Wisconsin Department of Children and Families

About Us Background The Department of Children and Families (DCF) provides or oversees county administration of programs to assist children and families. Those include assistance for children in need of protection or services, adoption and foster care services, the licensing of facilities that provide out-of-home care for children, background investigations of child caregivers, child abuse and neglect investigations, and community-based juvenile justice services. DCF also administers the Wisconsin Works (W-2) public assistance program, including the Wisconsin Shares child care subsidy program, the YoungStar child care quality improvement program, the child support enforcement and paternity establishment program, and programs related to the federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) income support program. The department works to ensure that families have access to high quality and affordable early childhood care and education and administers the licensing and regulation of child care centers. The Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board is administratively attached to the Department of Children and Families. Vision and Priorities Our department’s vision is that all Wisconsin children and youth are safe and loved members of thriving families and communities. To reach our goal, we are focused on reducing racial and ethnic disparities in our programs and services, focusing on five key priorities: - Systematically increasing access to quality early care and education programs that support the needs of children and families statewide; - Putting families in the center of successful child support and good-paying jobs programs; - Safely transforming the child welfare and youth justice system to dramatically increase the proportion of children supported in their homes and communities; - Dedicating additional resources to support vulnerable and historically underserved youth, specifically teenage girls, kids with complex care needs, and youth transitioning out of the foster care system; - Fostering a workplace where agency staff feel engaged, valued, and connected to our vision.