Child Welfare Services

Child Protective Services promotes the safety and well-being of children and families. The Calumet County Child Welfare Unit is guided by the following to assess and ensure child safety. The primary purpose of Calumet County's Child Welfare unit is to:

  • Accept reports of suspected child abuse and neglect
  • Conduct Initial Assessments
  • Assure appropriate protective services are provided to abused and neglected children and their families to protect children from further harm
  • Assure support, counseling, and other services are provided to children and their families to ameliorate the effects of child abuse and neglect
  • Promote the well-being of the child in his or her home setting, whenever possible, or in another safe and stable placement
  • Offer preventative options to addressing conditions and/or circumstances within a family that result in a risk of future maltreatment

Other functions of the unit include:

  • Community Presentations (i.e., Mandated Reporter trainings)
  • Domestic Violence Offers of Service
  • General Offers of Services

Report Suspected Abuse

Any concerned individual can report suspected abuse or neglect directly to a local child protective service agency such as Calumet County's Child Welfare Unit or a law enforcement agency. When a report is received, it is documented and provided to the supervisor for screening. Screening decisions are in conformance with the State Statutes and the Standards provided by the state of Wisconsin. If a report is screened in, decisions are made regarding the response time and the manner of assessment.

The assigned worker has 60 days to complete an assessment of the family, including an assessment of the safety of the children in the identified household. Results of the assessment may be a determination of no identified concerns, a voluntary referral to community resources or the Family Services unit, or a referral to Juvenile Court. The result of a Juvenile Court referral would be to have case management and services provided by the Family Service Unit and may include other providers based on the identified needs of the family.

Codes & Standards