48.75 Foster homes licensed by public licensing agencies and by child welfare agencies.

(1b) In this section, “public licensing agency" means a county department or, in a county having a population of 750,000 or more, the department.

(1d) Child welfare agencies, if licensed to do so by the department, and public licensing agencies may license foster homes under the rules promulgated by the department under s. 48.67 governing the licensing of foster homes. Except as provided under s. 48.66 (6), a foster home license shall be issued for a term not to exceed 2 years from the date of issuance and is not transferable. A foster home license may be revoked by the child welfare agency or by the public licensing agency because the licensee has violated any provision of this chapter or of the rules of the department promulgated under s. 48.67 or because the licensee fails to meet the minimum requirements for a license. The licensee shall be given written notice of any revocation and the grounds for the revocation.

(1g)

(a) A public licensing agency may license a foster home only if the foster home is located in the county of the public licensing agency, except that a public licensing agency may license a foster home located in another county if any of the following applies:

1. The person who will be licensed to operate the foster home is a relative or a guardian of the child who will be placed in the foster home.

2. A foster parent licensed by the public licensing agency moves to the other county with a child who has been placed in the foster parent's home and the license will allow the foster parent to continue to care for that child.

3. The county of the public licensing agency issuing the license and the county in which the foster home is located are contiguous.

4. The county of the public licensing agency issuing the license has a population of 750,000 or more and the placement is for adoption under s. 48.833 (1), 48.835, or 48.837.

5. The public licensing agency of the county in which the prospective foster home is located requests the public licensing agency of another county to license the foster home.

(b) A license issued under par. (a) 1. or 4. shall specifically identify each child to be placed in the foster home and shall terminate at the end of the licensing period or 6 months after the child returns home or is placed elsewhere, whichever occurs first.

(c) No license may be issued under par. (a) 1., 2., or 3. unless the public licensing agency issuing the license has notified the public licensing agency of the county in which the foster home will be located of its intent to issue the license and no license issued under par. (a) 2. or 3. is valid unless the 2 public licensing agencies have entered into a written agreement under this paragraph. A public licensing agency is not required to enter into any agreement under this paragraph allowing the public licensing agency of another county to license a foster home within its jurisdiction. The written agreement shall include all of the following:

1. A statement that the public licensing agency issuing the license has placement and care responsibility for the child as required under 42 USC 672 (a) (2) and has primary responsibility for providing services to the child who is placed in the foster home, as specified in the agreement.

2. A statement that the public licensing agency issuing the license is responsible for the costs of the placement and any related costs, as specified in the agreement.

3. A description of the procedures to be followed in providing emergency services to the child who is placed in the foster home and to the foster parent, as specified in the agreement.

(cm) Notwithstanding that a written agreement under par. (c) is not required for the issuance of a license under par. (a) 1., the public licensing agency issuing the license shall have the responsibilities specified in par. (c) 1., shall be responsible for the costs specified in par. (c) 2., and shall have in place the procedures specified in par. (c) 3.

(d) If the public licensing agency issuing a license under par. (a) 2. or 3. violates the agreement under par. (c), the public licensing agency of the county in which the foster home is located may terminate the agreement and, subject to ss. 48.217, 48.32, 48.357, 48.437, 48.64, 938.217, 938.32, and 938.357, require the public licensing agency that issued the license to remove the child from the foster home within 30 days after receipt, by the public licensing agency that issued the license, of notification of the termination of the agreement.

(1m) Each child welfare agency and public licensing agency shall provide the department of health services with information about each person who is denied a license for a reason specified in s. 48.685 (4m) (a) 1. to 5.

(1r) At the time of initial licensure and license renewal, the child welfare agency or public licensing agency issuing a license under sub. (1d) or (1g) shall provide the licensee with written information relating to the monthly foster care rates and supplemental payments specified in s. 48.62 (4), including payment amounts, eligibility requirements for supplemental payments, and the procedures for applying for supplemental payments.

(2) Any foster home applicant or licensee of a public licensing agency or a child welfare agency may, if aggrieved by the failure to issue or renew its license or by revocation of its license, appeal as provided in s. 48.72.

(3) Before issuing a license under sub. (1d) or (1g), a child welfare agency or public licensing agency shall require that each foster parent receive a favorable report following an investigation that is conducted in the same manner as an investigation under s. 48.88 (2) (aj) is conducted.

History: 1985 a. 176; 1985 a. 332 s. 251 (1); 1989 a. 336; 1993 a. 395, 446; 1995 a. 225; 1997 a. 27, 237; 1999 a. 9, 103; 2005 a. 232; 2007 a. 20 ss. 1362, 1363, 9121 (6) (a); 2007 a. 186; 2009 a. 28, 71; 2015 a. 172, 373, 378; 2017 a. 257.