In-Home Ongoing Services Information

Generational familyThe Wisconsin Department of Children and Families’ vision is that all Wisconsin children and youth are safe and loved members of thriving families and communities. In order to reach this vision, we are focused on reducing racial and ethnic disparities through key priorities. One of those priorities is safely transforming the child welfare and youth justice systems to dramatically increase the proportion of children and youth safely supported in their homes and communities. 

The Ongoing stage is where services are provided following an assessment and collaboration with the family to identify their strengths and needs. Child welfare professionals will work with the family to establish goals that achieve measurable outcomes.  

Case Planning

“Case Planning should involve families, it should be asked, ‘what can help overcome barriers?’ It should be part of the process, and parents should be included in case planning” - Lived Expert 

Case planning encompasses everything child welfare professionals do with youth and families, with a focus on:

  • Engagement
  • Rapport building
  • Assessments 
  • Developing and monitoring goals 
  • Service referrals 
  • Partnering to achieve safe case closure

Strong case planning helps to develop a map for the family to safely exit the child welfare system that is understood by the parents/guardian, youth, and child welfare professional.  Based on this understanding, each contact a child welfare professional has with a family is an opportunity to connect back to the case planning process, even if they are not formally reviewing the Family Case Plan document. 

Engagement and Collaboration

Bringing together the support system identified by the parents/guardian and youth is a style of engagement critical to empowering the family to achieve goals that address the needs of the family to achieve safe case closure.  The family should identify who makes up their support network which can include natural supports such as family, like-kin, friends, community members or tribal representatives. This network will support the needs of the family during involvement with the child welfare agency as well as following safe case closure. In order to truly partner with families and improve outcomes for children, families need to be leading the changes in their own lives.   

Family Teaming is a collaborative, culturally responsive and engagement-driven process. This process brings together the family and their supports to actively create, review and work toward goals of the Family Case Plan. Through a strengths-based lens, Family Teaming empowers families to voice concerns, request support, and take an active role in guiding the direction of their Family Case Plan and services. This approach promotes shared decision-making and accountability, builds natural supports that can sustain beyond system involvement, and supports parents in increasing their protective capacities.

Child Welfare Professionals’ Responsibilities

Child welfare professionals work in partnership with the child and family to understand their circumstances, identify strengths and needs, and support meaningful change.  This includes:

  • Engaging with families to identify specific strengths and needs 
  • Assessing the safety of the child and developing any plans necessary to maintain the child safely in their home 
  • Collaborating with the family to develop a Family Case Plan 
  • Conducting meaningful home-visits to partner with the family in working on their identified goals 
  • Following Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and Wisconsin Indian Child Welfare Act (WICWA) Requirements 
    • When the child is an Indian child, make active efforts to prevent the breakup of the Indian family through the use of remedial services and rehabilitation programs as required in ICWA/WICWA. 
    • Engage the child, family, and Indian child’s tribe in the assessment and Family Case Plan development.
  • Connecting families with sustainable community resources and supports that can continue following safe case closure

In-Home Ongoing Services work with families is guided by specific practice requirements which are listed in the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families Ongoing Services Standards. The child welfare professional needs to follow either the CPS-In Home or Child-Welfare In-Home Standards section, depending on each family’s circumstances

Child welfare services may be delivered in-home on a voluntary basis or through formal involvement by way of court order or legal agreement.  Child welfare professionals should consult with their supervisor and agency legal counsel regarding the use of Informal Dispositional Agreements, Consent Decrees or Dispositional Orders as outlined in CH 48 of the Wisconsin Children’s Code.  

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