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Children's System of Care

Focus on wellness

Wisconsin’s system of care is a way of helping children, youth, and their families receive the right help, at the right time, in the right amount by connecting and coordinating the work of:

  • Families and youth advocates
  • Tribal nations, counties, and collaborating committees
  • Service providers
  • Health plans (physical, mental health, education)
  • Child-serving agencies
  • Officials who influence or make acts, laws, or rules

All the participants focus on services that are community-based and culturally responsive while prioritizing and intentionally eliciting family and youth voice and choice with increasing youth/young adult self-determination based on age and development.

A close up of eight laughing children outside

Library of information

State, tribal, and county agencies are working together to ensure support and services are available to all children and families in Wisconsin. Wraparound is an essential piece of the planning process that brings people together from different parts of the child’s life. The library includes resources that can be used by counties and tribes to enhance their system of care values, infrastructure, and services and supports.  The vision is a system of care in which children and families are valued, understood, and supported in their communities. 

Families and other community members

Services and supports for children facing a behavioral health challenge are available in all Wisconsin counties and tribes. 

Tribal nation and county behavioral health agencies

The behavioral health community must work together to ensure the success of Wisconsin’s Children’s System of Care.

Wisconsin resources

Other resources

Browse the topics below for more resources designed to help counties and tribes transform their local systems to meet the goals of Wisconsin's Children's System of Care.

Family voice and choice

Cultural and linguistic responsiveness

Community-based

Natural supports

Natural Supports: A Scan of Current Use and Future Opportunities (PDF)

Team-based

Collaboration

Partnering for Success-A prototype for integrating evidence-based practices between referring professionals and mental health professionals (PDF)

Individualized and developmentally informed

Strengths-based

Assessing Community Strengths & Addressing Needs (PDF)

Unconditional

Unconditional Care: A Study of Professional Practice with High-Risk Adolescents (PDF)

Outcome-based

Outcomes

Funding available

Comprehensive Community Services

Funding blended across services

Medicaid Programs for Children

Funding gaps addressed

ForwardHealth Portal


Counties and tribes that need assistance to transform their system of care for children to meet the goals of Wisconsin’s System of Care should contact their Coordinated Services Teams Initiatives coordinator and/or Comprehensive Community Services coordinator in the Division of Care and Treatment Services. 

Our vision

Children and families are valued, understood, and supported in their communities.

Our principles
  • Family voice and choice
  • Cultural and linguistic responsiveness
  • Community-based
  • Natural supports
  • Team-based
  • Collaboration
  • Individualized and developmentally informed
  • Strengths-based
  • Unconditional
  • Outcome-based
Our mission

The Wisconsin Children’s System of Care Initiative will infuse our principles into the support for children and families by fostering a process that embraces and supports the collective experiences, knowledge, and resources of all partnerships.

  • Children and families will have access to and choice from an array of supports and services that are responsive to their strengths and needs.
  • Counties, tribes, and their partners will develop, transform, and sustain their community’s system of care by being responsive to needs, eliminating barriers to access, and empowering community partnerships.
  • Coordinating committees will provide leadership and guidance in the development, transformation, and sustainability of their community’s system of care.
  • The Department of Health Services will provide leadership, support, training, and technical assistance to state partners, counties, tribes, coordinating committees, and their providers.
  • The Children Come First Advisory Committee will provide guidance and recommendations for statewide system improvements and leverage their collective resources to impact policy.

Resource: Children's System of Care Guiding Document, P-02093 (PDF

Last revised December 26, 2022