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

   1. (a) Assess and screen families who are interested in becoming foster parents.
   2. (b) Comply with the licensing process in s. DCF 56.04, including the use of all components of a standardized assessment tool prescribed by the department to conduct the home study.
   3. (c) Notify the school district in which a foster home is located when a license to operate a foster home is issued in that school district, as required under s. 48.62 (3), Stats.
   4. (d) Provide, arrange, and approve required preplacement, initial, and ongoing training for foster parents under s. DCF 56.14.
   5. (e) Consult with a supervising agency child welfare professional to match a foster child’s specific needs with an available foster parent.
   6. (f) Provide written notice to any supervising agency with a foster child placed in a foster home prior to placement of a new foster child in the home. If written notice prior to the additional placement is not possible, verbally notify the supervising agency prior to the placement and subsequently provide written notice.
   7. (g) Assist a foster parent in meeting the needs of a foster child in need of placement or a foster child who is currently placed in their foster home.
   8. (h) Ensure that the foster parent is promoting normalcy for a foster child by providing opportunities for the foster child to participate in age or developmentally appropriate extracurricular, enrichment, cultural, and social activities under s. DCF 56.09 (3).
   9. (i) Comply with agency responsibilities regarding respite care under s. DCF 56.21 (2).
   10. (j) Notify any placing agency or supervising agency of a serious incident reported by a foster parent under s. DCF 56.06 (2) or (3) within 24 hours after the serious incident is known to have occurred.

2. (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:

   1. (a) Identify foster homes with similar qualifications as existing foster homes to be used as emergency or alternative options for placement or respite care.
   2. (b) Develop and facilitate peer support among foster parents, especially among foster parents who are caring for children with similar conditions.

   3. (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. 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. 2. Inform a prospective foster parent of the placing agency’s proposed payment amount.
      3. 3. Recommend any modifications to the payment amount that the placing agency has proposed.
      4. 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. 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.

History

History: EmR1050: emerg. cr., eff. 1-1-11; CR 10-148: cr. Register August 2011 No. 668, eff. 9-1-11; EmR1633: emerg. cr. (1) (m), (n), eff. 11-18-16; CR 16-051: cr. (1) (m), (n) Register July 2017 No. 739, eff. 8-1-17; CR 20-003: am. (1) (L) (intro.) Register July 2020 No. 775, eff. 8-1-20; CR 25-043: r. and recr. (1), am. (2) (a) Register November 2025 No. 839, eff. 12-1-25.