Wis. Stat. § 938.38 — WI Code / Chapter 938 / Section 938.38
Permanency planning.
Status: in_force

(1) Definitions. In this section:

(a) “Agency” means the department of children and families, the department of corrections, a county department, or a licensed child welfare agency.

(ag) “Family permanency team” means the team of individuals assembled under sub. (3m) to participate in a juvenile’s permanency planning.

(am) “Independent agency” means a private, nonprofit organization, but does not include a licensed child welfare agency that is authorized to prepare permanency plans or that is assigned the primary responsibility of providing services under a permanency plan.

(ap) “Juvenile” includes a person 17 years of age or over for whom a permanency plan is required under sub. (2) .

(b) “Permanency plan” means a plan designed to ensure that a juvenile is reunified with his or her family whenever appropriate, or that the juvenile quickly attains a placement or home providing long-term stability.

(bp) “Qualified residential treatment program” means a residential care center for children and youth, group home, or shelter care facility certified under s. 48.675 .

(2) Permanency plan required. Except as provided in sub. (3) , for each juvenile living in a foster home, group home, residential care center for children and youth, juvenile detention facility, shelter care facility, or supervised independent living arrangement, the agency that placed the juvenile or arranged the placement or the agency assigned primary responsibility for providing services to the juvenile under s. 938.355 (2) (b) 6g. shall prepare a written permanency plan, if any of the following conditions exists, and, for each juvenile living in the home of a guardian or a relative other than a parent or in the home of like-kin, that agency shall prepare a written permanency plan, if any of the conditions under pars. (a) to (e) exists:

(a) The juvenile is being held in physical custody under s. 938.207 , 938.208 or 938.209 (1) .

(b) The juvenile is in the legal custody of the agency.

(c) The juvenile is under the supervision of an agency under s. 48.64 (2) , under a consent decree under s. 938.32 (1) (c) , or under a court order under s. 938.355 .

(d) The juvenile was placed under a voluntary agreement between the agency and the juvenile’s parent under s. 48.63 (1) (a) or (5) (b) or under a voluntary transition-to-independent-living agreement under s. 938.366 (3) .

(e) The juvenile is under the guardianship of the agency.

(f) The juvenile’s care would be paid for under s. 49.19 but for s. 49.19 (20) , except that this paragraph does not apply to a juvenile whose care is being paid for under s. 48.623 (1) .

(2m) Consultation with juvenile 14 or over. The agency responsible for preparing the permanency plan for a juvenile 14 years of age or over shall prepare the plan and any revisions of the plan in consultation with the juvenile and, at the option of the juvenile, with not more than 2 persons selected by the juvenile who are members of any child and family team convened for the juvenile, except that the juvenile may not select his or her caregiver or caseworker to consult in the preparation or revision of the permanency plan and the agency may reject a person selected by the juvenile if the agency has good cause to believe that the person would not act in the best interests of the juvenile. The agency may designate one of the persons selected by the juvenile to be the juvenile’s adviser and, as necessary, the juvenile’s advocate, with respect to application of the reasonable and prudent parent standard to decisions concerning the juvenile’s participation in age or developmentally appropriate activities.

(3) Time. Subject to sub. (4m) (a) , the agency shall file the permanency plan with the court within 60 days after the date on which the juvenile was first removed from his or her home, except under either of the following conditions:

(a) If the juvenile is alleged to be delinquent and is being held in a juvenile detention facility, juvenile portion of a county jail, or shelter care facility, and the agency intends to recommend that the juvenile be placed in a juvenile correctional facility or a secured residential care center for children and youth, the agency is not required to submit the permanency plan unless the court does not accept the recommendation of the agency. If the court places the juvenile in any facility outside of the juvenile’s home other than a juvenile correctional facility or a secured residential care center for children and youth, the agency shall file the permanency plan with the court within 60 days after the date of disposition.

(b) If the juvenile is held for less than 60 days in a juvenile detention facility, juvenile portion of a county jail, or a shelter care facility, no permanency plan is required if the juvenile is returned to his or her home within that period.

(3m) Family permanency team. If a juvenile is placed in a residential care center for children and youth, group home, or shelter care facility certified under s. 48.675 , the agency that placed the juvenile or arranged the placement or the agency assigned primary responsibility for providing services to the juvenile under s. 48.355 (2) (b) 6g. shall invite all of the following to participate in permanency planning and may invite others at the agency’s discretion:

(a) All appropriate biological family members, relatives, and like-kin of the juvenile, as determined by the agency. Notwithstanding s. 938.02 (12c) , in this paragraph, “like-kin” may include an individual who is or previously was the child’s licensed foster parent.

(b) Appropriate professionals who serve as a resource for the family of the juvenile, such as teachers, medical or mental health providers who have treated the juvenile, or clergy.

(c) Others identified by a juvenile over the age of 14 as provided under sub. (2m) .

(4) Contents of plan. The permanency plan shall include all of the following:

(ag) The name, address, and telephone number of the juvenile’s parent, guardian, and legal custodian.

(am) The date on which the juvenile was removed from his or her home and the date on which the juvenile was placed in out-of-home care.

(ar) A description of the services offered and any services provided in an effort to prevent the removal of the juvenile from his or her home, while assuring that the health and safety of the juvenile are the paramount concerns, and to achieve the goal of the permanency plan, except that the permanency plan is not required to include a description of the services offered or provided with respect to a parent of the juvenile to prevent the removal of the juvenile from the home or to achieve the permanency goal of returning the juvenile safely to his or her home if any of the following applies:

1. Any of the circumstances under s. 938.355 (2d) (b) 1. to 4. applies to that parent.

2. The juvenile has attained 18 years of age.

(b) The basis for the decision to hold the juvenile in custody or to place the juvenile outside of his or her home.

