How to Become a Foster Parent in Wisconsin

According to the Wisconsin foster parent handbook, children enter out-of-home care most often because of abuse, neglect, or a family crisis, and the goal of the foster care system is to keep them safe while working toward a stable, permanent home. That might mean reuniting with their family, adoption, or a guardian stepping in. A licensed foster parent holds things steady in the meantime.

The process of becoming licensed involves an application, background checks, a home study, and training, all overseen by Wisconsin’s Department of Children and Families. The sections below walk you through each step.

Who can be a foster parent in Wisconsin?

Most people who look into foster care assume they won’t qualify. Wisconsin’s requirements are broader than you might expect, and they focus far more on who you are than on what your life looks like on paper.

The basics: age and household

You need to be at least 18 years old. There’s no upper age limit in the rules. You can be single, married, partnered, or any other household arrangement. Wisconsin doesn’t require you to be married, to own your home, or to have children already.

According to the non-relative foster care licensing checklist, every household member who will act in the role of foster parent is considered an applicant, so if you have a partner or spouse who’ll be involved in caring for children, they’ll go through the process alongside you.

Income

You don’t need to be wealthy, but you do need to be able to demonstrate that your household has enough income and resources to care for a foster child. The Wisconsin foster care administrative code doesn’t set a specific dollar amount. What matters is that you can show financial stability and that you aren’t relying on foster care payments to meet your own basic needs. Foster care payments are meant to cover the cost of caring for the child, not to serve as household income.

Requirements vary by county, so check with your agency for specifics on how financial stability is assessed in your area.

Physical and mental health

The non-relative foster care licensing checklist requires a written statement from a medical provider confirming that you had an exam within the past 12 months and that no condition would prevent you from safely providing care. Household members also need to be free of conditions that would threaten a child’s health or safety.

If the licensing agency has reason to believe that you or a household member has a condition that poses a risk to a child’s welfare, they can require a further assessment. This is a safeguard that exists if a specific concern comes up, not a standard hurdle everyone faces.

What Wisconsin is really looking for

The non-relative foster care licensing checklist describes it plainly: you need to be fit and qualified, exercise sound judgment, and show the capacity to successfully nurture a foster child. You shouldn’t abuse alcohol or drugs, and you can’t have a criminal conviction, pending criminal charge, or civil or criminal violation related to the care of children.

Beyond that, the state looks for people who have an understanding of, or a genuine motivation to learn about, a child’s development, trauma, strengths, and needs. They want to see that you can cope with the additional stress that comes with having a foster child in your home.

Background check requirements in Wisconsin

Before a child ever sets foot in your home, Wisconsin requires background checks on everyone in the household. Your licensing agency walks you through the process.

Who gets checked

The checks don’t stop with you. According to Wisconsin’s foster home licensing information, the licensing agency will run background checks on prospective foster parents at initial licensure. Beyond the applicants themselves, any adult living in the home must also have a child abuse or neglect registry check completed before a license is issued, as required under the Adam Walsh Child Protection Act requirements for foster care.

What the checks actually cover

Your licensing agency will run all of the following at initial licensure, as listed in Wisconsin’s foster home licensing worker information:

• FBI fingerprint check
• Wisconsin Department of Justice criminal history search
• Wisconsin Integrated Background Information System (IBIS) search
• eWiSACWIS substantiation findings
• Child Protective Services records for the five years before the search
• Wisconsin Sex Offender Registry reverse address search
• Out-of-state criminal history records for the five years before the search

If you’ve lived in another state within the last five years, expect the process to take a little longer. The background check FAQ explains that DCF must complete criminal history, child abuse, and sex offender registry searches in every state where you’ve resided, and states vary in how they handle those requests.

How often checks are renewed

The FBI fingerprint check is conducted initially and then every five years. On top of that, annual name-based checks run on an ongoing basis. The background check FAQ notes that individuals residing outside the state are required to complete an FBI fingerprint-based check every year rather than every five.

What it costs

According to the background check FAQ, annual name-based checks cost $10 per person. Costs for the initial fingerprint-based checks may vary. Requirements vary by county, so check with your agency for specifics on what fees you’ll be responsible for and when.

What can disqualify you

Certain criminal convictions and child abuse findings can bar someone from being licensed. Wisconsin’s foster home licensing worker information links to a specific table of barred crimes and other offenses, which spells out how particular convictions affect your eligibility. The licensing worker information page also notes that 2021 Wisconsin Act 72, known as Ethan’s Law, added further considerations that agencies and courts must weigh when a criminal background is part of the picture.

