Child welfare services

Helping children and families in crisis

Every child deserves a safe and loving home. When parents are unable to provide this on their own, intervention is needed to ensure these children are free of abuse and neglect.

We provide child well-being services to help children live in a safe and nurturing environment. Some parents need education and guidance to improve their parenting skills so their children can remain with them. In other cases, children must be removed from their homes. These children are placed with foster families until they can return home or become part of an adoptive family.

Our experienced professionals provide the following services to families in Milwaukee County and at locations throughout Wisconsin.

Foster care

About 2,000 children are in foster care in Milwaukee County. As many as 100 children are removed from their homes each month. These kids need the love and support of foster parents until they can return home or they are adopted. We recruit, train, and provide support services for foster families.

• Learn more about foster care.

Treatment foster care

Throughout Wisconsin, children with significant emotional, behavioral, physical, or medical challenges need special people to serve as their foster parents. We recruit, train, and provide support services for foster families.

• Learn more about treatment foster care.

Adoption

We help place children throughout our state with physical, emotional, or behavioral needs in loving homes. Adoptive parents receive training, information, and referrals to community agencies to help them address the issues a child may face.

• Learn more about adoption.

Respite care

Our licensed providers throughout Wisconsin offer short-term childcare to give biological or foster parents a break from the responsibilities of caring for children with special medical or behavioral needs. Taking time away reduces stress and supports family stability.

• Learn more about respite care.

Child Advocacy Centers

For children suspected of being abused or neglected, our centers statewide are a safe place where they receive medical evaluation and counseling support through the investigation and court proceedings. The goal is to minimize further trauma to these children. Families also receive referrals to other community agencies for additional support.

• Learn more about our Child Advocacy Centers.

Family Case Management

Under contract with the Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare, our Family Case Management program provides intensive services to families where children have either been abused or neglected or where they have been determined to be unsafe in their parents’ home. Family Case Management, in collaboration with our Permanency Consultation program, works with children and families where children have been placed in out-of-home care to achieve permanency as soon as possible. Intensive In-Home Services works with children and families where children have been determined to be unsafe, but are able to remain in their homes. Our Family Support Program provides an array of supportive services to families involved in both programs.

• Learn more about our Family Case Management services.

Family Finding

We try to find biological family members of children in foster care in Wisconsin. Connecting a child to just one relative can help that child feel less isolated and establish a meaningful life-long relationship.

• Learn more about Family Finding.