(bm) A statement as to the availability of a safe and appropriate placement with a fit and willing relative of the juvenile and, if a decision is made not to place the juvenile with an available relative, a statement as to why placement with the relative is not safe or appropriate.

(br)

1. In this paragraph, “sibling” means a person who is a brother or sister of a juvenile, whether by blood, marriage, or adoption, including a person who has a brother or sister of a juvenile before the person was adopted or parental rights to the person were terminated.

2. If the juvenile has one or more siblings who have also been removed from the home, a description of the efforts made to place the juvenile in a placement that enables the sibling group to remain together and, if a decision is made not to place the juvenile and his or her siblings in a joint placement, a statement as to why a joint placement would be contrary to the safety or well-being of the juvenile or any of those siblings and a description of the efforts made to provide for frequent visitation or other ongoing interaction between the juvenile and those siblings. If a decision is made not to provide for that visitation or interaction, the permanency plan shall include a statement as to why that visitation or interaction would be contrary to the safety or well-being of the juvenile or any of those siblings.

(c) The location and type of facility in which the juvenile is currently held or placed, and the location and type of facility in which the juvenile will be placed.

(d) If the juvenile is living more than 60 miles from his or her home, documentation that placement within 60 miles of the juvenile’s home is either unavailable or inappropriate.

(dg) Information about the juvenile’s education, including all of the following:

1. The name and address of the school in which the juvenile is or was most recently enrolled.

2. Any special education programs in which the juvenile is or was previously enrolled.

3. The grade level in which the juvenile is or was most recently enrolled and all information that is available concerning the juvenile’s grade level performance.

4. A summary of all available education records relating to the juvenile that are relevant to any education goals included in the education services plan prepared under s. 938.33 (1) (e) .

(dm) If as a result of the placement the juvenile has been or will be transferred from the school in which the juvenile is or most recently was enrolled, documentation that a placement that would maintain the juvenile in that school is either unavailable or inappropriate or that a placement that would result in the juvenile’s transfer to another school would be in the juvenile’s best interests.

(dr) Medical information relating to the juvenile, including all of the following:

1. The names and addresses of the juvenile’s physician, dentist, and any other health care provider that is or was previously providing health care services to the juvenile.

2. The juvenile’s immunization record, including the name and date of each immunization administered to the juvenile.

3. Any known medical condition for which the juvenile is receiving medical care or treatment and any known serious medical condition for which the juvenile has previously received medical care or treatment.

4. The name, purpose, and dosage of any medication that is being administered to the juvenile and the name of any medication that causes the juvenile to suffer an allergic or other negative reaction.

(e) A plan for ensuring the safety and appropriateness of the placement and a description of the services provided to meet the needs of the juvenile and family, including a discussion of services that have been investigated and considered and are not available or likely to become available within a reasonable time to meet the needs of the juvenile or, if available, why such services are not safe or appropriate.

(f) A description of the services that will be provided to the juvenile, the juvenile’s family, and the juvenile’s foster parent, the operator of the facility where the juvenile is living, or the relative or like-kin with whom the juvenile is living to carry out the dispositional order, including services planned to accomplish all of the following:

1. Ensure proper care and treatment of the juvenile and promote safety and stability in the placement.

2. Meet the juvenile’s physical, emotional, social, educational and vocational needs.

3. Improve the conditions of the parents’ home to facilitate the safe return of the juvenile to his or her home, or, if appropriate, obtain for the juvenile a placement for adoption, with a guardian, or with a fit and willing relative, or, in the case of a juvenile 16 years of age or over, obtain for the juvenile, if appropriate, a placement in some other planned permanent living arrangement that includes an appropriate, enduring relationship with an adult.

(fg) The goal of the permanency plan or, if the agency is engaging in concurrent planning, as defined in s. 938.355 (2b) (a) , the permanency and concurrent permanency goals of the permanency plan. If a goal of the permanency plan is to place the juvenile for adoption, with a guardian, or with a fit and willing relative, the permanency plan shall include the rationale for deciding on that goal and the efforts made to achieve that goal, including, if appropriate, through an out-of-state placement. If the agency determines under s. 938.355 (2b) (b) to engage in concurrent planning, the permanency plan shall include the rationale for that determination and a description of the concurrent plan. The agency shall determine one or more of the following goals to be the goal or goals of a juvenile’s permanency plan:

1. Return of the juvenile to the juvenile’s home.

2. Placement of the juvenile for adoption.

3. Placement of the juvenile with a guardian.

4. Permanent placement of the juvenile with a fit and willing relative.

5. In the case of a juvenile 16 years of age or over, placement of the juvenile in some other planned permanent living arrangement that includes an appropriate, enduring relationship with an adult.

(fm) If the agency determines that there is a compelling reason why it currently would not be in the best interests of a juvenile 16 years of age or over to return the juvenile to his or her home or to place the juvenile for adoption, with a guardian, or with a fit and willing relative as the permanency goal for the juvenile, the permanency goal of placing the juvenile in some other planned permanent living arrangement. If the agency makes that determination, the plan shall include the efforts made to achieve that permanency goal, including, if appropriate, through an out-of-state placement, a statement of that compelling reason, and, notwithstanding that compelling reason, a concurrent plan under s. 938.355 (2b) towards achieving a goal under par. (fg) 1. to 4. as a concurrent permanency goal in addition to the permanency goal under par. (fg) 5. The plan shall also include a plan to ensure that the juvenile has regular, ongoing opportunities to engage in age or developmentally appropriate activities determined in accordance with the reasonable and prudent parent standard.

(g) The conditions, if any, upon which the juvenile will be returned safely to his or her home, including any changes required in the parents’ conduct, the juvenile’s conduct or the nature of the home.