Section 56.18. Agency contact with foster parent.

 

(1)   Contact requirements.

(a) Level of care 1 or 2 . A licensing agency, supervising agency, or placing agency shall have at least one contact per month with a foster parent who operates a foster home with a Level 1 or 2 certification if a child is placed in the foster home. The contact may be in person, by phone, or by an interactive electronic format.

(b) Level of care 3 to 5 .

1. A licensing agency, supervising agency, or placing agency shall have at least 2 in-person contacts per month with a foster parent who operates a foster home with a Level 3 to 5 certification if a child is placed in the foster home. At least one of these contacts shall be in the foster home.

2. Notwithstanding subd. 1. , if a child with a level of need below 3 is placed in a foster home with a Level 3 or 4 certification, the licensing agency, placing agency, or supervising agency shall have at least one in-person contact per month with the foster parent each full calendar month that the child is in the foster home.

3. If a foster home with a Level 3 to 5 certification has not had placement of a child for 3 or more months and the licensing agency, supervising agency, or placing agency has not seen the foster parent in the foster home during that time, the licensing agency, supervising agency, or placing agency shall have an in-person contact with the foster parent in the foster home before a child is placed in the foster home or within 24 hours of the child's placement in the foster home.

(c) Multiple foster parents . If there is more than one foster parent on the license to operate the foster home, the agency may have contact with only one of the foster parents.

(2)   Multiple agencies. If the licensing agency, supervising agency, and the placing agency under sub. (1) are different agencies, those agencies shall determine a contact plan.

(3)   Purposes of contact. The agency contact with the foster parent shall focus on the safety, permanence, and well-being of the child to evaluate the compatibility of the child with the foster parent and other household members and the ability of the foster parent to meet the needs of the child in a safe manner. The contacts shall include discussion of any additional support needed by the foster parent to safely maintain any child in foster care living in the foster home.

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