48.48(16m)
(16m) To employ under the unclassified service in an office of the department that is located in a 1st class city a director of the office of urban development who shall be appointed by the secretary to serve at the pleasure of the secretary and who shall coordinate the provision of child welfare services in a county having a population of 500,000 or more with the implementation of the Wisconsin works program under
ss. 49.141 to
49.161 in a county having a population of 500,000 or more.
48.48(17)(a)(a) In a county having a population of 500,000 or more, to administer child welfare services and to expend such amounts as may be necessary out of any moneys which may be appropriated for child welfare services by the legislature, which may be donated by individuals or private organizations or which may be otherwise provided. The department shall also have authority to do all of the following:
48.48(17)(a)1.
1. Investigate the conditions surrounding nonmarital children, children in need of protection or services and unborn children in need of protection or services within the county and to take every reasonable action within its power to secure for them the full benefit of all laws enacted for their benefit. Unless provided by another agency, the department shall offer social services to the caretaker of any child, and to the expectant mother of any unborn child, who is referred to the department under the conditions specified in this subdivision. This duty shall be discharged in cooperation with the court and with the public officers or boards legally responsible for the administration and enforcement of these laws.
48.48(17)(a)2.
2. Accept legal custody of children transferred to it by the court under
s. 48.355, to accept supervision over expectant mothers of unborn children who are placed under its supervision under
s. 48.355 and to provide special treatment and care for children and expectant mothers if ordered by the court and if providing special treatment and care is not the responsibility of the county department under
s. 46.215,
51.42 or
51.437. A court may not order the department to administer psychotropic medications to children and expectant mothers who receive special treatment or care under this subdivision.
48.48(17)(a)3.
3. Provide appropriate protection and services for children and the expectant mothers of unborn children in its care, including providing services for those children and their families and for those expectant mothers in their own homes, placing the children in licensed foster homes, treatment foster homes or group homes in this state or another state within a reasonable proximity to the agency with legal custody or contracting for services for those children by licensed child welfare agencies, except that the department may not purchase the educational component of private day treatment programs unless the department, the school board as defined in
s. 115.001 (7) and the state superintendent of public instruction all determine that an appropriate public education program is not available. Disputes between the department and the school district shall be resolved by the state superintendent of public instruction.
48.48(17)(a)4.
4. Provide for the moral and religious training of children in its care according to the religious belief of the child or of his or her parents.
48.48(17)(a)5.
5. Place children in a county children's home in the county, to accept guardianship of children when appointed by the court and to place children under its guardianship for adoption.
48.48(17)(a)7.
7. Contract with any parent or guardian or other person for the care and maintenance of any child.
48.48(17)(a)9.
9. Use in the media a picture or description of a child in its guardianship for the purpose of finding adoptive parents for that child.
48.48(17)(a)11.
11. Contract with the county department under
s. 46.215,
51.42 or
51.437 or with a licensed child welfare agency to provide any of the services that the department is authorized to provide under this chapter.
48.48(17)(b)
(b) In performing the functions specified in
par. (a), the department may avail itself of the cooperation of any individual or private agency or organization interested in the social welfare of children and unborn children in the county.
48.48(17)(c)
(c) From the appropriations under
s. 20.435 (3) (cx),
(gx),
(kw) and
(mx), the department may provide funding for the maintenance of any child who meets all of the following criteria:
48.48(17)(c)2.
2. Is enrolled in and regularly attending a secondary education classroom program leading to a high school diploma.
48.48(17)(c)4.
4. Is living in a foster home, treatment foster home, group home or child caring institution.
48.48 History
History: 1973 c. 90,
333;
1977 c. 29;
1977 c. 83 s.
26;
1977 c. 354,
418,
447,
449;
1979 c. 34 ss.
833m,
834,
2102 (20) (a);
1979 c. 221,
300;
1983 a. 27 s.
2202 (20);
1983 a. 189 s.
