Section 56.16. Licensing agency responsibilities.

 

(1)  A licensing agency shall do all of the following:

(a) Recruit a pool of foster parents who are interested in and capable of working with the types of children who are commonly placed by that agency.

(b) Assess and screen families who are interested in becoming foster parents.

(c) Develop foster homes to meet the needs of a specifically identified child in need of placement.

(d) Provide, arrange, and approve required pre-placement, initial, and ongoing training for foster parents under s. DCF 56.14 .

(e) Consult with supervising agency caseworkers and social workers to match a child's specific needs with available foster parents.

(f) Provide each licensed or prospective foster parent with a copy of the agency's foster parent handbook under s. DCF 56.12 .

(g) Comply with agency responsibilities regarding respite care under s. DCF 56.21 (2) .

(h) Provide general support to foster parents.

(i) Review the foster parent's fire safety evacuation plan under s. DCF 56.08 (8) and disaster plan under s. DCF 56.08 (10m) with the foster parent to ensure that the plans provide for adequate safety and communication with the agency.

(j) Encourage peer support among foster parents and inform foster parents of available supports, especially among foster parents who are caring for children with similar conditions.

(k) Notify the placing agency of any serious incident reported by a foster parent under s. DCF 56.06 .

(L) Notify the clerk of the school district in which a foster home is located when a license to operate a foster home is issued in that school district, pursuant to s. 48.62 (3) , Stats. The notification shall include all of the following:

1. The name of the foster parent.

2. The address and phone number of the foster parent.

3. The type of children expected to be placed in the foster home.

4. The name, address, and phone number of a contact person from the licensing agency.

(2)  In addition to sub. (1) , a licensing agency shall do all of the following regarding foster homes with a Level 3 to 5 certification:

(a) Identify foster homes with similar qualifications as existing foster homes to be used as emergency or alternative options.

(b) Develop and facilitate peer support among foster parents, especially among foster parents who are caring for children with similar conditions.

(c) Participate in the determination of supplemental payments under s. DCF 56.23 (2) and exceptional payments under s. DCF 56.23 (3) as follows:

1. Review the payment amount that a placing agency is proposing for a child's placement and discuss the child's needs with the placing agency.

2. Inform a prospective foster parent of the placing agency's proposed payment amount.

3. Recommend any modifications to the payment amount that the placing agency has proposed.

4. Participate with the placing agency, foster parent, and treatment team members in the redetermination of the payment amount following a reassessment under s. DCF 56.22 (5) (b) .

5. At a foster parent's request, assist a foster parent in resolving a disagreement between the foster parent and the placing agency regarding a payment amount before the foster parent requests a hearing under s. DCF 56.10 .

EmR1050 : emerg. cr., eff. 1-1-11; CR 10-148 : cr. Register August 2011 No. 668 , eff. 9-1-11.