Wis. Stat. § 46.56 — WI Code / Chapter 46 / Section 46.56
Initiatives to provide coordinated services for children and families.
Status: in_force

(1) Definitions. In this section:

(a) “Administering agency” means a department designated by a county board of supervisors, by the Milwaukee County mental health board in Milwaukee County, or by a tribe to administer an initiative.

(ar) “Advocacy” means all of the following:

1. Actively supporting a child who is involved in 2 or more systems of care and his or her family under an initiative to enable their receipt of the full benefits of the initiative by ensuring that the coordinated services team approach to providing services and principles are followed.

2. Helping families of a child who is involved in 2 or more systems of care gain access to and a voice in the decision making that establishes the child’s and family’s plan of care.

3. Fostering strong working relationships among families, systems of care, and providers, with the goal of improving the lives of children who are involved in 2 or more systems of care and their families.

(b) “Agency” means a public, tribal, or private organization that provides services and other resources for children and families.

(bm) “Child” means an individual under the age of 18.

(ce) “Coordinated services” means treatment, education, care, services, and other resources provided, in a coordinated manner, for a child who is involved in 2 or more systems of care and his or her family.

(cm) “Coordinated services plan of care” means a plan under sub. (8) (h) for a child who is involved in 2 or more systems of care and his or her family.

(cs) “Coordinated services team” means a group of individuals, including family members, service providers, and informal resource persons, who work together to respond to service needs of a child who is involved in 2 or more systems of care and his or her family.

(d) “County department” means a county department under s. 46.215 , 46.22 , 46.23 , 51.42 or 51.437 , unless the context requires otherwise.

(de) “Family” means a child’s primary caregiver or caregivers and the child’s siblings.

(dm) “Family resources” means housing, environment, institutions, sources of income, services, education, a child’s extended family and community relationships, and other resources families need to raise their children.

(ds) “Initiative” means a system that is based on the strengths of children and their families for providing coordinated services to children who are involved in 2 or more systems of care and their families.

(e) “Intake” means the process by which a service coordination agency or individuals designated by the coordinating committee under sub. (3) initially screen a child who is involved in 2 or more systems of care and his or her family to determine eligibility for an initiative and the process by which the service coordination agency determines the need for a comprehensive clinical mental health assessment.

(h) “Interagency agreement” means a written document of understanding among service providers and other partner agencies that are represented on a coordinating committee under sub. (3) that identifies mutual responsibilities for implementing coordinated services for children who are involved in 2 or more systems of care and their families.

(hm) “Multi-entity initiative” means an initiative including more than one county or tribe that is established under sub. (2) (b) .

(j) “Parent” means a parent who has legal custody, as defined in s. 767.001 (2) , of a child, or a guardian or legal custodian of a child, as defined in s. 48.02 (8) and (11) .

(L) “Service coordination” means the coordination of multiple service providers and family resources that are serving a particular child who is involved in 2 or more systems of care and his or her family. The term includes coordination of the assessment process, development of a coordinated services plan of care based on the strengths and needs identified in the assessment, advocacy, monitoring of the progress of the child or his or her family, facilitation of periodic reviews of the coordinated services plan of care, and coordination and maintenance of clear lines of communication among all family resources providers, the child, and his or her family.

(m) “Service coordination agency” means a county department, tribe, agency, school district, cooperative educational service agency, or county children with disabilities education board designated in an interagency agreement by a coordinating committee under sub. (3) to provide intake and service coordination for one or more target groups of children who are involved in 2 or more systems of care and their families.

(n) “Service coordinator” means an individual who is qualified by specialized training and experience with children who are involved in 2 or more systems of care and their families and who is appointed by the service coordination agency to provide service coordination for eligible children and their families.

(nm) “Service provider” means a professional from a system of care who meets one or more of the following criteria:

1. Is skilled in providing treatment services, education, and other family resources for children who are involved in 2 or more systems of care and their families.

2. Conducts comprehensive evaluations of the needs of children who are involved in 2 or more systems of care and their families for family resources.

3. Possesses skills appropriate for and knowledge of the specific types of needs or dysfunctions presented by a child who is involved in 2 or more systems of care and is undergoing an assessment.

4. Is currently providing treatment, education, or other family resources for a child who is involved in 2 or more systems of care, a family of such a child, or both.

