Adoption Professional Information

Public Adoption (formerly Special Needs Adoption Program) is the adoption of a child from the foster care system. There are many children in Wisconsin foster homes waiting to be adopted.

A list of Public Adoption forms is available in the Adoption Forms data table. Sort on the Key column to find all of the forms applicable to Public Adoptions.

Public Adoptions agencies are responsible for completing adoptions for children involved in child welfare. County Human Service Departments should work with Public Adoption Supervisors or Managers regarding the referral process.

Relative adoption (Wisconsin Chapter DCF 48.835) is the adoption of a child by a relative when the birth parent has placed the child in that relative's home without a court order. Wisconsin statutes allow a parent who has custody of a child to place the child for adoption in the home of a relative of the child.

"Relative" means a person related to the child by either birth or in most situations by marriage (Wisconsin Chapter DCF 48.02(15)), including a:

• Parent
• Grandparent
• Stepparent
• Brother
• Sister
• First cousin
• Niece or Nephew
• Uncle or Aunt
• Others

A relative adoption occurs when the child's birth parents are making a plan of adoption with a relative. If the relative adoption is for a child within the child welfare system, it may be a Public Adoption.

Requirements for relative adoptions may vary based on the Adoption Agency’s decision to take guardianship of the child for the purposes of the adoptive parents receiving Adoption Assistance for the child (Wisconsin Chapter DCF 48.833).

Stepparent adoption is the adoption of a child by the spouse of the parent, following the death or termination of parental rights of the other parent.

Wisconsin statutes allow a stepparent (spouse of a parent) who lives both with the child and with the parent who has custody of the child to adopt the child.

The Department of Children and Families (DCF) has not issued specific policy and procedure regarding the process of finalizing these adoptions. Agencies should reference Wisconsin Chapter DCF 48 for information on the requirements for Stepparent Adoptions.

Private domestic adoptions (Wisconsin Chapter DCF 48.837) are often referred to as agency adoptions or independent adoptions. This type of adoption is often for infants whose birth mother has made an adoption plan for her child.

As a licensed private adoption agency you should assist families interested in adoption. Your agency may:

• Describe costs of adoption
• Describe procedures of adoption
• Provide counseling for birth parents
• Provide counseling adoptive parents
• License adoptive parents
• Complete an adoptive home study
• Supervise the adoptive placements
• Provide post-adoption services

There are limitations on the types and amount of payment (Wisconsin Chapter DCF 48.913) made by adoptive parents to complete an adoption.

The Department of Children and Families (DCF) has not issued specific policy and procedure regarding the process for International Adoptions. Agencies should reference Wisconsin Chapter DCF 48 for information on the requirements for foreign adoptions. DCF can provide review of foreign adoption documents and provide necessary certifications and approvals required by state and federal law.

Agencies are encouraged to consult with their agency attorneys for guidance on how to assist families on registering foreign adoptions. Agencies may access updated forms through the circuit court.

For additional information about international adoption, visit the following:

• United States Citizenship and Immigration Services
• Bureau of Consular Affairs
• Council on Accreditation

The Department of Children and Families (DCF), is responsible for licensing and monitoring child welfare agencies, to include Child Placing Agencies and Private Adoption Agencies. DCF ensures Child Welfare Licensing requirements are met through ongoing inspection of licensed agencies.

The Department of Children and Families (DCF) has created the Provider Information Exchange (PIE) for sharing electronic documents and files between state program staff and your facility's staff. This is a secure venue for sharing data between DCF and the facilities. Information exchanged is associated with Licensing and Caregiver Background Checks.

In 2015, the Department of Children and Families (DCF) requested each licensed Child Placing Agency (CPA) licensed for private domestic and international adoptions to provide information for all private domestic and international adoptions the agency facilitated for the period of January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2015 occurring in Wisconsin.

Based on the information gathered, the Department determined ongoing data collection is necessary to gain a better understanding of the adoptions transpiring in Wisconsin.

DCF is requesting, under its’ authority in Chapter DCF 54.06(6), each CPA licensed for private domestic and international adoptions provide information for all private domestic and international adoptions finalized by the agency in Wisconsin each year.

CPAs will access their agency specific spreadsheet in the new Adoption Data folder located in the Provider Information Exchange (PIE) site.

• CPAs completing private domestic and international adoptions will have access to the folder at any time, allowing data to be entered throughout the year.
• The PIE lead for the CPA will have access to the folder and will need to enter all finalized adoptions that occurred in Wisconsin each year, no later than January 31st of the following year.
• If the PIE lead does not have access to the folder, the lead should email the DCF Help Desk at DCFHelpDesk@wisconsin.gov to request permission to the Annual Adoption Data folder for their agency. 

