SB 656

This bill requires the Department of Children and Families to create a

committee, named the “Wisconsin Task Force to Create Effective Child Welfare

Caseloads,” to study and report on recommended caseload standards for child

welfare workers. Under the bill, the committee must consist of 16 members,

including ten representatives of the Wisconsin County Human Service Association,

five representatives of DCF, and one representative of a federally recognized Indian

tribe in this state appointed by the DCF secretary.

The bill requires the committee to submit a written report to the governor, the

Joint Committee on Finance, and the appropriate standing committees of the

legislature no later than April 1, 2019. The report must include recommended

standards for the maximum average caseload sizes for child welfare workers who

perform access, initial assessment, ongoing services, or foster parent support

functions, over which it is not reasonable to expect a worker to be effective at

conducting certain model practices while at the same time meeting the federal and

state mandates that govern his or her work, and the maximum ratio of supervisors

to frontline workers over which it is not reasonable to expect a supervisor to provide

effective guidance and direction.

The bill requires the committee to develop its recommendations based on a

review of existing caseload standards in other states and local jurisdictions and

pertinent research on the subject and with a consideration towards retaining quality

staff, mitigating secondary trauma, and ensuring county child welfare systems are

able to fulfill their purpose of keeping children safe, achieving timely permanency

outcomes, and providing for the well-being of children and families. The bill requires

the committee's report to include an outline of how the recommended standards

could be implemented, including the funding needed for implementation.