329 (17);
1983 a. 447;
1985 a. 135,
176;
1985 a. 332 s.
251 (3);
1987 a. 339;
1989 a. 31,
107,
359;
1991 a. 316;
1993 a. 16,
375,
385,
446,
491;
1995 a. 27 ss.
2526 to
2534m,
9126 (19),
9145 (1);
1995 a. 77;
1997 a. 27,
35,
80,
105,
292;
1999 a. 9.
48.48 Annotation
An allegation that the department failed to adopt rules or to exercise supervision over a local social service agency and that those failures led to a deprivation of child custody without due process stated a cause of action for deprivation of civil rights. Roe v. Borup,
500 F. Supp. 127 (1980).
48.48 Annotation
The state has ultimate foster care responsibility, and dismissal of a 42 USC 1983 action against the state for civil rights violations by a county agency was not appropriate. Jeanine B. by Blondin v. Thompson,
877 F. Supp. 1268 (1995).
48.485
48.485
Transfer of tribal children to department for adoption. If the department accepts guardianship or legal custody or both from an American Indian tribal court under
s. 48.48 (3m), the department shall seek a permanent adoptive placement for the child. If a permanent adoptive placement is not in progress within 2 years after entry of the termination of parental rights order by the tribal court, the department may petition the tribal court to transfer legal custody or guardianship of the child back to the tribe.
48.485 History
History: 1989 a. 31.
48.52
48.52
Facilities for care of children and adult expectant mothers in care of department. 48.52(1)
(1)
Facilities maintained or used for children. The department may maintain or use the following facilities for children in its care:
48.52(1)(a)
(a) Receiving homes to be used for the temporary care of children;
48.52(1)(b)
(b) Foster homes or treatment foster homes;
48.52(1)(f)
(f) Other facilities deemed by the department to be appropriate for the child, except that no state funds may be used for the maintenance of a child in the home of a parent or relative eligible for aid under
s. 49.19 if such funds would reduce federal funds to this state.
48.52(1m)
(1m) Facilities maintained or used for adult expectant mothers. The department may maintain or use the following facilities for adult expectant mothers in its care:
48.52(1m)(c)
(c) Other facilities determined by the department to be appropriate for the adult expectant mother.
48.52(2)(a)(a) In addition to the facilities and services described in
sub. (1), the department may use other facilities and services under its jurisdiction. The department may also contract for and pay for the use of other public facilities or private facilities for the care and treatment of children and the expectant mothers of unborn children in its care. Placements in institutions for the mentally ill or developmentally disabled shall be made in accordance with
ss. 48.14 (5),
48.347 (6) and
48.63 and
ch. 51.
48.52(2)(b)
(b) Public facilities are required to accept and care for persons placed with them by the department in the same manner as they would be required to do had the legal custody of these persons been transferred by a court of competent jurisdiction. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to require any public facility to serve the department inconsistently with its functions or with the laws and regulations governing their activities; or to give the department authority to use any private facility without its consent.
48.52(2)(c)
(c) The department shall have the right to inspect all facilities it is using and to examine and consult with persons whom the department has placed in that facility.
48.52(4)
(4) Coeducational programs and institutions. The department may institute and maintain coeducational programs and institutions under this chapter.
48.52 Annotation
A detention home is not one of the "other facilities" under sub. (1). State ex rel. Harris v. Larson,
64 Wis. 2d 521,
219 N.W.2d 335.
48.52 Annotation
Foster homes owned, operated, or contracted for by the department or a county department are immune from local zoning ordinances. Foster homes owned, operated, or contracted for by licensed child welfare agencies are not immune. All family operated foster homes are subject to local zoning. Municipal foster home licensing ordinances are unenforceable. 63 Atty. Gen. 34.
48.52 Annotation
Foster homes leased by the department pursuant to sub. (2) are immune from local zoning to the extent that the zoning conflicts with the department's possessory use of property under ch. 48, subject to s. 13.48 (13). The lessor remains responsible for property tax. 65 Atty. Gen. 93.
