Skip navigation Wisconsin State Legislature
Note: Form DCF-P-5105, Promoting Normalcy for Children in Out-of-Home Care, is available in the forms section of the department website at http://dcf.wisconsin.gov, or by writing the Division of Safety and Permanence, P.O. Box 8916, Madison, WI 53708-8916.
(2) Agency-specific information, including:
(a) Agency expectations of foster parents in working with children’s families and supporting family interaction plans.
(b) Expectations for foster parents in working with the licensing and placing agencies.
(c) Confidentiality requirements.
(d) Description of agency policies and procedures in cases of allegations of child maltreatment against foster parents.
(e) Procedures in the event of emergencies affecting the foster parent or any foster child.
(f) Procedures for filing grievances and appeals and the processes used by the agency in responding to such grievances and appeals.
(g) Procedures for reimbursement for such expenditures as travel costs, clothing for foster children, and school fees.
(3) Information about caring for children, including:
(a) Attachment.
(b) Child development.
(c) Grief and loss.
(d) Discipline of foster children.
(e) Independent living and the transfer of independent living skills.
(4) Information about resources for foster families, including:
(a) A description of the support services available through the agency, including the availability of respite care services and how foster parents can access those services.
(b) Contact information for the Wisconsin Foster and Adoptive Parent Association, the National Foster Parent Association, the Wisconsin Foster Care and Adoption Resource Center, and, if available, local foster parent associations or support groups.
History: CR 00-020: cr. Register February 2002 No. 554, eff. 3-1-02; EmR0937: emerg. r. and recr. eff. 1-1-10; CR 10-021: r. and recr. Register September 2010 No. 657, eff. 10-1-10; correction to numbering made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 1., Stats., Register September 2010 No. 657; correction in (1) (e) made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 7., Stats., Register August 2011 No. 668; EmR1633: emerg. cr. (1) (h), eff. 11-18-16; CR 16-051: cr. (1) (h) Register July 2017 No. 739, eff. 8-1-17.
DCF 56.13 Foster home level of care certification.
(1) Child specific license.
(a) In this section, “child-specific license” means a license to operate a foster home that is issued to a relative of a child or an individual who has a previous existing relationship with the child or the child’s family.
(b) A child-specific license may remain valid with any granted waivers or exceptions for the duration of the licensing period or up to 6 months after the child returns home or is placed elsewhere, whichever occurs first.
(c) A foster home operated by a foster parent with a child-specific license may be certified at any level of care.
(2) Certification. A licensing agency shall certify each foster home for a level of care under subs. (3) to (7) commensurate with the foster parent’s knowledge, training, skills, experience, and relationship to the child in accordance with the licensing agency’s programming and capacity.
(3) Level 1 child-specific foster home.
(a) Child-specific license. A licensing agency may grant a Level 1 certification only to a foster home operated by a foster parent with a child-specific license.
(b) Training. Each foster parent who operates a Level 1 foster home shall complete a minimum of 6 hours of pre-placement training under s. DCF 56.14 (6) before or after the placement of a child but no later than 6 months after the date of initial licensure.
Note: A foster parent with a child-specific license often does not actually receive this training before placement of the child but it is still referred to as “pre-placement training.”
(4) Level 2 basic foster home.
(a) Training.
1.
a. Each foster parent who operates a Level 2 foster home shall complete a minimum of 6 hours of pre-placement training under s. DCF 56.14 (6) before or after initial licensure but prior to the placement of any child in the home.
b. Notwithstanding subd. 1. a., each foster parent with a child-specific license who operates a Level 2 foster home shall complete the pre-placement training under s. DCF 56.14 (6) before or after the placement of a child but no later than 6 months after the date of initial licensure.
Note: A foster parent with a child-specific license often does not actually receive this training before placement of the child but it is still referred to as “pre-placement training.”
2. Each foster parent who operates a Level 2 foster home shall complete a minimum of 30 hours of initial licensing training under s. DCF 56.14 (7) during the initial licensing period.
3. Each foster parent who operates a Level 2 foster home shall complete 10 hours of ongoing training under s. DCF 56.14 (8) in each 12-month period of licensure subsequent to the initial licensing period.
(b) References. An applicant for certification to operate a Level 2 foster home shall submit at least 3 favorable reference letters written by persons unrelated to the applicant. A reference letter shall include a statement indicating how long the person giving the reference has known the applicant, under what circumstances the person knows the applicant, and the person’s knowledge of the applicant’s characteristics under s. DCF 56.05 (1) (b).
(5) Level 3 moderate treatment foster home.
(a) Licensee experience.
