Bayfield County Family Services
Mission:
To provide a safe and stable environment for identified children and families through empowerment and support.
Services offered to families:
- Birth to Three
- Case Management Services for Children and Families
- Child Abuse/Neglect Investigations
- Child Day Care Provider Certification
- Community Support Program
- Custody and Step-Parent Adoption
- Emergency Detention – Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse (AODA) and Mental Health
- Family Support Program
- Foster Home Licensing
- In-Home Family Services
- Kinship Care Program
- Out-of-Home Placements
A Safe Place for Newborns
You were not prepared to have a baby. Unsure what to do? Leaving your newborn in a safe place is an option.
Birth to Three
Services to children ages birth to three who have at least a 25% developmental delay. Services (physical/occupational/speech therapy and educational instruction to parents) are provided primarily in the home and day care settings. Children cannot be put on a waiting list. Bayfield County contracts with CESA-12 to provide services.
Case Management Services for Children and Families
Services provided to families (either through a court order or on a voluntary basis) in the following situations: delinquency (child commits a crime); school truancy (child is absent without an acceptable excuse for part or all of five or more days in a semester); child abuse or neglect. In Wisconsin, a 17 year-old is treated as an adult when they commit a crime; students are required to attend school until they are 18.
Child Abuse/Neglect Investigations
Assessment and on-going services for children birth to age 18. It is a mandatory child abuse report if a mandated reporter suspects that a child 15 or younger has had sexual contact with another person.
Child Day Care Provider Certification
Certification of a person who wishes to provide day care (for a maximum of six children) within their home.
Community Support Program
Case management services to the chronically mentally ill. Bayfield County contracts with new Horizons North for this service.
Custody and Step-Parent Adoption
Custody Studies: Family Court orders DHS to prepare a report and recommendations when divorcing/separating parents cannot agree on legal custody/physical placement issues involving their children.
Step-Parent Adoption: Family Court orders DHS to preapre a report and recommendations when a stepparent wishes to adopt his/her step child.
Emergency Detention – Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse (AODA) and Mental Health
Persons believed to be a danger to self or others are taken to a mental health unit by law enforcement. Any resultant court-ordered services are monitored by DHS staff.
Family Support Program
Services to children up to age 21 when parent has a disabled child whom the parent wants to keep at home or return to the home from an institution or other out-of-home placement. Children can be put on a waiting list. Family can receive up to $3,000 per year for a variety of supportive services.
Foster Home Licensing
Recruitment, licensing and on-going support and training for foster parents.
In-Home Family Services
- Electronic Monitoring: A child is fitted with an ankle bracelet that immediately alerts the monitoring company when the child leaves home.
- AODA Testing: Alcohol and other drug abuse use is monitored by urine screens and cheek swabs.
- Intensive Supervision Program (ISP): A package of services including daily contact with a child, electronic monitoring and AODA testing. Duration: typically four months. The child is restricted to home/school/work/necessary health or counseling appointments, but with adherence to ISP rules, the child progresses to a less restrictive schedule.
- In-Home Family Therapy: Solution-focused therapy provided to families. Duration: approximately 3-4 months.
Kinship Care Program
Provides a monthly payment (currently $215/month) to an eligible person who is caring for a minor relative to age 19. Medical Assistance is also available to cover the child's medical needs.
Out-of-Home Placements
Through a court order or voluntary placement agreement, children are placed in a continuum of settings from least restrictive (foster home) to most restrictive (locked settings such as secure detention or corrections).