48.36 Payment for services.

(1)

(a) If legal custody is transferred from the parent or guardian or the court otherwise designates an alternative placement for the child by a consent decree under s. 48.32, a disposition made under s. 48.345, or a change in placement under s. 48.357, the duty of the parent or guardian or, in the case of a transfer of guardianship and custody under s. 48.839 (4), the duty of the former guardian to provide support shall continue even though the legal custodian or the placement designee may provide the support. A copy of the order transferring custody or designating alternative placement for the child shall be submitted to the agency or person receiving custody or placement and the agency or person may apply to the court for an order to compel the parent or guardian to provide the support. Support payments for residential services, when purchased or otherwise funded or provided by the department or a county department, shall be determined under s. 49.345 (14). Support payments for residential services, when purchased or otherwise funded by the department of health services or a county department under s. 51.42 or 51.437, shall be determined under s. 46.10 (14).

(b) In determining the amount of support under par. (a), the court may consider all relevant financial information or other information relevant to the parent's earning capacity, including information reported under s. 49.22 (2m) to the department or the county child support agency under s. 59.53 (5). If the court has insufficient information with which to determine the amount of support, the court shall order the child's parent to furnish a statement of income, assets, debts, and living expenses, if the parent has not already done so, to the court within 10 days after the court's order transferring custody or designating an alternative placement is entered or at such other time as ordered by the court.

(2) If an expectant mother or a child whose legal custody has not been taken from a parent or guardian is given educational and social services, or medical, psychological or psychiatric treatment by order of the court, the cost of those services or that treatment, if ordered by the court, shall be a charge upon the county in a county having a population of less than 750,000 or the department in a county having a population of 750,000 or more. This section does not prevent recovery of reasonable contribution toward the costs from the parent or guardian of the child or from an adult expectant mother as the court may order based on the ability of the parent, guardian or adult expectant mother to pay. This subsection shall be subject to s. 49.32 (1).

(3) In determining county or departmental liability, this section does not apply to services specified in ch. 115.

History: 1977 c. 354; 1979 c. 221; 1981 c. 81; 1985 a. 29 s. 3202 (23); 1985 a. 176; 1989 a. 31, 107; 1993 a. 446, 481; 1995 a. 27 ss. 2468, 9126 (19); 1995 a. 77, 404; 1997 a. 3, 27, 292; 2007 a. 20 ss. 1255 to 1257, 9121 (6) (a); 2015 a. 172, 373.