Adoption Agencies in Wisconsin must comply with all applicable statutes and Administrative Code regarding Adoption in Wisconsin, including the following:

Children’s Code   
Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 48

Facilitating Public Adoptions and Adoption Assistance   
Chapter DCF 50 Administrative Code

• Adoption Assistance and Amendment Requirements
• Establishes an Adoption Information Exchange

Preadoption Training   
Chapter DCF 51 Administrative Code

• Screening and approval of families adopting children in Public Adoptions
• Pre-adoption Preparation Training required of most adoptive parents
  • If a foster parent has completed initial licensing training as part of the foster care licensing requirements, some of the adoption training can be met by the initial licensing training.  The Pre-Adoptive Training and Foundation Training Crosswalk provides more information.

Adoption Information Search and Disclosure   
Chapter DCF 53 Administrative Code

• The Adoption Search Program

Child Placing Agencies   
Chapter DCF 54 Administrative Code

• Licensing of Child Placing Agencies, including Private Adoption Agencies

Foster Home Care for Children   
Chapter DCF 56 Administrative Code

• Licensing foster homes, including pre-adoptive homes

Adoption assistance helps support parents raising a child with special care needs who meets the eligibility criteria for adoption assistance in Chapter DCF 50 Administrative Code. This assistance may include:

• medical assistance for some medical costs not covered by the family's health insurance
• a monthly amount to help care for the child
• reimbursement of reasonable and necessary expenses to complete the adoption

Adoption Assistance Packets may only be submitted by the Adoption Agency.  Public Adoption applications may be submitted through eWiSACWIS and the Adoption Assistance applications for private adoptions must be submitted using the Adoption Assistance Forms Checklist/Routing Instructions Private Domestic Adoptions form.

A list of Adoption Assistance Forms is available in the Adoption Forms data table. Sort on the Key column to find all of the forms applicable to Adoption Assistance.

If you have questions about submitting an Adoption Assistance Packet, please talk to your supervisor or contact the Adoption Assistance Eligibility Coordinator at AAEligibility@wisconsin.gov.

Adoption Forms for Agency Workers provides a table of forms pertaining to the adoption of children in Wisconsin. All columns are sortable. Sort on the Key column to find forms for a specific adoption process.

Post-permanency resources are available for adopted persons, birth parents and adoptive families, before and after adoption finalization. Licensed adoption agencies and other service providers may also offer some post-adoption services.

Permanency support services in Wisconsin are provided by the Wisconsin Family Connections Center (WiFCC). To connect families with the WiFCC, adoption agencies are required to report the names and contact information of all adoptive parents to the WiFCC within 90 days of the adoption, unless the adoptive parent(s) opt(s) out of the release of that information.

There is a form for agencies to complete allowing the adoptive parent to opt out of sharing their information with the WiFCC. This form MUST be included in the adoptive parent’s file.

• Adoptive Parent Information Release (DCF-F-5163-E)
• Divulgación de información para padres adoptivos (DCF-F-5163-S)

The State of Wisconsin offers an Adoption Search Program.

The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) is a law ensuring children moving from state to state under court jurisdiction have the same rights and protections as children in Wisconsin. The ICPC establishes uniform legal and administrative procedures governing the interstate placement of children. Wisconsin ICPC statute can be found at Chapter DCF 48.988.

Private Adoptions across state lines that are subject to the ICPC must be submitted to the Wisconsin ICPC office.

The ICPC is overseen by the Association of Administrators of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (AAICPC). AAICPC consists of members from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Unregulated Custody Transfer (UCT), also known as “re-homing” is the practice of adoptive parents transferring custody of a child to another individual or group without involvement of relevant authorities.

Wisconsin and states across the nation are encouraging agencies to be aware of this issue and work together to ensure adoptions are occurring safely and under all applicable laws of each state.  For information about what you can do to prevent UCT, please see this Tip Sheet, developed by the Children’s Bureau.

Adoption Agencies are required to conduct an investigation on the suitability of a family for adoption using an assessment system approved by the Department of Children and Families (DCF). DCF has established the Structured Analysis Family Evaluation (SAFE) tool as the required standardized assessment tool for approval of adoptions.

The statutes do not require the SAFE home study for court requested adoption investigations by a tribal child welfare department under Chapter DCF 48.88(2)(ag); or step-parent adoptions. Policy Memo 2016-35i (Emergency Rules for the Reasonable and Prudent Parent Standard & the SAFE Home Study) provides additional information.

Chapter DCF 56 Administrative Code requires licensed foster and adoptive parents promote normalcy for the children placed in their home by applying the Reasonable and Prudent Parent Standard. The Reasonable and Prudent Parent Standard brochure (DCF-P-5105) provides more information.