Wis. Stat. § 51.03 — WI Code / Chapter 51 / Section 51.03
Department; powers and duties.
Status: in_force

(1g) In this section:

(a) “Early intervention” means action to hinder or alter a person’s mental disorder or abuse of alcohol or other drugs in order to reduce the duration of early symptoms or to reduce the duration or severity of mental illness or alcohol or other drug abuse that may result.

(b) “Individualized service planning” means a process under which a person with mental illness or who abuses alcohol or other drugs and, if a child, his or her family, receives information, education and skills to enable the person to participate mutually and creatively with his or her mental health or alcohol or other drug abuse service provider in identifying his or her personal goals and developing his or her assessment, crisis protocol, treatment and treatment plan. “Individualized service planning” is tailored to the person and is based on his or her strengths, abilities and needs.

(c) “Prevention” means action to reduce the instance, delay the onset or lessen the severity of mental disorder, before the disorders may progress to mental illness, by reducing risk factors for, enhancing protections against and promptly treating early warning signs of mental disorder.

(d) “Recovery” means the process of a person’s growth and improvement, despite a history of mental illness or alcohol or other drug abuse, in attitudes, feelings, values, goals, skills and behavior and is measured by a decrease in dysfunctional symptoms and an increase in maintaining the person’s highest level of health, wellness, stability, self-determination and self-sufficiency.

(e) “Stigma” means disqualification from social acceptance, derogation, marginalization and ostracism encountered by persons with mental illness or persons who abuse alcohol or other drugs as the result of societal negative attitudes, feelings, perceptions, representations and acts of discrimination.

(1r) The department through its authorized agents may visit or investigate any treatment facility to which persons are admitted or committed under this chapter.

(2) No later than 14 days after the date of a death reported under s. 51.64 (2) (a) , the department shall investigate the death.

(3)

(a) Beginning on September 1, 1996, the department shall collect and analyze information in this state on each of the following:

1. The number of commitments initiated under s. 51.15 or 51.20 (1) .

2. The number of commitments ordered under s. 51.20 (13) .

3. The number of, cost of and paying sources for days of inpatient mental health treatment that result from the commitments initiated under subd. 1. or ordered under subd. 2.

5. The number of persons who are receiving care and treatment under community support programs voluntarily or under commitments ordered under s. 51.20 (13) .

6. The number of individuals authorized to consent to involuntary administration of psychotropic medication under s. 55.14 (8) or for whom guardians were appointed under s. 880.33 (4m) , 2003 stats.

(b) By April 1, 1997, and annually by that date for 3 years thereafter, the department shall submit a report to the legislature under s. 13.172 (2) on the information collected under par. (a) .

(4) Within the limits of available state and federal funds, the department may do all of the following:

(a) Promote the creation of coalitions among the state, counties, providers of mental health and alcohol and other drug abuse services, consumers of the services and their families and advocates for persons with mental illness and for alcoholic and drug dependent persons to develop, coordinate and provide a full range of resources to advance prevention; early intervention; treatment; recovery; safe and affordable housing; opportunities for education, employment and recreation; family and peer support; self-help; and the safety and well-being of communities.

(b) In cooperation with counties, providers of mental health and alcohol and other drug abuse services, consumers of the services, interested community members and advocates for persons with mental illness and for alcoholic and drug dependent persons, develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to reduce stigma of and discrimination against persons with mental illness, alcoholics and drug dependent persons.

(c) Develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to involve counties, providers of mental health and alcohol and other drug abuse services, consumers of the services and their families, interested community members and advocates for persons with mental illness and for alcoholic and drug dependent persons as equal participants in service system planning and delivery.

(d) Promote responsible stewardship of human and fiscal resources in the provision of mental health and alcohol and other drug abuse services.

(e) Develop and implement methods to identify and measure outcomes for consumers of mental health and alcohol and other drug abuse services.

(f) Promote access to appropriate mental health and alcohol and other drug abuse services regardless of a person’s geographic location, age, degree of mental illness, alcoholism or drug dependency or availability of personal financial resources.

(g) Promote consumer decision making to enable persons with mental illness and alcohol or drug dependency to be more self-sufficient.

(h) Promote use by providers of mental health and alcohol and other drug abuse services of individualized service planning, under which the providers develop written individualized service plans that promote treatment and recovery, together with service consumers, families of service consumers who are children and advocates chosen by consumers.

(5) The department shall ensure that providers of mental health and alcohol and other drug abuse services who use individualized service plans, as specified in sub. (4) (h) , do all of the following in using a plan:

(a) Establish meaningful and measurable goals for the consumer.

(b) Base the plan on a comprehensive assessment of the consumer’s strengths, abilities, needs and preferences.

(c) Keep the plan current.

(d) Modify the plan as necessary.

(6)

(a) In this subsection, “licensed treatment professional” means a physician who has completed a residence in psychiatry; a psychologist; a private practice school psychologist who is licensed under ch. 455 ; a marriage and family therapist, as defined in s. 457.01 (3) ; a professional counselor, as defined in s. 457.01 (7) ; an advanced practice social worker, as defined in s. 457.01 (1c) ; an independent social worker, as defined in s. 457.01 (2g) ; a clinical social worker, as defined in s. 457.01 (1r) ; or any of these individuals who is practicing under a currently valid training or temporary license or certificate granted under applicable provisions of ch. 457 . “Licensed treatment professional” does not include an individual whose license, certificate, or privilege is suspended, revoked, or voluntarily surrendered, or whose license, certificate, or privilege is limited or restricted, when practicing in areas prohibited by the limitation or restriction.

(b) The department may not require a mental health clinic or an individual licensed treatment professional who is otherwise authorized to provide outpatient mental health services at a school to designate the school site as a clinic office in order to provide outpatient mental health services at a school.

History: 1975 c. 430 ; 1989 a. 336 ; 1995 a. 292 ; 1999 a. 9 ; 2005 a. 264 , 387 ; 2007 a. 20 , 45 ; 2011 a. 32 ; 2015 a. 294 ; 2021 a. 131 ; 2023 a. 55 ; 2025 a. 232 .