application shall be counted as a separate county or Indian tribe for the purpose of limiting the number of counties and Indian tribes selected in each state fiscal biennium.

AB75, s. 1110 Section 1110. 48.983 (4) (a) 4m. of the statutes is amended to read:

AB75,599,15 48.983 (4) (a) 4m. Other than in a county with a population of 500,000 or more, to To reimburse a case management provider under s. 49.45 (25) (b) for the amount of the allowable charges under the medical assistance Medical Assistance program that is not provided by the federal government for case management services provided to a medical assistance Medical Assistance beneficiary described in s. 49.45 (25) (am) 9. who is a child and who is a member of a family that receives home visitation program services under par. (b) 1.

AB75, s. 1111 Section 1111. 48.983 (4) (b) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:

AB75,600,20 48.983 (4) (b) 1. A county, other than a county with a population of 500,000 or more, or an Indian tribe that is selected to participate in the program under this section shall select persons who are first-time parents and offer all pregnant women in the county or the reservation of the Indian tribe who are eligible for medical assistance Medical Assistance under subch. IV of ch. 49 and shall offer each of those persons an opportunity to undergo an assessment through use of a risk assessment instrument to determine whether the parent person assessed presents risk factors for poor birth outcomes or for perpetrating child abuse or neglect. Persons who are selected and who agree to be assessed shall be assessed during the prenatal period, if possible, or as close to the time of the child's birth as possible. The risk assessment instrument shall be developed by the department and shall be based on risk assessment instruments developed by the department for similar programs that are in operation. The department need not promulgate as rules under ch. 227 the risk assessment instrument developed under this subdivision. A person who is assessed to be at risk of poor birth outcomes or of abusing or neglecting his or her child shall be offered home visitation program services that shall commence during the prenatal period. Home visitation program services may be provided to a family with a child identified as being at risk of child abuse or neglect until the identified child reaches 3 years of age. If a family has been receiving home visitation program services continuously for not less than 12 months, those services may continue to be provided to the family until the identified child reaches 3 years of age, regardless of whether the child continues to be eligible for Medical Assistance under subch. IV of ch. 49. If risk factors for child abuse or neglect with respect to the identified child continue to be present when the child reaches 3 years of age, home visitation program services may be provided until the identified child reaches 5 years of age. Home visitation program services may not be provided to a person unless the person gives his or her written informed consent to receiving those services or, if the person is a child, unless the child's parent, guardian or legal custodian gives his or her written informed consent for the child to receive those services.

AB75, s. 1112 Section 1112. 48.983 (4) (b) 2. of the statutes is repealed.

AB75, s. 1113 Section 1113. 48.983 (4) (b) 3. of the statutes is amended to read:

AB75,601,2 48.983 (4) (b) 3. A county or Indian tribe that is providing home visitation program services under subd. 1. or 2. shall provide to a person receiving those services the information relating to shaken baby syndrome and impacted babies required under s. 253.15 (6).

AB75, s. 1114 Section 1114. 48.983 (5) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB75,601,23 48.983 (5) Selection of counties and Indian tribes. The department shall provide competitive application procedures for selecting counties and Indian tribes for participation in the program under this section. The department shall establish a method for ranking applicants for selection based on the quality of their applications. In ranking the applications submitted by counties, the department shall give favorable consideration to a county that has indicated under sub. (6) (d) 2. that it is willing to use a portion of any moneys distributed to the county under s. 48.565 (2) (a) to provide case management services to a medical assistance Medical Assistance beneficiary under s. 49.45 (25) (am) 9. who is a case or who is a member of a family that is a case and that has explained under sub. (6) (d) 2. how the county plans to use that portion of those moneys to promote the provision of those services for the case by using a wraparound process so as to provide those services in a flexible, comprehensive and individualized manner in order to reduce the necessity for court-ordered services. The department shall also provide application requirements and procedures for the renewal of a grant awarded under this section. The application procedures and the renewal application requirements and procedures shall be clear and understandable to the applicants. The department need not promulgate as rules under ch. 227 the application procedures, the renewal application requirements or procedures, or the method for ranking applicants established under this subsection.

