Youth & Family Division

Mission

The mission of the Youth and Family Division is to promote healthy, self-sufficient children and families by:

• Protecting children and preserving the unity of the family, whenever possible, and by strengthening families through assisting parents in fulfilling their parental responsibilities.

• Protecting the community through close supervision of juvenile offenders, holding them directly accountable for violations of the law and equipping them with the necessary competencies to live responsibly and productively.

• Encouraging innovative and effective prevention, intervention and treatment approaches, including collaborative community efforts to effectively address issues involving children, families and community.

Information & Assistance

Information & Assistance staff work in partnership with the community to provide information about, and access to, all services described in the  'Youth' and 'Family' sections of this website.  

Information & Assistance workers provide information about, and complete referrals to services for a variety of issues facing children and families. Assistance is available 24 hours per day by calling:

262-638-7720

or

800-924-5137 

From 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday thru Friday requests for information may be made via fax at:

262-638-6415

Child Protective Services

Investigation of physical abuse, neglect and sexual abuse is the responsibility of the staff of the Child Protective Services Investigation Unit.  Child Welfare referrals can be broken down into the following categories: abuse, neglect, family and non-family sexual abuse and threat of abuse or neglect. 

Child Protective Services Case Management

The Child Protective Services Case Management unit provides direct intervention services primarily to families and children for whom a CHIPS (Child in Need of Protection and Services) finding has been made. Many of these children are living in out-of-home placements such as foster care, treatment foster care or residential treatment facilities. The primary responsibility of the 15 staff in this unit is to ensure the safety of children while at the same time working to achieve permanency for them. Wisconsin statutes provide only five permanency options: return to their parents, placement for adoption, guardianship, permanent placement with a fit and willing relative, or other alternative permanent placements including sustaining care, independent living or long term foster care.

The State of Wisconsin recognized Racine County in 2001 for having achieved a record number of TPR’s (termination of parental rights), which provided permanency for those children.  Since that time, the agency has continued to vigorously pursue permanency for the children in our care. 

 commitment which staff has to achieving permanency for the children with whom they are currently working. The Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (ASFA) allows for a process called “Concurrent Planning.” This refers to the method of planning for reunification of a child with his/her parent(s) while at the same time pursuing activities leading up to an alternative permanent placement in the event the parent is unable or unwilling to complete the tasks required for the return of a child.  Despite the number of TPR’s completed, our Child Protective Services Case Managers have been successful in reuniting families through a rigorous enforcement of the court orders as well as supporting the parents in obtaining resources necessary to help them meet those court orders.  Most families receive counseling and parenting skill classes as part of their service plans.
 

Youth and Delinquency

The case managers in the Youth and Delinquency Case Management Unit provide juvenile intake, court services and case management to newly apprehended youth in addition to carry-over cases. Some of the juveniles apprehended are ordered to corrections because of the severity of the crime or their failure in less restrictive settings. 

Correctional placements are not the only out-of-home costs incurred for youth in the Juvenile Justice system. Recommendations for out-of-home placements for all children, including those in the Child Welfare system as well as juveniles adjudicated delinquent, are based upon several criteria: the child’s needs; safety of the community and child; parents’/caregiver’s ability or willingness to supervise the child; and the availability of effective programming within the community. Placement can be in foster care, group homes or residential treatment centers.

Foster Home Recruitment & Licensing

Recruitment and licensing of foster parents and management of foster care placements is the responsibility of the Foster Home Specialist and Foster Care Case Managers. 

Kinship Care

The State of Wisconsin provides supplemental payments to relatives caring for children through the Kinship Care Program. The Kinship Care Coordinator is responsible for determining whether applicants meet the State of Wisconsin criteria for Kinship Care which includes the degree of relationship, the criminal background of the applicant and the environment of the home. Kinship payments are funded by State money. This program enables many children to remain in the homes of relatives rather than being placed in foster care.

Children Come First

One of the most significant needs for children and families in the Child Welfare system is mental health service. Children Come First (CCF) is a supportive, wrap-around program provided to families of children with serious emotional disturbances. Children and families enrolled in the program receive intensive in-home mental health treatment services through a contracted outpatient psychotherapy clinic and/or case management services from one of two designated Human Services case managers. Case management is provided to families while on the waiting list for CCF services, during their program participation and after discharge from the treatment phase. The goal of this program is to maintain the integrity of the family and prevent further involvement in the Child Welfare or Juvenile Justice systems. Medical Assistance and the State of Wisconsin provide funding for most of this program. The children involved in the Children Come First program are at high risk for out-of-home placements because of their behaviors and their families’ inability to maintain them.