48.563 Children and family aids funding.

(1) Distribution limits.

(a) Within the limits of available federal funds and of the appropriations under s. 20.437 (1) (b), (cx), (km), and (o), the department shall distribute funds for children and family services to county departments as provided in subs. (2), (4), and (7m) and s. 48.986.

(b) Notwithstanding s. 48.568, if the department receives any federal moneys under 42 USC 670 to 679a in reimbursement of moneys allocated under par. (a) for the provision of foster care, the department shall distribute those federal moneys for services and projects to assist children and families.

(c) The Milwaukee County department of social services shall report to the department in a manner specified by the department on all children under the supervision of the Milwaukee County department of social services who are placed in foster homes and whose foster parents receive funding for child care from the amounts distributed under par. (a) so that the department may claim federal foster care and adoption assistance reimbursement under 42 USC 670 to 679a for the amounts expended by the Milwaukee County department of social services for the provision of child care for those children. Notwithstanding s. 48.568, if the department receives any federal moneys under 42 USC 670 to 679a in reimbursement of the amounts expended by the Milwaukee County department of social services for the provision of child care for children in foster care in 1996 and 1997, the department shall distribute those federal moneys to the Milwaukee County department of social services for the provision of child care for children in foster care.

(d) If the department receives from the department of health services under s. 46.40 (1) (d) any federal moneys under 42 USC 1396 to 1396v in reimbursement of the cost of preventing out-of-home placements of children, the department shall use those moneys as the first source of moneys used to meet the amount of the allocation under sub. (2) that is budgeted from federal funds.

(2) County allocation. For children and family services under s. 48.569 (1) (d), the department shall distribute not more than $80,125,200 in fiscal year 2019-20 and $101,145,500 in fiscal year 2020-21.

(4) Postreunification services. If a demonstration project authorized under 42 USC 1320a-9 reduces the cost of providing out-of-home care for children in a county having a population of 750,000 or more, from the appropriations under s. 20.437 (1) (cx) and (mb) the department may distribute the amount by which that cost is reduced by that demonstration project in each fiscal year to county departments for services for children and families to prevent the reentry of children into out-of-home care.

(7m) Use by county of children and family aids funds to pay private attorneys for certain proceedings. Upon application by a county department under s. 46.215, 46.22, or 46.23 to the department for permission to use funds allocated to that county department under sub. (2) to employ private counsel for the purposes specified in this subsection and a determination by the department that use of funds for those purposes does not affect any federal grants or federal funding allocated under this section, the department and the county department shall execute a contract authorizing the county department to expend, as agreed upon in the contract, funds allocated to that county department under sub. (2) to permit the county department to employ private counsel to represent the interests of the state or county in proceedings under this chapter relating to child abuse or neglect, unborn child abuse, termination of parental rights, and the Indian Child Welfare Act, 25 USC 1901 to 1963.

History: 2007 a. 20 ss. 1097, 1098, 1102, 1103, 1287, 9121 (6) (a); 2009 a. 28, 94; 2011 a. 32; 2013 a. 20; 2015 a. 55, 172; 2017 a. 59; 2019 a. 9.