AB75, s. 1115 Section 1115. 48.983 (6) (a) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB75,602,4 48.983 (6) (a) Home visitation program criteria. (intro.) The part of an application, other than a renewal application, submitted by a county , other than a county with a population of 500,000 or more, or an Indian tribe that relates to home visitation programs shall include all of the following:

AB75, s. 1116 Section 1116. 48.983 (6) (a) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:

AB75,602,9 48.983 (6) (a) 1. Information on how the applicant's home visitation program is comprehensive and incorporates practice standards that have been developed for home visitation programs by entities concerned with the prevention of poor birth outcomes and child abuse and neglect and that are acceptable to the department.

AB75, s. 1117 Section 1117. 48.983 (6) (a) 2. of the statutes is amended to read:

AB75,602,16 48.983 (6) (a) 2. Documentation that the application was developed through collaboration among public and private organizations that provide services to children and families, especially children who are at risk of child abuse or neglect and families that are at risk of poor birth outcomes, or that are otherwise interested in child welfare and a description of how that collaboration effort will support a comprehensive home visitation program.

AB75, s. 1118 Section 1118. 48.983 (6) (a) 3. of the statutes is amended to read:

AB75,602,21 48.983 (6) (a) 3. An identification of existing poor birth outcome and child abuse and neglect prevention services that are available to residents of the county or reservation of the Indian tribe and a description of how those services and any additional needed services will support a comprehensive home visitation program.

AB75, s. 1119 Section 1119. 48.983 (6) (a) 4. of the statutes is amended to read:

AB75,603,2 48.983 (6) (a) 4. An explanation of how the home visitation program will build on existing poor birth outcome and child abuse and neglect prevention programs, including programs that provide support to families, and how the home visitation program will coordinate with those programs.

AB75, s. 1120 Section 1120. 48.983 (6) (a) 5. of the statutes is created to read:

AB75,603,7 48.983 (6) (a) 5. An explanation of how the applicant, in collaboration with local prenatal care coordination providers, will implement strategies aimed at achieving healthy birth outcomes, as determined by performance measures prescribed by the department of health services, in the county or reservation of the Indian tribe.

AB75, s. 1121 Section 1121. 48.983 (6) (b) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:

AB75,603,19 48.983 (6) (b) 1. `Flexible fund for home visitation programs.' The applicant demonstrates in the application that the applicant has established, or has plans to establish, if selected, a fund from which payments totaling not more than $1,000 less than $250 per calendar year may be made for appropriate expenses of each family that is participating in the home visitation program under sub. (4) (b) 1. or that is receiving home visitation services under s. 49.45 (44). The payments shall be authorized by an individual designated by the applicant. If an applicant makes a payment to or on behalf of a family under this subdivision, one-half of the payment shall be from grant moneys received under this section and one-half of the payment shall be from moneys provided by the applicant from sources other than grant moneys received under this section.

AB75, s. 1122 Section 1122. 48.983 (6) (b) 2. of the statutes is amended to read:

AB75,604,9 48.983 (6) (b) 2. `Flexible fund for cases.' The applicant demonstrates in the grant application that the applicant has established, or has plans to establish, if selected, a fund from which payments totaling not more than $500 less than $250 for each case may be made for appropriate expenses related to the case. The payments shall be authorized by an individual designated by the applicant. If an applicant makes a payment to or on behalf of a person under this subdivision, one-half of the payment shall be from grant moneys received under this section and one-half of the payment shall be from moneys provided by the applicant from sources other than grant moneys received under this section. The applicant shall demonstrate in the grant application that it has established, or has plans to establish, if selected, procedures to encourage, when appropriate, a person to whom or on whose behalf payments are made under this subdivision to make a contribution to the fund described in this subdivision up to the amount of payments made to or on behalf of the person when the person's financial situation permits such a contribution.

AB75, s. 1123 Section 1123. 48.983 (6) (c) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB75,604,16 48.983 (6) (c) Case management benefit. The applicant, other than a county with a population of 500,000 or more, states in the grant application that it has elected, or, if selected, that it will elect, under s. 49.45 (25) (b), to make the case management benefit under s. 49.45 (25) available to the category of beneficiaries under s. 49.45 (25) (am) 9. who are children and who are members of families receiving home visitation program services under sub. (4) (b) 1.