48.547
48.547
Alcohol and other drug abuse program. 48.547(1)(1)
Legislative findings and purpose. The legislature finds that the use and abuse of alcohol and other drugs by children and the expectant mothers of unborn children is a state responsibility of statewide dimension. The legislature recognizes that there is a lack of adequate procedures to screen, assess and treat children and the expectant mothers of unborn children for alcohol and other drug abuse. To reduce the incidence of alcohol and other drug abuse by children and the expectant mothers of unborn children, the legislature deems it necessary to experiment with solutions to the problems of the use and abuse of alcohol and other drugs by children and the expectant mothers of unborn children by establishing a juvenile and expectant mother alcohol and other drug abuse program in a limited number of counties. The purpose of the program is to develop intake and court procedures that screen, assess and give new dispositional alternatives for children and expectant mothers with needs and problems related to the use of alcohol beverages, controlled substances or controlled substance analogs who come within the jurisdiction of a court assigned to exercise jurisdiction under this chapter and
ch. 938 in the counties selected by the department.
48.547(2)
(2) Department responsibilities. Within the availability of funding under
s. 20.435 (7) (mb) that is available for the program, the department shall select counties to participate in the program. Unless a county department of human services has been established under
s. 46.23 in the county that is seeking to implement a program, the application submitted to the department shall be a joint application by the county department that provides social services and the county department established under
s. 51.42 or
51.437. The department shall select counties in accordance with the request for proposal procedures established by the department. The department shall give a preference to county applications that include a plan for case management.
48.547(3)
(3) Multidisciplinary screen. The department shall provide a multidisciplinary screen for the program. The screen shall be used by an intake worker to determine whether or not a child or an expectant mother of an unborn child is in need of an alcohol or other drug abuse assessment. The screen shall also include indicators that screen children and expectant mothers for:
48.547(4)
(4) Assessment criteria. The department shall provide uniform alcohol and other drug abuse assessment criteria to be used in the pilot program under
ss. 48.245 (2) (a) 3. and
48.295 (1). An approved treatment facility that assesses a person under
s. 48.245 (2) (a) 3. or
48.295 (1) may not also provide the person with treatment unless the department permits the approved treatment facility to do both in accordance with the criteria established by rule by the department.
48.548
48.548
Multidisciplinary screen and assessment criteria. The department shall make the multidisciplinary screen developed under
s. 48.547 (3) and the assessment criteria developed under
s. 48.547 (4) available to all counties.
48.548 History
History: 1987 a. 339.
48.55
48.55
State adoption information exchange and state adoption center. 48.55(1)(1) The department shall establish a state adoption information exchange for the purpose of finding adoptive homes for children with special needs who do not have permanent homes and a state adoption center for the purposes of increasing public knowledge of adoption and promoting to adolescents and pregnant women the availability of adoption services. From the appropriation under
s. 20.435 (3) (dg), the department may provide not more than $125,000 in each fiscal year as grants to individuals and private agencies to provide adoption information exchange services and to operate the state adoption center.
48.55(2)
(2) The department shall promulgate rules governing the adoption information exchange and rules specifying the functions of the state adoption center. The rules specifying the functions of the state adoption center shall include all of the following:
48.55(2)(a)
(a) Training persons who provide counseling to adolescents including school counselors, county or department employees providing child welfare services under
s. 48.56 or
48.561 and employees of a clinic providing family planning services, as defined in
s. 253.07 (1) (b).
48.55(2)(c)
(c) Operating a toll-free telephone number to provide information and referral services.
48.55(2)(d)
(d) Distributing pamphlets which provide information on the availability of adoption services.
48.55(2)(e)
(e) Promoting adoption through the communications media.
CHILD WELFARE SERVICES
48.56
48.56
Child welfare services in counties having populations of less than 500,000. 48.56(1)
(1) Each county having a population of less than 500,000 shall provide child welfare services through its county department.