A substantiated finding of child abuse or neglect is also part of what gets reviewed. If a finding is under appeal at the time of your application, that matters too: the background check procedures for substantiated findings under appeal address how DCF handles those situations during the eligibility review.

Not every criminal record is automatically disqualifying. DCF reviews findings and makes eligibility determinations, and in some cases a rehabilitation review is possible. If you have something in your history, bring it up early with your licensing worker rather than waiting for it to surface.

What to expect from the home study

You’ve filled out the application, gathered your documents, and now someone is going to come to your home and ask you questions about your life. The home study isn’t designed to catch you failing. It’s designed to make sure a child placed with you will be safe, and to help the licensing worker understand who you are and what you can offer.

Who conducts it and what they’re looking for

Your licensing worker comes from your county agency or a licensed child-placing agency. These are the same agencies responsible for issuing your foster home license under Wisconsin’s foster home licensing regulations, which set out the standards every home must meet.

What they’re actually assessing falls into a few categories:

• Your physical space: sleeping arrangements, exits, firearms storage, general safety
• Your background and life experience: employment, finances, relationships, and your own history with family and caregiving
• Your motivation: why you want to foster, what kinds of children you feel equipped to care for, and how you handle stress or conflict
• Your household: everyone who lives with you, including other children, and how the home functions as a whole

The Wisconsin foster parent handbook is clear that foster parents are expected to be active, stable partners in a child’s care.

What the visit actually looks like

Expect a conversation more than an interrogation. The worker will walk through your home to verify that the physical space meets licensing requirements, but the longer part of the visit is usually a sit-down discussion. They’ll ask about your household, your support network, your parenting philosophy, your experience with children, and how you’d handle challenging situations.

If you have a partner or spouse, both of you will typically be part of the process. Other adults in the home may also be interviewed. Requirements vary by county, so check with your agency for specifics on who needs to participate and when.

The physical part of the home visit

Your licensing worker will look at the home itself as part of the assessment. Wisconsin’s licensing regulations specify requirements around things like sleeping space, exits, and how firearms and other dangerous weapons must be stored. You need a safe, functional space where a child can sleep, do homework, and feel at home.

If something in your home doesn’t meet a requirement, a good licensing worker will tell you what needs to change rather than simply noting a failure. Most issues are fixable before the license is issued.

How long does this take?

The home study isn’t a single visit. It’s a process that unfolds over the course of your application, and the timeline depends on your county or agency, how quickly your paperwork and background checks are completed, and how many visits are needed. The non-relative foster care licensing checklist gives a clear picture of everything that has to be in place before a license can be issued, and some of those pieces, like background checks, run on their own timelines outside your control.

Plan for the process to take several weeks to a few months. Requirements vary by county, so check with your agency to get a realistic timeline for your specific situation.

Pre-service training requirements

Before a child ever walks through your door, Wisconsin requires you to complete a specific amount of training. How much training that is depends on which level of care certification you’re pursuing.

The basics: training is tied to your level of care

Wisconsin organizes foster homes into five levels of care, and each level carries its own training requirements. According to the Levels of Care Desk Guide, the training hours break down like this before placement:

• Level 1 (child-specific homes, non-relative): 6 hours of pre-placement training, completed before or after placement but no later than 6 months after initial licensure
• Level 2 (basic foster home, non-relative): 6 hours of pre-placement training, completed before placement of any child
• Level 3 (moderate treatment foster home): 36 hours of pre-placement training, completed before placement of any child
• Level 4 (specialized treatment foster home): 36 hours of pre-placement training, completed before placement of any child

Level 2 homes also have an additional 30 hours of initial licensing training to complete during the first licensing period, on top of the 6 pre-placement hours.

If you’re a relative or like-kin applying for a Level 1 or Level 2 license, the timing rules are a little more flexible. You still need those 6 hours, but you have up to 6 months after initial licensure to complete them, since placements with relatives often happen quickly and without much lead time.

What the training covers

Wisconsin administrative code DCF 56.14 sets out the required pre-placement curriculum. The state uses a standardized training curriculum, meaning the core content is consistent across Wisconsin’s 72 counties. The training is designed to prepare you for the realities of foster care, not just the paperwork.

You can’t be required to pay out of pocket to attend required training. The state provides funds to county agencies specifically so that training costs, including materials, fees, transportation, and child care expenses, don’t fall on you.