AB75, s. 1124 Section 1124. 48.983 (6) (d) 2. of the statutes is amended to read:

AB75,605,2 48.983 (6) (d) 2. The applicant indicates in the grant application whether the applicant is willing to use a portion of any moneys distributed to the applicant under s. 48.565 (2) (a) to provide case management services to a medical assistance Medical Assistance beneficiary under s. 49.45 (25) (am) 9. who is a case or who is a member of a family that is a case. If the applicant is so willing, the applicant shall explain how the applicant plans to use that portion of those moneys to promote the provision of those services for the case by using a wraparound process so as to provide those services in a flexible, comprehensive and individualized manner in order to reduce the necessity for court-ordered services.

AB75, s. 1125 Section 1125. 48.983 (6) (f) of the statutes is created to read:

AB75,605,11 48.983 (6) (f) Reinvestment of Medical Assistance reimbursement. The applicant agrees to reinvest in the program under this section a portion of the reimbursement received by the applicant under the Medical Assistance program under subch. IV of ch. 49. The department and the applicant shall negotiate the amount of that reinvestment based on the applicant's administrative costs for billing the Medical Assistance program for reimbursement for services provided under this section and the ratio of Medical Assistance reimbursement received for those services to the amount billed to the Medical Assistance program for those services.

AB75, s. 1126 Section 1126. 48.983 (6g) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB75,605,21 48.983 (6g) (a) Except as permitted or required under s. 48.981 (2), no person may use or disclose any information concerning any individual who is selected for an assessment under sub. (4) (b), including an individual who declines to undergo the assessment, or concerning any individual who is offered services under a home visitation program funded under this section, including an individual who declines to receive those services, unless the use or disclosure is connected with the administration of the home visitation program or the administration of the medical assistance Medical Assistance program under ss. 49.43 to 49.497 or unless the individual has given his or her written informed consent to the use or disclosure.

AB75, s. 1127 Section 1127. 48.983 (7) (a) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:

AB75,605,24 48.983 (7) (a) 1. The number of poor birth outcomes and substantiated reports of child abuse and neglect.

AB75, s. 1128 Section 1128. 48.986 (4) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB75,606,5 48.986 (4) A county may use the funds distributed under this section to fund additional foster parents, treatment foster parents, and subsidized guardians or interim caretakers to care for abused and neglected children and to fund additional staff positions to provide services related to child abuse and neglect and to unborn child abuse.

AB75, s. 1129 Section 1129. 49.001 (5p) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB75,606,9 49.001 (5p) "Relief block grant" means a block grant awarded to a county or tribal governing body under s. 49.025, 2009 stats., s. 49.027 or, 2009 stats., or s. 49.029, 2009 stats.

AB75, s. 1130 Section 1130. 49.001 (7) of the statutes is repealed.

AB75, s. 1131 Section 1131. 49.002 of the statutes is repealed.

AB75, s. 1132 Section 1132. 49.01 of the statutes is repealed.

AB75, s. 1133 Section 1133. 49.015 of the statutes is repealed.

AB75, s. 1134 Section 1134. 49.02 of the statutes is repealed.

AB75, s. 1135 Section 1135. 49.025 of the statutes is repealed.

AB75, s. 1136 Section 1136. 49.027 of the statutes is repealed.

AB75, s. 1137 Section 1137. 49.029 of the statutes is repealed.

AB75, s. 1138 Section 1138. 49.031 of the statutes is repealed.

AB75, s. 1139 Section 1139. 49.136 (1) (m) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB75,606,21 49.136 (1) (m) "Parent" means a parent, guardian, foster parent, treatment foster parent, legal custodian, or a person acting in the place of a parent.

AB75, s. 1140 Section 1140. 49.138 (1m) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB75,607,11 49.138 (1m) (intro.) The department shall implement a program of emergency assistance to needy persons in cases of fire, flood, natural disaster, homelessness or impending homelessness, or energy crisis. The department shall establish the maximum amount of aid to be granted, except for cases of energy crisis, per family member based on the funding available under s. 20.437 (2) (dz) and (md). The department need not establish the maximum amount by rule under ch. 227. The department shall publish the maximum amount and annual changes to it amounts in the Wisconsin administrative register if the department does not establish the amounts by rule. Emergency assistance provided to needy persons under this section may only be provided to a needy person once in a 12-month period. Emergency assistance provided to needy persons under this section in cases of homelessness or impending homelessness may be used only to obtain or retain a permanent living accommodation. For the purposes of this section, a family is considered to be homeless, or to be facing impending homelessness, if any of the following applies:

AB75, s. 1141 Section 1141. 49.141 (1) (s) of the statutes is amended to read: