1. (1) Phone number. A foster parent shall notify the licensing agency and, if not the same, the supervising agency no later than the end of the next working day after the foster parent’s phone number is changed.

2. (2) Serious incidents involving a foster child. A foster parent shall notify the licensing agency and, if not the same, the supervising agency within 24 hours after any of the following:

   1. (a) The death of a foster child.
   2. (b) The serious illness or injury of a foster child that requires the services of a medical professional, such as a broken bone, burn, concussion, wound requiring stitches, drug overdose, or the ingestion of poison.
   3. (c) A foster child has a reportable communicable disease under ch. DHS 145.

   4. (d) The foster parent has reasonable cause to believe any of the following:

      1. 1. A foster child has been abused or neglected.
      2. 2. A foster child has been threatened with abuse or neglect and it is likely that the foster child will be abused or neglected.
   5. (e) An error in administering medication to a foster child.
   6. (f) A suicide attempt by a foster child.
   7. (g) The unauthorized absence of a foster child from the foster home for longer than 8 hours or for longer than is reasonable given the foster child’s age, maturity, and mental and emotional capacity.
   8. (h) An incident at the foster home or that involves a foster child which requires contact with law enforcement.
   9. (i) A condition or situation that requires the removal of a foster child from a foster home.
   10. (j) The displacement of a foster child due to implementation of the disaster plan required under s. DCF 56.072 (5).
   11. (k) The use of a physical restraint as required under s. DCF 56.09 (15) (e).
   12. (L) Any other serious incident related to a foster child.

3. (3) Serious incidents involving the foster home. A foster parent shall notify the licensing agency within 24 hours after any of the following:

   1. (a) A fire in the foster home that requires the services of a fire department.

   2. (b) Any physical damage to the foster home or premises that would impact the health or safety of the foster child, including the following:

      1. 1. Structural damage that may affect the safe shelter of the foster child.
      2. 2. Failure in the heating, cooling, electrical, plumbing, or smoke detection system that is not repaired or that cannot be repaired within 24 hours after the failure becomes known.

4. (4) Background changes.

   1. (a) An applicant or foster parent shall notify the licensing agency within 5 days after any of the following applies to the applicant, foster parent, or a nonclient resident:

      1. 1. The person has been convicted of any crime.
      2. 2. The person is the subject of a pending criminal charge.
      3. 3. The person has been adjudicated delinquent for committing a crime.
      4. 4. The person is the subject of a delinquency petition alleging that the person committed a crime.
      5. 5. A final substantiated finding has been made that the person abused or neglected a child.
      6. 6. A finding that is comparable to a final substantiated finding has been made in any other jurisdiction.
      7. 7. A governmental body has made a finding that the person abused or neglected any client or misappropriated the property of any client.
      8. 8. The person has been or is being investigated by any governmental agency for any other act, offense, or omission, including an investigation related to the abuse or neglect, or threat of abuse or neglect, to a child or other client, or an investigation related to misappropriation of a client’s property.

   2. (b)

      1. 1. An applicant or foster parent shall notify the licensing agency that a person intends to become a nonclient resident in the applicant’s or foster parent’s home as soon as possible before the person begins residing in the home, except as provided under subd. 2.
      2. 2. If a person becomes a nonclient resident in the applicant’s or foster parent’s home without advance notice to the applicant or foster parent, the applicant or foster parent shall notify the licensing agency within 5 days.

5. (5) Insurance. A foster parent shall notify the licensing agency within 5 days if the foster parent no longer has the vehicle liability insurance required under s. DCF 56.05 (8) or the homeowner’s or renter’s insurance required under s. DCF 56.05 (9).

   Note: In addition, licensing or supervising agency approval is required for certain actions related to the care of a foster child under s. DCF 56.09 (4).

History

History: CR 00-020: cr. Register February 2002 No. 554, eff. 3-1-02; corrections in (8) and (13) made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 7., Stats., Register November 2008 No. 635; EmR0937: emerg. am. (12), eff. 1-1-10; CR 10-021: am. (12) Register September 2010 No. 657, eff. 10-1-10; EmR1050: emerg. r. and recr., eff. 1-1-11; CR 10-148: r. and recr. Register August 2011 No. 668, eff. 9-1-11; CR 25-043: r. and recr. Register November 2025 No. 839, eff. 12-1-25.