Wisconsin. Division of Children and Family Services

About 1997 the Bureau of Children, Youth and Families of the Division of Community Services in the Dept. of Health and Family Services became the Division of Children and Family Services. In July 2008 the Division was merged into the Dept. of Children and Families (ocn468787588) and no longer exists as a Division.

The division is responsible for services, issues, and programs affecting children and families including protective services for abused or neglected children, out-of-home care in foster homes and group homes, and adoption services for special needs and minority children. It also provides temporary shelter and counseling for domestic abuse victims and their children, operates pregnancy prevention programs for high-risk youth in those Wisconsin counties with high pregnancy rates, and offers community based substance abuse programs. In addition, the division licenses and regulated child welfare programs, day care providers, and residential care facilities. Since 1998 the division has managed the Milwaukee County child welfare system.