Careers at DCF: What we do Our department’s vision is that all Wisconsin children and youth are safe and loved members of thriving families and communities. To reach our goal, we are focused on reducing racial and ethnic disparities in our programs and services, focusing on five key priorities: Systematically increasing access to quality early care and education programs that support the needs of children and families statewide; Putting families in the center of successful child support and good-paying jobs programs; Safely transforming the child welfare and youth justice system to dramatically increase the proportion of children supported in their homes and communities; Dedicating additional resources to support vulnerable and historically underserved youth, specifically teenage girls, kids with complex care needs, and youth transitioning out of the foster care system; Fostering a workplace where agency staff feel engaged, valued, and connected to our vision. Divisions and Programs Our department is divided into five divisions, with each focusing on programs that empower and uplift families. Division of Early Care and Education The Division of Early Care and Education (DEC) aims to provide access to affordable, high-quality child care and early education experiences, to enhance our children's development, and to support their families in work and parenting roles. Bureau of Early Care Regulation The Bureau of Early Care Regulation (BECR) is responsible for the licensing and regulation of child care in Wisconsin. The bureau regulates family and group child care centers and day camps, monitors public school operated child care programs, regulates certified programs in Milwaukee County, and conducts background checks on all licensees, household members, and employees of licensed and certified child care programs. The bureau has a central office, a caregiver background unit, and five regional licensing offices throughout the state. Bureau of Child Care Subsidy Administration The Bureau of Child Care Subsidy Administration (BCCSA) oversees the statewide implementation of the Wisconsin Shares program. This program helps low-income families with the cost of child care while they are working or preparing to enter the workforce. Wisconsin Shares is implemented at the local level by 71 counties and nine tribes. In Milwaukee County, Milwaukee Early Care Administration (MECA) provides direct services for child care authorizations. Bureau of YoungStar The Bureau of YoungStar (BOY) oversees the department's quality initiatives, most importantly YoungStar, Wisconsin's Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS). The bureau also supports the Preschool Development Grant (PDG) through established relationships with contract partners. Bureau of Operations and Planning The Bureau of Operations and Planning (BOP) exercises overall administration of division-wide activities including information technology services; policy and program communications; customer and stakeholder communication/ training; contract management and support; and quality assurance functions. Bureau of Milwaukee Early Care Administration The Bureau of Milwaukee Early Care Administration, known by customers as MECA, administers Milwaukee County's Wisconsin Shares program. To do this, it provides child care subsidy authorizations for working parents, supports and provides Wisconsin Shares training for licensed and certified child care providers, and maintains the integrity of Wisconsin Shares child care dollars. Division of Family and Economic Security The Division of Family and Economic Security (DFES) aims to ensure that every induvial, child, and family is economically and socially secure. Bureau of Child Support The Bureau of Child Support (BCS) is responsible for overseeing the child support program in Wisconsin. Our state utilizes a county operated child support system. The state provides oversight to the counties, who are responsible for the operational side of child support. BCS sets up policies to help the county child support agencies to achieve the program objectives. Bureau of Working Families The Bureau of Working Families (BWF) is responsible for administering programs that provide assistance to low-income families in Wisconsin. The most widely-known program is the Wisconsin Works employment program, but there are other vital employment programs within BWF, including the Emergency Assistance, Job Access Loans, and the Transform Milwaukee Jobs and Transitional Jobs subsidized employment programs. Bureau of Refugee Programs The Bureau of Refugee Programs (BRP) is responsible for administering refugee programs in partnership with our contractors who provide direct services to refugees in Wisconsin. Bureau of Analytics and Research The Bureau of Analytics and Research (BAR) provides reporting, performance monitoring, data stewardship, foundational fact-finding, and evaluation resources to Division of Family and Economic Security partners. They aim to ensure program accountability, deepen knowledge of our programs and their participants, and deliver data products that support or partners' daily decision-making. Division of Management Services The Division of Management Services (DMS) oversees financial management, information systems and technology; affirmative action and civil rights compliance; purchasing and contract administration; facilities management; project management; and other administrative services for the department. Bureau of Finance The Bureau of Finance (BOF) is responsible for the accounting and financial reporting of all funds administered by the Department of Children