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Joint Legislative Council prefatory note: This bill was prepared for the Joint
Legislative Council's Special Committee on Strengthening Wisconsin Families.

Under current law, the Department of Children and Families (DCF) distributes
grants for the prevention of child abuse and neglect under a program commonly referred
to as "Family Foundations." DCF may distribute this funding to six rural counties, three
urban counties, and two Indian tribes.

The amount of funding that each county (other than a county with a population of
500,000 or more; currently, only Milwaukee County) or Indian tribe receives in excess of
the $10,000 minimum grant amount is based on the number of births funded by medical
assistance (MA) in that county or in the reservation of the tribe in proportion to the
number of MA-funded births in all counties and the reservations of all tribes selected to
participate in the program. Milwaukee County's grant award is based on 60 percent of
the number of MA-funded births in that county in proportion to the number of
MA-funded births in all counties and the reservations of all tribes selected to participate
in the program.

Except for Milwaukee County, the grant funds may be used for a home visitation
program for first-time parents who are eligible for MA and to support the cost of case
management. In all counties and tribes, grants may also be used to provide intervention
services and flexible funds to participating families for appropriate expenses. DCF is
required to provide technical assistance and training to programs receiving a grant.

The bill makes the following changes to current law:

• Provides that a private agency may participate in Family Foundations.

• Deletes the provision requiring funding to be distributed to six rural counties,
three urban counties, and two Indian tribes.

• Deletes references to Milwaukee County so that Milwaukee County may use
grant funds to provide home visitation and case management services.

• Requires counties, private agencies, and Indian tribes that receive a grant to
agree to match at least 25 percent of the grant amount annually in funds or in-kind
contributions.

• Deletes the current formula for determining the amount of a grant in excess of
the minimum $10,000 grant amount and instead requires DCF to determine the amount
of a grant in excess of $10,000 based upon the number of MA-funded births in the county,
the area in which the private agency is providing services, or the reservation of the tribe.

• Provides that if a family with a child identified as being at risk of abuse or neglect
has been continuously receiving home visitation program services for not less than 12
months, those services may continue to be provided until the child reaches three years
of age, regardless of whether the child continues to be eligible for MA.

• Requires that DCF give favorable consideration in the application process for a
grant to a county, private agency, or Indian tribe that submits a joint application.

• Requires a county, private agency, or Indian tribe, when applying for a grant, to
provide information on how the applicant's home visitation program incorporates
practice standards and critical elements that have been developed for successful home
visitation programs by a nationally recognized home visitation program model and that
are acceptable to DCF.

• Requires a private agency that applies for participation in Family Foundations
to submit documentation with the grant application that demonstrates that the
application is supported by a county and that a county will collaborate with the private
agency in providing services.

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• Requires DCF to evaluate the availability of home visitation programs in the
state and determine whether there are gaps in home visitation services. DCF must then
cooperate with counties, private agencies, and Indian tribes providing home visitation
programs to address any gaps identified.

• Requires each county, private agency, and Indian tribe providing a home
visitation program to collect and report data as required by DCF, using forms prescribed
by DCF.

• Requires each county, private agency, and Indian tribe providing a home
visitation program to develop a plan for evaluating the effectiveness of its program for
approval by DCF. The bill sets forth outcomes that must be tracked and measured. The
evaluation must be used to improve the quality and outcomes of the home visitation
program.

• Provides that training provided by DCF to counties, private agencies, and Indian
tribes participating in the program may not be limited to a particular home visitation
model. Requires the training to include training regarding basic skills, uniform
administration of screening and assessment tools, the issues and challenges that families
face, and supervision and personnel skills for program managers. The training may also
include training on data collection and reporting.

• Requires DCF to cooperate with the Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board
to ensure that employees and managers of home visitation programs receive training and
other services to develop and maintain competencies in providing home visitation
services to families.