48.546 Family treatment court grant program.

(1) The department may make grants available to counties and Indian tribes to enable them to establish and operate evidence-based programs to develop intake and court procedures that screen, assess, and provide dispositional alternatives for parents whose children have come under the jurisdiction of the court. The programs shall have, as a goal, improving child well-being and the welfare of participants' families by meeting the comprehensive needs of participants and promoting family reunification wherever possible.

(2) The department may make the grants for the programs specified in sub. (1) within the availability of funding under s. 20.437 (1) (bf). The department shall collaborate with the department of health services and the director of state courts in establishing the grant program under this section.

(3) A county or Indian tribe that operates a program funded under this section shall do all of the following:

(a) Establish eligibility criteria for a person's participation in the program.

(b) Provide services to program participants that are consistent with evidence-based practices in treatment services needed by those participants, including substance abuse treatment services, mental health treatment services, and intensive case management services.

(c) Provide a multidisciplinary screen as described in s. 48.547 (3) for program participants.

(d) Provide a holistic and trauma-informed approach to the treatment of program participants and provide those participants with services that may be needed, as determined by the county or Indian tribe under the program.

(e) Integrate all services provided to program participants by state and local government agencies and other organizations. The county or Indian tribe shall require regular communication among a participant's treatment providers, other service providers, the court and court personnel, and any person designated under the program to monitor the participant's compliance with his or her obligations under the program and under the court's order.

(4) A county or Indian tribe that receives a grant under this section shall create an oversight committee to advise the county or Indian tribe in developing, implementing, administering, and evaluating its program.

(5) A county or Indian tribe that receives a grant under this section shall submit data requested by the department to the department each quarter. The department may request any data regarding a program funded under this section that is necessary to evaluate the program and prepare the reports under subs. (6) and (7).

(6) The department shall, annually, analyze the data submitted under sub. (5) for the previous year and prepare a progress report that evaluates the effectiveness of the program. The department shall make the report available to the public.

(7) The department shall, every 5 years, prepare a comprehensive report that analyzes the data submitted under sub. (5) for the previous 5 years, and shall submit the report to the legislature under s. 13.172 (2).

(8) A county or Indian tribe may, together with one or more counties or Indian tribes, jointly apply for and receive a grant under this section. A joint application shall include a written agreement specifying the role of each county or Indian tribe in developing, administering, and evaluating the program. The oversight committee established under sub. (4) shall include a representative from each county and Indian tribe operating a joint program.

(9) The department shall assist a county or Indian tribe receiving a grant under this section in obtaining funding from other sources for its program.

History: 2017 a. 202, 261.