Wis. Stat. § 253.15 — WI Code / Chapter 253 / Section 253.15
Shaken baby syndrome and impacted babies.
Status: in_force

(1) Definitions. In this section:

(a) “Board” means the child abuse and neglect prevention board.

(b) “County department” means a county department of human services or social services under s. 46.215 , 46.22 , or 46.23 .

(c) “Health care provider” means any person who is licensed, registered, permitted, or certified by the department of health services or the department of safety and professional services to provide health care services in this state.

(d) “Impacted baby” means an infant or young child who suffers death or great bodily harm as a result of being thrown against a surface, hard or soft.

(e) “Nonprofit organization” means an organization described in section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code that is dedicated to the prevention of shaken baby syndrome and impacted babies and the support of families affected by shaken baby syndrome or an impacted baby.

(em) “Nurse-midwife” means an individual who is licensed as an advanced practice registered nurse and possesses a certified nurse-midwife specialty designation under s. 441.09 .

(f) “Shaken baby syndrome” means a severe form of brain injury that occurs when an infant or young child is shaken forcibly enough to cause the brain to rebound against his or her skull.

(2) Informational materials. The board shall purchase or prepare or arrange with a nonprofit organization to prepare printed and audiovisual materials relating to shaken baby syndrome and impacted babies. The materials shall include information regarding the identification and prevention of shaken baby syndrome and impacted babies, the grave effects of shaking or throwing on an infant or young child, appropriate ways to manage crying, fussing, or other causes that can lead a person to shake or throw an infant or young child, and a discussion of ways to reduce the risks that can lead a person to shake or throw an infant or young child. The materials shall be prepared in English, Spanish, and other languages spoken by a significant number of state residents, as determined by the board. The board shall make those written and audiovisual materials available to all hospitals, maternity homes, and nurse-midwives that are required to provide or make available materials to parents under sub. (3) (a) 1. , to the department and to all county departments and nonprofit organizations that are required to provide the materials to child care providers under sub. (4) (d) , and to all school boards and nonprofit organizations that are permitted to provide the materials to pupils in one of grades 5 to 8 and in one of grades 10 to 12 under sub. (5) . The board shall also make those written materials available to all county departments and Indian tribes that are providing home visitation services under s. 48.983 (4) (b) 1. and to all providers of prenatal, postpartum, and young child care coordination services under s. 49.45 (44) . The board may make available the materials required under this subsection to be made available by making those materials available at no charge on the board’s Internet site.

(3) Information to parents.

(a)

1. Before an infant who is born at or on route to a hospital or maternity home is discharged from the hospital or maternity home, the attending physician, the attending nurse midwife, or another trained, designated staff member of the hospital or maternity home shall provide to the parents of the infant, without cost to those parents, a copy of the written materials purchased or prepared under sub. (2) , shall inform those parents of the availability of the audiovisual materials purchased or prepared under sub. (2) , and shall make those audiovisual materials available for those parents to view.

2. Within 7 days after the birth of an infant who is born elsewhere than at or on route to a hospital or maternity home, the attending physician, the attending nurse-midwife, or a trained, designated birth attendant who attended the birth of the child shall provide to the parents of the infant, without cost to those parents, a copy of the written materials purchased or prepared under sub. (2) and shall inform those parents of the availability of the audiovisual materials purchased or prepared under sub. (2) .

(b) At the same time that the written materials and explanation are provided under par. (a) 1. , or 2. , the person who provides the written materials and explanation shall also provide the parent with a form prepared by the board in English, Spanish, and other languages spoken by a significant number of state residents, as determined by the board, that includes all of the following:

1. A statement that the parent has been advised as to the grave effects of shaking or throwing on an infant or young child and of appropriate ways to manage crying, fussing, or other causes that can lead a person to shake or throw an infant or young child.

2. A telephone number that the parent may call to obtain assistance on how to care for an infant or young child, which may be the telephone number of the infant’s physician, the hospital or maternity home at or on route to which the infant was born, the nurse-midwife that attended the birth of the infant, if born elsewhere than at or on route to a hospital or maternity home, or a help line established by the hospital, maternity home, or nurse-midwife.

3. A statement that the parent will share the information specified in subds. 1. and 2. with all persons who provide care for the infant.

(c) In preparing the form under par. (b) , the board may not include in the form a signature line for the parent to sign or any other requirement that the parent sign the form.

(d) The person who provides the written materials and explanation under par. (a) 1. or 2. and the form under par. (b) shall include in the records of the hospital, maternity home, or nurse-midwife relating to the infant a statement that the written materials, explanation, and form have been provided as required under pars. (a) 1. or 2. and (b) and that the audiovisual materials have been made available as required under par. (a) 1. or that the parents have been informed of their availability as required under par. (a) 2. , whichever is applicable.

(4) Training for child care providers.

(a) Before an individual may obtain a license to operate a child care center under s. 48.65 for the care and supervision of children under 5 years of age or enter into a contract to provide a child care program under s. 120.13 (14) for the care and supervision of children under 5 years of age, the individual shall receive training relating to shaken baby syndrome and impacted babies that is approved or provided by the department or that is provided by a nonprofit organization arranged by the department to provide that training.

