48.06 Services for court.

(1) Counties with a population of 750,000 or more.

(a)

1. In counties with a population of 750,000 or more, the department shall provide the court with the services necessary for investigating and supervising child welfare and unborn child welfare cases under this chapter. The department is charged with providing child welfare and unborn child welfare intake and dispositional services and with administration of the personnel and services of the child welfare and unborn child welfare intake and dispositional sections of the department. The department shall include investigative services for all children and unborn children alleged to be in need of protection or services to be provided by the department.

2. The chief judge of the judicial administrative district shall formulate written judicial policy governing intake and court services for child welfare matters under this chapter and the department shall be charged with executing the judicial policy. The chief judge shall direct and supervise the work of all personnel of the court, except the work of the district attorney or corporation counsel assigned to the court.

3. The county board of supervisors does not have authority and may not assert jurisdiction over the disposition of any case, child, unborn child or expectant mother of an unborn child after a written order is made under s. 48.21 or 48.213 or if a petition is filed under s. 48.25.

(am)

1. All intake workers providing services under this chapter who begin employment after May 15, 1980, shall have the qualifications required to perform entry level social work in a county department and shall have successfully completed 30 hours of intake training approved or provided by the department prior to the completion of the first 6 months of employment in the position. The department shall monitor compliance with this subdivision according to rules promulgated by the department.

2. The department shall make training programs available annually that permit intake workers who provide services under this chapter to satisfy the requirements specified under subd. 1.

3. Each intake worker providing services under this chapter whose responsibilities include investigation or treatment of child abuse or neglect or unborn child abuse shall successfully complete additional training in child abuse and neglect and unborn child abuse protective services approved by the department under s. 48.981 (8) (d). Not more than 4 hours of the additional training may be applied to the requirement under subd. 1.

(2) Counties with a population under 750,000.

(a) In counties having less than 750,000 population, the county board of supervisors shall authorize the county department or court or both to provide intake services required by s. 48.067 and the staff needed to carry out the objectives and provisions of this chapter under s. 48.069. Intake services shall be provided by employees of the court or county department and may not be subcontracted to other individuals or agencies, except any county which had intake services subcontracted from the county sheriff's department on April 1, 1980, may continue to subcontract intake services from the county sheriff's department. Intake workers shall be governed in their intake work, including their responsibilities for recommending the filing of a petition and entering into an informal disposition, by general written policies which shall be formulated by the circuit judges for the county, subject to the approval of the chief judge of the judicial administrative district.

(b)

1. All intake workers providing services under this chapter who begin employment after May 15, 1980, shall have the qualifications required to perform entry level social work in a county department and shall have successfully completed 30 hours of intake training approved or provided by the department prior to the completion of the first 6 months of employment in the position. The department shall monitor compliance with this paragraph according to rules promulgated by the department.

2. The department shall make training programs available annually that permit intake workers who provide services under this chapter to satisfy the requirements specified under subd. 1.

(c) Each intake worker providing services under this chapter whose responsibilities include investigation or treatment of child abuse or neglect or unborn child abuse shall successfully complete additional training in child abuse and neglect and unborn child abuse protective services approved by the department under s. 48.981 (8) (d). Not more than 4 hours of the additional training may be applied to the requirement under par. (b).

(3) Intake services. The court, the department in a county having a population of 750,000 or more, or the county department responsible for providing intake services under s. 48.067 shall specify one or more persons to provide intake services. If there is more than one such worker, one of the workers shall be designated as chief worker and shall supervise other workers.

(4) State aid. State aid to any county for court services under this section shall be at the same net effective rate that each county is reimbursed for county administration under s. 48.569. Counties having a population of less than 750,000 may use funds received under s. 48.569 (1) (d), including county or federal revenue sharing funds allocated to match funds received under s. 48.569 (1) (d), for the cost of providing court attached intake services in amounts not to exceed 50 percent of the cost of providing court attached intake services or $30,000 per county per calendar year, whichever is less.

History: 1971 c. 125; 1975 c. 39, 199, 302, 307, 422; 1977 c. 271; 1977 c. 354 ss. 10 to 14, 101; 1977 c. 447, 449; 1979 c. 34, 300; 1981 c. 20 s. 2202 (20) (o); 1981 c. 93 s. 186; 1981 c. 314, 329; 1983 a. 239; 1985 a. 29, 176; 1987 a. 151, 399; 1991 a. 274; 1995 a. 27; 1997 a. 27, 80, 292; 2001 a. 61; 2007 a. 20; 2013 a. 20.