Wisconsin Department of Children and Families - Division of Early Care and Education
Bureau of Early Care Regulation
Child Care Licensing Procedure Manual
The regional office must take immediate action to address the threat of imminent danger. In no case should the initial response to complaints involving potential imminent danger occur later than the next day after the BECR regional office receives the complaint. If a high-risk complaint is received on a Friday or before a holiday, the licensing manager/licensing supervisor must determine the appropriate response to take, often with the input of the bureau director and/or legal staff.
The initial regional response might include such actions as:
Informing the appropriate county of alleged child abuse/neglect;
Contacting other authorities, such as law enforcement, to intervene;
Making an unannounced visit to the center to assess the need for a summary suspension, or to deliver a summary suspension. For more information, see the chapters on Summary Suspension and Revocation in the Enforcement Section;
Initiating other enforcement action such as delivery of an order. For more information, see the chapter on Orders in the Enforcement Section;
Phoning the center to gather information to clarify the situation, instruct staff on actions to take and/or assess what should be done next.
Once the potential risk of imminent danger to children has been addressed, or ruled out, the licensing specialist should immediately develop an investigation plan (See section 5.) and proceed with the investigation.
In situations where other agencies are involved in the investigation, the licensing specialist may have to wait for the other agency’s findings before developing his/her own investigation plan. This is especially true in cases of alleged child abuse or neglect. The licensing specialist should inform the licensing manager/licensing supervisor of such situations.
This page last updated 10/2020.