48.56(2)
(2) Each county department shall employ personnel who devote all or part of their time to child welfare services. Whenever possible, these personnel shall be social workers certified under
ch. 457.
48.56(3)
(3) This section shall not apply to those counties which had child welfare services administered by the staff of the juvenile court prior to January 1, 1955.
48.561
48.561
Child welfare services in a county having a population of 500,000 or more. 48.561(1)
(1) The department shall provide child welfare services in a county having a population of 500,000 or more.
48.561(2)
(2) The department shall employ personnel in a county having a population of 500,000 or more who devote all of their time directly or indirectly to child welfare services. Whenever possible, these personnel shall be social workers certified under
ch. 457.
48.561(3)(a)(a) A county having a population of 500,000 or more shall contribute $58,893,500 in each state fiscal year for the provision of child welfare services in that county by the department.
48.561(3)(b)
(b) The department of administration shall collect the amount specified in
par. (a) from a county having a population of 500,000 or more by deducting all or part of that amount from any state payment due that county under
s. 46.40,
79.03,
79.04,
79.058,
79.06 or
79.08. The department of administration shall notify the department of revenue, by September 15 of each year, of the amount to be deducted from the state payments due under
s. 79.03,
79.04,
79.058,
79.06 or
79.08. The department of administration shall credit all amounts collected under this paragraph to the appropriation account under
s. 20.435 (3) (kw) and shall notify the county from which those amounts are collected of that collection.
48.561 History
History: 1997 a. 27,
237;
1999 a. 9.
48.57
48.57
Powers and duties of department and county departments providing child welfare services. 48.57(1)
(1) Each county department shall administer and expend such amounts as may be necessary out of any moneys which may be appropriated for child welfare purposes by the county board of supervisors or by the legislature, which may be donated by individuals or private organizations or which may be otherwise provided. The department shall have the authority specified in
s. 48.48 (17). A county department shall have the authority:
48.57(1)(a)
(a) To investigate the conditions surrounding nonmarital children, children in need of protection or services, including developmentally disabled children, and unborn children in need of protection or services within the county and to take every reasonable action within its power to secure for them the full benefit of all laws enacted for their benefit. Unless provided by another agency, the county department shall offer social services to the caretaker of any child, and to the expectant mother of any unborn child, who is referred to it under the conditions specified in this paragraph. This duty shall be discharged in cooperation with the court and with the public officers or boards legally responsible for the administration and enforcement of those laws.
48.57(1)(b)
(b) To accept legal custody of children transferred to it by the court under
s. 48.355, to accept supervision over expectant mothers of unborn children who are placed under its supervision under
s. 48.355 and to provide special treatment and care for children and expectant mothers if ordered by the court. A court may not order a county department to administer psychotropic medications to children and expectant mothers who receive special treatment or care under this paragraph.
48.57(1)(c)
(c) To provide appropriate protection and services for children and the expectant mothers of unborn children in its care, including providing services for those children and their families and for those expectant mothers in their own homes, placing those children in licensed foster homes, treatment foster homes or group homes in this state or another state within a reasonable proximity to the agency with legal custody or contracting for services for those children by licensed child welfare agencies, except that the county department may not purchase the educational component of private day treatment programs unless the county department, the school board as defined in
s. 115.001 (7) and the state superintendent of public instruction all determine that an appropriate public education program is not available. Disputes between the county department and the school district shall be resolved by the state superintendent of public instruction.
48.57(1)(d)
(d) To provide for the moral and religious training of children in its care according to the religious belief of the child or of his or her parents.
48.57(1)(e)
(e) If a county department in a county with a population of 500,000 or more and if contracted to do so by the department, to place children in a county children's home in the county under policies adopted by the county board of supervisors, to accept guardianship of children when appointed by the court and to place children under its guardianship for adoption.
48.57(1)(g)
(g) Upon request of the department of health and family services or the department of corrections, to provide service for any child or expectant mother of an unborn child in the care of those departments.