How training is delivered

The Foster Care Coordinator Welcome Packet explains that the Wisconsin Child Welfare Professional Development System (WCWPDS) is the main engine behind foster parent training in Wisconsin. WCWPDS, based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, partners with DCF to develop and deliver required training for foster parents statewide. They offer both in-person classroom sessions and virtual options, and their work is specifically designed to bring consistency across all 72 counties.

You can find training resources and registration information through Wisconsin’s foster parent training page.

What your county or agency may add

State code sets the floor, not the ceiling. Individual counties and licensing agencies can and do add requirements on top of what DCF mandates, including additional orientation sessions, agency-specific trainings, or required readings before your home study is complete. Requirements vary by county — check with your agency for specifics.

License types and renewal in Wisconsin

Wisconsin uses a tiered system built around what children need and what foster parents are trained and equipped to provide.

The levels of care system

Wisconsin licenses foster homes across five levels of care, each reflecting a different degree of training, skill, and the complexity of needs a foster parent is certified to meet. According to the Foster Care Coordinator Welcome Packet, the five levels are:

• Level 1: Child-specific foster home for relatives or kin caring for a specific child they already know
• Level 2: Basic foster home for foster parents providing general foster care
• Level 3: Moderate treatment foster home for parents caring for children with moderate behavioral or emotional needs
• Level 4: Specialized treatment foster home for higher-needs placements requiring specialized training and skills
• Level 5: Exceptional treatment foster home for the most complex placements, requiring advanced certification

Most people new to foster care start at Level 2. Level 1 is specifically for relatives or people with a prior relationship to a particular child, not a general foster care license. Levels 3 through 5 require additional training and certification beyond what’s needed to initially license.

How long a license lasts

Your foster home license is valid for two years. The non-relative foster care licensing checklist is direct about this: the license is in effect for two years and may be renewed. Under Wis. Stat. § 48.67, a foster home license may be issued for any term not to exceed two years from the date of issuance.

Renewing your license

When renewal time comes, the process mirrors the initial application in important ways. The licensing agency must approve, modify, or deny your renewal application within 60 working days of receiving all necessary information, the same timeline that applies to initial licenses. If your renewal is denied, the agency is required to give you a written explanation and information on how to appeal.

If your license was ever denied or revoked, you’ll need to wait two years from the date of that action before you can reapply.

Modifying your license

A license can be modified at any time during its two-year term, either because you request a change or because the licensing agency directs one. DCF 56.13(6) governs level of care certification, which means if you complete additional training and want to be certified at a higher level, that can happen mid-license without waiting for renewal.

Requirements vary by county — check with your agency for specifics on how renewal paperwork is handled locally and what documentation your particular licensing agency requires at renewal time.

Staying licensed: what’s required after approval

Once you’re approved, your license needs to be actively maintained, and there are real, ongoing obligations that come with it.

Continuing training

Training doesn’t stop after your initial hours are complete. According to Wisconsin’s administrative code for foster home care, ongoing training is a requirement built into the structure of foster parent licensing under DCF 56.14. The specific number of hours required each year and the approved topics will depend on your license level, and your licensing worker will track what you’ve completed.

The Wisconsin foster parent training program offers courses designed specifically to meet these requirements. Training can cover topics like child development, trauma, working with birth families, and behavior management. Your licensing agency can tell you which courses count toward your renewal and how to document them. Requirements vary by county, so check with your agency for specifics.

Annual reevaluations

The Wisconsin administrative code at DCF 56.13(6) requires annual reevaluation of licensed foster homes. That means your licensing worker will come to your home, review your household, and confirm that you still meet the standards required for your license level.

Come prepared to show that your training is current, your home still meets physical standards, and your household information is up to date.

Home inspections

Part of that annual reevaluation includes a look at the physical environment of your home. Wisconsin’s foster parent handbook outlines the physical standards foster homes must continue to meet, including requirements around sleeping space, safety, and the condition of the home.

Reporting obligations

Foster parents are mandated reporters under Wisconsin law, which means you’re required to report any suspected abuse or neglect, including situations involving the child placed with you. Your licensing agency will walk you through exactly what this means in practice.

Telling your agency when things change

Your licensing agency needs to know when your household changes. Wisconsin’s administrative code for foster home care includes notification requirements for foster parents, covering changes like someone new moving into your home, a household member moving out, a marriage or divorce, a new job, or a change in your health or financial situation.

New adults moving into your home will also need to go through background checks before they can be present with foster children. According to the background check FAQ from DCF, checks include criminal history, sex offender registry searches, and child abuse and neglect records. Plan for that process to take some time.