State Assembly Task Force Will Examine Possible Changes To Foster Care System

The state Assembly is looking at ways to change how Wisconsin’s foster care system is run and funded. They have formed a bipartisan task force to look at the state’s foster care system and potential changes to the laws that govern it.

Foster care is the placement of children into homes with state-certified caregivers. According to the state Department of Children and Families, almost 8,000 children were in “out-of-home” care in April 2017.

Among the things the task force will examine, according to Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, is recruiting younger foster parents.

“An awful lot of folks who have been doing it have been doing it for a while, and we could do a better job of recruiting folks to be in the pipeline so we know when people begin to age out of being foster parents, that we have more people available,” Vos said.

The group of lawmakers will also examine the possibility of increasing the amount the state pays foster parents.

“The point of this task force is to not just focus on more money, but is to find how do we make the system better,” Vos said. “But it might be part of the recommendations that we could do a better job reimbursing costs or (supporting) people who have special needs or things like that.”

The task force is expected to have its first public meetings across the state in mid-July.