How to Become a Foster Parent in Wisconsin

Most people who want to foster in Wisconsin spend their first few weeks calling the wrong offices, waiting on hold with agencies that don't handle foster care, and trying to decode a 60-page administrative code. The process isn't complicated once you understand the structure — but that structure is not what you'd expect, especially if you live in Milwaukee.

Here's how it actually works.

Who Runs Foster Care in Wisconsin

Wisconsin operates what's called a "state-administered, county-run" system. The Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF) writes the rules and sets the standards through Administrative Code Chapter DCF 56. But your local county Department of Human Services (DHS) or Department of Social Services (DSS) is the one who licenses your home.

There are 71 counties that work this way. Then there's Milwaukee County — the one exception.

In Milwaukee, the state took over child welfare directly in 1995. The Division of Milwaukee Child Protective Services (DMCPS) is a division of DCF, not of Milwaukee County government. If you live in Milwaukee and call the Milwaukee County DHS, they'll redirect you. DMCPS runs licensing through contracted private agencies: Wellpoint Care Network and Children's Wisconsin handle most of the intake and licensing for prospective Milwaukee foster parents.

If you live outside Milwaukee, your county's foster care coordinator is your first contact. The DCF maintains an interactive map at dcf.wisconsin.gov/map/fostercare with every county coordinator's contact information.

Basic Eligibility

Wisconsin's eligibility standards are set in DCF 56.05. The minimum age is 21. Single adults, married couples, same-sex couples, and divorced individuals are all eligible — the system cares about your capacity to care for a child, not the composition of your household.

You must be financially self-sufficient, meaning your income covers your own household expenses before a foster child arrives. The monthly maintenance payment Wisconsin provides is a reimbursement for the child's care, not a salary. During the home study, you'll document your finances with pay stubs, tax returns, or bank statements.

Renters can foster. Whether you live in a house, apartment, or mobile home, the same DCF 56 physical standards apply. You may need to show your lease and confirm your landlord permits minor safety modifications.

The Application and Background Check Sequence

This is where most people lose weeks.

When you contact your county or a private Child Placing Agency (CPA), they'll give you an application. Completing the application triggers the background check process. Every adult in your household must complete the Background Information Disclosure (BID) — Form DCF-F-2978. This is a self-disclosure document asking about criminal history, pending charges, and any past involvement with child protective services. Children as young as 12 may also need to complete a BID.

Here's the step that trips people up: your county or CPA enters your BID into the state's eWiSACWIS system and then provides you with a Fieldprint Reference ID. You cannot schedule your fingerprint appointment until you have this code. Fieldprint is Wisconsin's contracted vendor for digital fingerprinting. The fee is $37.75 per person. Getting fingerprinted before your agency provides the Reference ID means your results won't link to your file — you'll have to pay again and restart.

Once fingerprinted, your results go to the Wisconsin DOJ for a state criminal history check and to the FBI for a national check. The FBI check typically takes 5 to 7 business days. Alongside these, the system checks the state's abuse and neglect registry and the sex offender registry.

If any adult in your household has lived outside Wisconsin in the past five years, the agency must also contact those states for their child abuse and neglect registry records. This can add weeks to your timeline depending on the other states' response times.

Certain convictions are absolute bars — felony child abuse, homicide, sexual assault — and no variance is possible. For older, less severe offenses, a rehabilitative review is available.

Pre-Placement Training

Before any child can be placed in your home, you must complete at least 6 hours of Foster Parent Pre-Placement Training. This is the statewide uniform curriculum covering trauma and child development, attachment and separation, how to support birth families, the Reasonable and Prudent Parent standard, and your obligations as a mandated reporter under Wis. Stat. § 48.981.

Many counties and agencies now offer this training online or in a hybrid format — the pandemic accelerated that shift and it stuck.

After you're licensed, you enter what's called the initial licensing period. Level 2 foster parents (the standard license for most families) must complete an additional 30 hours of Foundation Training within the first two years. After that, 10 hours of ongoing training are required every 12 months to maintain your license.

The Home Study

Wisconsin uses the SAFE (Structured Analysis Family Evaluation) home study format. This is not a one-afternoon process. Expect multiple interviews — typically three to five — with a licensing specialist, covering your childhood, your relationship history, how you were disciplined, how you resolve conflict, your finances, and your motivations for fostering.

You'll also need at least three non-relative references who can speak to your character and parenting potential. These references are interviewed or given a detailed questionnaire.

A physical inspection of your home happens during the study. Every bedroom must have a working smoke detector; there must be CO detectors on every level and in the basement; you need a fire extinguisher rated 2A-10BC near the kitchen; medications must be in a locked container; firearms must be unloaded and in a steel safe or secured with trigger/cable locks in an area inaccessible to children.

Wisconsin's climate adds a few inspection items that catch people off guard. Heating systems must be functional and vented — unvented space heaters are prohibited under DCF 56. Wood-burning stoves require a professional biennial inspection. If anyone in the household has lived in your home through a Wisconsin winter, the licensing specialist may check pipe insulation in basements and crawl spaces, and ask whether you know where your main water shut-off valve is. You'll also need a written disaster plan that addresses tornado sheltering — a real requirement, not a formality.

License Types and Timeline

Most new foster parents start with a Level 2 license, which covers general foster care placements. The process from application to license typically takes 3 to 6 months, though it varies by county. Smaller, rural counties may have shorter waiting times for the home study but fewer training dates. Larger agencies in Milwaukee and Madison often have more frequent training cohorts.

Level 3 and Level 4 licenses cover treatment foster care for children with significant behavioral, emotional, or medical needs. These require prior experience and significantly more training, and are usually held through private CPAs that provide 24/7 clinical support to the family.

For families who want the full picture — every form number, the Fieldprint sequence laid out step by step, a DCF 56 home safety checklist formatted for self-inspection, and the county-by-county agency directory — the Wisconsin Foster Care Licensing Guide covers all of it in one document.

What Comes After Licensing

Once licensed, you're in the placement pool. Your county coordinator or CPA contacts you when a child needing your specific level of care becomes available. You can say no to a placement call — that's normal. Most families turn down several calls before finding the right match.

Foster care licenses are valid for two years. Renewal involves an updated home inspection, documentation of your annual training hours, and updated background checks. It's a lighter lift than the initial process.

Wisconsin uses concurrent planning, meaning the agency works on reunification with the birth family while simultaneously preparing for a permanent placement if reunification fails. About 20% of foster children in Wisconsin are eventually adopted by their foster families. If reunification isn't possible and parental rights are terminated, you can petition to adopt in the same Circuit Court that has handled the case.

The first step — and the most important — is finding the right contact for your county. If you're in Milwaukee, go directly to DMCPS. Everyone else goes through their county DHS or a licensed CPA. Making that first call correctly can save you a month of misdirection.

See more United States guides →