Prevention Updates

Wisconsin's Five-Year Prevention Plan has been approved by the federal Children's Bureau! 

As part of the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA), states are required to submit a Five-Year Prevention Plan. The Five- Year Prevention Plan outlines how Wisconsin intends to implement evidence-based, Title IV-E Prevention Clearinghouse Services. Wisconsin's Five-Year Prevention Plan builds on the existing framework to re-orient the child welfare system to serve more children in their homes, or with relatives. The overarching goal of Wisconsin's Prevention Plan is consistent with the DCF vision "to dramatically reduce the number of children in out-of-home care."

View the Prevention Plan or see highlights of the plan in a 1-page Prevention Plan summary.

The video "Technical Updates in Advance of eWiSACWIS Release" is ready to view below. This is a brief overview of the technical changes impacting eWiSACWIS taking effect on September 29, 2021. This video outlines minor changes to case plans, permanency plans, and requirements related to expecting and parenting youth in out-of-home care.

Supporting In-Home Planning and Parent Engagement

Across Wisconsin, agencies are creatively working to keep children and families together to dramatically reduce the number of children in out-of-home care. This is achieved through a constellation of services and funding that support keeping children and families in home.

A 1-page Constellation of Services can be found here. This 1-pager includes a summary of services and ideas with ways to support local level innovation.

The voices of lived experience stakeholders are vital to the Wisconsin Child Welfare transformation. DCF launched the Parent Leaders in Child Welfare Stakeholder Group in January 2021. This group is made up of parents with lived child welfare experience. They meet monthly and support the transformation efforts. DCF is hosting virtual meetings for more information on the Parent Leader Group sessions.

Wisconsin's 5-Year Prevention Plan

FFPSA elevates the importance of keeping children and families together. As part of the Family First Prevention Services Act, states are required to submit a 5-year Prevention Plan.

The Wisconsin Title IV-E 5-Year Prevention Plan 1-page summary outlines key concepts in the plan. This includes Wisconsin's definition of candidacy and what agencies can expect following October 2021. 

Title IV-E prevention clearing house evidence-based services in the 5-year plan include:

  • Nurse-Family Partnership
  • Healthy Families America
  • Parents as Teachers

Information about Home Visiting programs in Wisconsin, including locating a program in your area, parent resources and more can be found by visiting the Family Foundations Home Visiting page.

Implementation

DCF continues to support efforts to strengthen the constellation of services noted above and remains committed to breaking down policy barriers and supporting local level innovation. View the prevention FAQ for more information on implementation.