(om) “Severe disability” means a mental, physical, sensory, behavioral, emotional, or developmental disability, including severe emotional disturbance, or a combination of these disabilities, that meets all of the following conditions:

1. Is severe in degree.

2. Has persisted for at least one year or is expected to persist for at least one year.

3. Causes substantial limitations in a child’s ability to function in his or her family, school, or community and with his or her ability to cope with the ordinary demands of life.

4. Causes a child to need services or other resources from 2 or more systems of care.

(op) “Severely emotionally disturbed child” has the meaning given in s. 49.45 (25) (a) .

(or) “System of care” means a public or private organization that provides specialized services for children with mental, physical, sensory, behavioral, emotional, or developmental disabilities or that provides child welfare, juvenile justice, educational, economic support, alcohol or other drug abuse, or health care services for children.

(p) “Treatment services” means the individualized social, emotional, behavioral and medical services designed to bring about habilitation, rehabilitation and appropriate developmental growth of a child.

(q) “Tribe” means a federally recognized American Indian tribe or band in this state.

(2) Coordinating committee; administering agency; initiative funding.

(a) Except as provided in par. (b) , if a county board of supervisors or the Milwaukee County mental health board establishes an initiative under s. 59.53 (7) or if a tribe establishes an initiative, the county board, Milwaukee County mental health board, or tribe shall appoint a coordinating committee and designate an administering agency. The initiative may be funded by the county or tribe or the county board of supervisors, Milwaukee County mental health board, or tribe may apply for funding by the state in accordance with sub. (15) .

(b) A county may enter into an agreement with one or more other counties or tribes to establish an initiative and a tribe may enter into an agreement with one or more counties or tribes to establish an initiative. The parties to the agreement shall designate in the agreement a single lead administrative county or lead administrative tribe. The county board of the lead administrative county, the Milwaukee County mental health board, if Milwaukee County is the lead administrative county, or the lead administrative tribe shall appoint a coordinating committee and designate an administering agency. The initiative may be funded by the participating entities, or the county board of supervisors of the lead administrative county, the Milwaukee County mental health board, if Milwaukee County is the lead administrative county, or the lead administrative tribe may apply for funding by the state in accordance with sub. (15) .

(3) Coordinating committee.

(a) The coordinating committee shall include representatives from all of the following:

1. The county department responsible for child welfare and protection services or, for an initiative established by a tribe, the tribal agency responsible for child welfare and protection services.

2. The county department responsible for mental health and alcohol and drug abuse services for children and families or, for an initiative established by a tribe, the tribal agency responsible for these services.

3. The county department responsible for providing services for children who have developmental disability or, for an initiative established by a tribe, the tribal agency responsible for providing these services.

5. The juvenile court administrator or another representative appointed by the judge responsible for cases heard under chs. 48 and 938 or, for an initiative established by a tribe, a representative of the tribal court.

6. The largest school district in the county and any cooperative educational service agency, if it provides special education in the county, or any county children with disabilities education board in the county, and any other school district in the county that is willing to participate in the initiative, at the discretion of the administering agency. For an initiative established by a tribe, the coordinating committee shall include a representative of the school district serving the majority of pupils who reside on the reservation of the tribe or on trust lands held for the tribe and any cooperative educational service agency providing special education services to these pupils.

7. At least 2 parents, or the number that equals 25 percent of the coordinating committee’s membership, whichever is greater, of children who are involved in 2 or more systems of care.

8. The agency responsible for economic support programs.

(b) The coordinating committee may include any of the following:

1. Representatives of the vocational rehabilitation office that provides services to the county or, for an initiative established by a tribe, that provides services to the tribe.

2. Representatives of a technical college district that is located in the county or, for an initiative established by a tribe, that serves members of the tribe.

3. Physicians specializing in care for children.

4. Representatives of health maintenance organizations that are operating in the county or, for an initiative established by a tribe, are serving members of the tribe.

5. Representatives of law enforcement agencies that are located in the county or, for an initiative established by a tribe, are representatives of a tribal law enforcement agency.

6. Representatives of the county health department established under s. 251.02 (1) or city-county health department established under s. 251.02 (1m) .

7. Representatives of agencies that are located in the county or, for an initiative established by a tribe, are serving members of the tribe.

8. Local elected officials.

9. Representatives of a vocational and technical school.

10. Local business representatives.