1. An applicant for certification to operate a Level 3 foster home shall have at least 3 of the following:
a. A minimum of one year of experience as a foster parent or kinship care provider with a child placed in the applicant’s home for at least one year.
b. A minimum 5 years of experience working with or parenting children.
c. A minimum of 500 hours of experience as a respite care provider for children under the supervision of a human services agency.
d. A high school diploma or the equivalent.
e. A college, vocational, technical, or advanced degree in the area of a child’s treatment needs, such as nursing, medicine, social work, or psychology.
f. A substantial relationship with the child to be placed through previous professional or personal experience.
g. Work or personal experience for which the applicant has demonstrated the knowledge, skill, ability, and motivation to meet the needs of a child with a level of need of 3.
2. If an applicant for certification to operate a Level 3 foster home relies on experience that meets the requirements in subd. 1. b. or f. as one of the 3 required criteria in this paragraph, the applicant shall also meet one of the criteria in subd. 1. a., c., e., or g.
(b) Training.
1. Each foster parent who operates a Level 3 foster home shall complete a minimum of 36 hours of pre-placement training under s. DCF 56.14 (6d) before or after initial licensure but prior to the placement of any child in the home.
2. Each foster parent who operates a Level 3 foster home shall complete a minimum of 24 hours of initial licensing training under s. DCF 56.14 (7e) during the initial licensing period.
3. Each foster parent who operates a Level 3 foster home shall complete 18 hours of ongoing training under s. DCF 56.14 (8) in each 12-month period of licensure subsequent to the initial licensing period.
(c) References. An applicant for certification to operate a Level 3 foster home shall submit at least 4 favorable reference letters, as follows:
1. ‘From whom.’
a. Three of the letters shall be written by persons unrelated to the applicant. At least one of these reference letters shall be regarding the applicant’s qualifications under par. (a) 1., excluding par. (a) 1. d.
b. The fourth favorable reference letter shall be from a relative, preferably from an adult child if applicable.
2. ‘Content.’ Each reference letter shall include a statement indicating all of the following:
a. How long the person giving the reference has known the applicant.
b. Under what circumstances the person knows the applicant.
c. The person’s knowledge of the applicant’s qualifications and characteristics under s. DCF 56.05 (1) (b).
(6) Level 4 specialized treatment foster home.
(a) Licensee experience.
1. An applicant for certification to operate a Level 4 foster home shall have at least 4 of the following:
a. A minimum of one year of experience with children with a level of need of 3 as a foster parent or kinship care provider with a child placed in the applicant’s home for at least one year.
b. A minimum of 5 years of experience working with or parenting children.
c. A minimum of 500 hours of experience as a respite care provider for children under the supervision of a human services agency.
d. A high school diploma or the equivalent.
e. A college, vocational, technical, or advanced degree in the area of a child’s treatment needs, such as nursing, medicine, social work, or psychology.
f. A substantial relationship with the child to be placed through previous professional or personal experience.
g. Work or personal experience for which the applicant has demonstrated the knowledge, skill, ability, and motivation to meet the needs of children with a level of need of 4.
2. If an applicant for certification to operate a Level 4 foster home relies on experience that meets the requirements in subd. 1. b. or f. as one of the 4 required criteria in this paragraph, the applicant shall also meet one of the criteria in subd. 1. a., c., e., or g.
(b) Training.
1. Each foster parent who operates a Level 4 foster home shall complete a minimum of 40 hours of pre-placement training under s. DCF 56.14 (6h) before or after initial licensure but prior to the placement of any child in the home.
2. Each foster parent who operates a Level 4 foster home shall complete a minimum of 30 hours of initial licensing training under s. DCF 56.14 (7e) during the initial licensing period.
3. Each foster parent who operates a Level 4 foster home shall complete 24 hours of ongoing training under s. DCF 56.14 (8) in each 12-month period of licensure subsequent to the initial licensing period.
(c) References. An applicant for certification to operate a Level 4 foster home shall submit at least 4 favorable reference letters as follows:
1. ‘From whom.’
a. Three of the letters shall be written by persons unrelated to the applicant. At least one of these reference letters shall be regarding the applicant’s qualifications under par. (a) 1., excluding par. (a) 1. d.
b. The fourth favorable reference letter shall be from a relative, preferably from an adult child if applicable.
2. ‘Content.’ Each reference letter shall include a statement indicating all of the following:
a. How long the person giving the reference has known the applicant.
b. Under what circumstances the person knows the applicant.
c. His or her knowledge of the applicant’s qualifications and characteristics under s. DCF 56.05 (1) (b).
(7) Level 5 exceptional treatment foster home.
(a) Need for Level 5. An applicant for certification to operate a Level 5 foster home, in conjunction with a licensing agency, may apply to the department exceptions panel if all of the following circumstances exist:
1. A placement is needed for a child with the following conditions:
a. The child has behaviors or conditions that require a high degree of supervision and overnight awake care that is provided by program staff who rotate shifts within a 24-hour period.
b. The child will benefit from a home-like environment that has fewer children than a group home or residential care center for children and youth.
Loading...
Loading...
Published under s. 35.93, Stats. Updated on the first day of each month. Entire code is always current. The Register date on each page is the date the chapter was last published.