and Families. The bureau provides financial services including accounts payable, accounts receivable, general accounting, federal reporting, and financial systems processing. They also provide contract and procurement services, financial consultation, and operating budget assistance to the program divisions in order to ensure sound financial policy and procedures throughout the department. Bureau of Information Technology Services The Bureau of Information Technology Services (BITS) is the primary full-service IT provider for all of the DCF program areas. The bureau supports and enhances the goals of the Department of Children and Families through effective, customer-focused technology resources. Bureau of Regional Operations The Bureau of Regional Operations (BRO) works with state and local agencies administering DCF programs. They are often the main point of contact between the state and local agencies and work to keep these vital lines of communication open. The bureau oversees state contracts with local agencies, conducts program monitoring, and provides technical assistance to local agencies in their delivery of DCF program services. Bureau of Performance Management The Bureau of Performance Management (BPM) provides objective analysis of policy and program effectiveness and efficiency across program areas in support of the department's mission and goals for children and families. The bureau performs detailed analysis, provides project management capabilities, and assists in continious improvement efforts. Division of Milwaukee Child Protective Services The Division of Milwaukee Child Protective Services (DMCPS) is responsible for the administration for child welfare services in Milwaukee County. In partnership with many other community based resources, DMCPS provides services to families in crisis that help keep children safely in the home. When it is necessary, DMCPS looks to kin and like-kin and foster and adoptive families to provide appropriate temporary and permanent homes for children who cannot live with their parents. Initial Assessment Initial assessment staff respond to screened-in reports of child abuse or neglect. These individuals go into the community to meet with the alleged victim, other children in the household, parents, family, and community contacts to conduct a comprehensive assessment in accordance with the Wisconsin Access and Initial Assessment Standards and the Wisconsin Safety Intervention Standards. Access Access staff are responsible for receiving and documenting reports of suspected child abuse/neglect from the community. Some of their roles include accurately documenting the report and recommending a screening and response time decision on screened in referrals. Support Functions In addition to Initial Assessment and Access, the Division of Milwaukee Child Protective Services has a variety of other sections that support child welfare services in Milwaukee County. These include finance, continuous improvement, contract management, and medical/behavioral health services. Division of Safety and Permanence The Division of Safety and Permanence (DSP) focuses on protecting the most vulnerable; especially those who have been victims of child abuse or neglect, domestic abuse, or sex trafficking. It also looks to the future, with a keen eye placed upon improving long-term outcomes for foster youth and young people in the juvenile justice system that are at risk of moving into the adult correctional system without appropriate intervention. Bureau of Permanence and Out-of-Home Care The Bureau of Permanence and Out-of-Home Care (BPOHC) is responsible for administering the state public adoption program; providing policy guidance to counties on foster care, kinship care, and other out-of-home-care placements; and licensing and monitoring group homes for children, residential care centers for children and youth, child-placing agencies, and shelter care. It also administers the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC), which regulates the safe placement of children across state lines. The purpose of these programs is to promote the health, safety, and well-being of children and families in the child- welfare system and achieve permanence for children placed in out-of-home care. Bureau of Safety and Well-being The Bureau of Safety and Well-Being (BSWB) develops and issues child protective services (CPS) policy standards and practice guidance for CPS agencies in Wisconsin. The bureau also manages child welfare and child abuse/neglect prevention services; monitors federal and state legislation related to child welfare; supports cross-system services that benefit children and youth in the child welfare system; manages family violence prevention and intervention programs; and oversees child-welfare staff and provider professional-development activities. Bureau of Youth Services The Bureau of Youth Services (BYS) supports service delivery systems that move youth in the child welfare and youth justice systems towards academic success, safe and stable housing, employment, permanent connections with supportive adults, and healthy lifestyle behaviors. To do this, they provide fiscal and programmatic oversight for the community based youth justice system and manage the Independent Living Services and Runaway and Homeless Youth programs and the Brighter Futures initiative. Bureau of Compliance, Research, and Analytics The Bureau of Compliance, Research, & Analytics (BCRA) is responsible for managing statewide child welfare data reporting and analytics, Title IV-E program and policy, and the division's budget and fiscal compliance.
