Foster Care: Levels of Care Certification at a Glance

All Wisconsin foster homes are certified at one of five levels of care. The higher the certification level, the higher the needs and requirements.

Below is a brief overview of the Levels of Care. Note that there are recent changes to Wisconsin Administrative Code to provide a separate licensing track for relative and like-kin caregivers. For a comprehensive explanation of the changes and detailed requirements for each level of care, please refer to the “Resources” section below.

Level 1: Child Specific Licensing

  • Requires a previous or existing relationship with the child or family but is not a relative or like-kin to the child
  • License is specific to that child

Level 2: “General” Licensing

  • Traditional or “basic” care (but still trauma-informed)
  • Can be a nonrelative, relative, or like-kin
  • The new streamlined process and licensing requirements for relative and like-kin applicants are found in Wis. Admin. Code DCF 56.25

Level 3: Treatment Foster Care / Moderate Needs

  • Requires applicable experience
  • Requires a higher level of supervision, experience, training, and care than level 2

Level 4: Treatment Foster Care / Specialized Needs

  • More intensive and specialized treatment care than level 3
  • Requires a higher level of specialized knowledge, supervision, experience, training, and care than level 3

Level 5: Developed for a Child’s Specific Exceptional Needs

  • A “home-like” setting (not a group home or congregate care facility)
  • Requires overnight awake staff on 24-hour shifts

Regardless of a child’s level of physical, emotional, or behavioral needs – or the caregiver’s level of care certification – every child deserves the best care possible. To learn more about available resources to help provide that care, please contact our Resource Specialists at (414) 475-1246.

Resources