(b) Before an individual may be certified under s. 48.651 as a child care provider of children under 5 years of age, the individual shall receive training relating to shaken baby syndrome and impacted babies that is approved or provided by the certifying department in a county having a population of 750,000 or more, county department, or agency contracted with under s. 48.651 (2) or that is provided by a nonprofit organization arranged by that department, county department, or contracted agency to provide that training.

(c) Before an employee or volunteer of a child care center licensed under s. 48.65 , a child care provider certified under s. 48.651 , or a child care program established under s. 120.13 (14) may provide care and supervision for children under 5 years of age, the employee or volunteer shall receive training relating to shaken baby syndrome and impacted babies that is approved or provided by the department or the certifying county department or agency contracted with under s. 48.651 (2) or that is provided by a nonprofit organization arranged by the department or that county department or contracted agency to provide that training.

(d) The person conducting the training shall provide to the individual receiving the training, without cost to the individual, a copy of the written materials purchased or prepared under sub. (2) , a presentation of the audiovisual materials purchased or prepared under sub. (2) , and an oral explanation of those written and audiovisual materials.

(e) Any training relating to shaken baby syndrome and impacted babies that an individual obtains in connection with military service, as defined in s. 111.32 (12g) , counts toward satisfying the training requirements under par. (a) , (b) , or (c) , if the individual demonstrates to the satisfaction of the department that the training obtained in that connection is substantially equivalent to the training required under par. (a) , (b) , or (c) .

(5) Instruction for pupils. Each school board shall provide or arrange with a nonprofit organization or health care provider to provide age-appropriate instruction relating to shaken baby syndrome and impacted babies for pupils in one of grades 5 to 8 and in one of grades 10 to 12. The person providing the instruction may provide to each pupil receiving the instruction a copy of the written materials purchased or prepared under sub. (2) , a presentation of the audiovisual materials purchased or prepared under sub. (2) , and an oral explanation of those written and audiovisual materials.

(6) Information to home visitation or care coordination services recipients. A county department or Indian tribe that is providing home visitation services under s. 48.983 (4) (b) 1. and a provider of prenatal, postpartum, and young child care coordination services under s. 49.45 (44) shall provide to a recipient of those services, without cost, a copy of the written materials purchased or prepared under sub. (2) and an oral explanation of those materials.

(7) Immunity from liability.

(a) The board, a nonprofit organization specified under sub. (2) , or a person from whom the board purchases the materials specified in sub. (2) is immune from liability for any damages resulting from any good faith act or omission in preparing and distributing, or in failing to prepare and distribute, the materials specified in sub. (2) .

(b) A hospital, maternity home, physician, nurse-midwife, other staff member of a hospital or maternity home, or other birth attendant attending the birth of an infant is immune from liability for any damages resulting from any good faith act or omission in providing or failing to provide the written and audiovisual materials specified in sub. (3) (a) or the form specified in sub. (3) (b) .

(c) The department, a county department, a nonprofit organization specified under sub. (4) (a) , (b) , or (c) , or any other person that provides the training under sub. (4) (a) , (b) , or (c) and the written and audiovisual materials and oral explanation specified in sub. (4) (d) is immune from liability for any damages resulting from any good faith act or omission in approving, providing, or failing to approve or provide that training, those materials, and that explanation. A school board is immune from liability for any damages resulting from any good faith act or omission in connection with the provision of, or the failure to provide, the training under sub. (4) (a) or (c) and the written and audiovisual materials and oral explanation specified in sub. (4) (d) .

(d) A school board, nonprofit organization, or health care provider specified under sub. (5) is immune from liability for any damages resulting from any good faith act or omission in providing or failing to provide the instruction and the written and audiovisual materials and oral explanation specified in sub. (5) .

(e) A county department or Indian tribe that is providing home visitation services under s. 48.983 (4) (b) 1. and a provider of prenatal, postpartum, and young child care coordination services under s. 49.45 (44) is immune from liability for any damages resulting from any good faith act or omission in providing or failing to provide the written materials and oral explanation specified in sub. (6) .

(8) Identification of shaken or impacted babies. The department of health services shall identify all infants and young children who have shaken baby syndrome or who are impacted babies and all infants and young children who have died as a result of being shaken or thrown by using the statewide automated child welfare information system established under s. 48.47 (7g) and child fatality information compiled by the department of justice. For each infant or young child so identified, the department of health services shall document the age, sex, and other characteristics of the infant or young child that are relevant to the prevention of shaken baby syndrome and impacted babies and, if known, the age, sex, employment status, and residence of the person who shook or threw the infant or young child, the relationship of that person to the infant or young child, and any other characteristics of that person that are relevant to the prevention of shaken baby syndrome and impacted babies.

History: 2005 a. 165 ; 2007 a. 20 ss. 3059 to 3065 , 9121 (6) (a) ; 2007 a. 96 ; 2009 a. 28 , 180 , 185 ; 2011 a. 32 , 120 ; 2015 a. 172 ; 2025 a. 17 .