Wis. Stat. » CHAPTER 48 — CHILDREN’S CODE
Wisconsin Statutes

Wis. Stat. § 48.61 (2026)

Powers and duties of child welfare agencies

✓ current as of July 2026
Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section WI-LEGdocs.legis.wisconsin.gov JustiaChapter on Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar
48.6148.61 Powers and duties of child welfare agencies. A child welfare agency shall have authority:
48.61(1)(1) To accept legal or physical custody of children transferred to it by the court under s. 48.355.
48.61(2)(2) To contract with any parent or guardian or other person for the supervision or care and maintenance of any child.
48.61(3)(3) To provide appropriate care and training for children in its legal or physical custody and, if licensed to do so, to place children in licensed foster homes and licensed group homes as permitted under s. 48.63 (1) (a), in shelter care facilities as permitted under s. 48.63 (1) (b), and in the homes of guardians as permitted under s. 48.977 (2).
48.61(4)(4) To provide for the moral and religious training of children in its legal custody according to the religious belief of the child or the child’s parents.
48.61(5)(5) If licensed to do so, to accept guardianship of children when appointed by the court, and to place children under its guardianship for adoption.
48.61(6)(6) To provide services to the court under s. 48.07.
48.61(7)(7) To license foster homes in accordance with s. 48.75 if licensed to do so.
48.61 HistoryHistory: 1977 c. 354 s. 101; 1977 c. 418, 449; 1979 c. 300; 1991 a. 316; 1993 a. 446; 1999 a. 83; 2005 a. 25; 2009 a. 28; 2013 a. 335.
48.61 Cross-referenceCross-reference: See also ch. DCF 54, Wis. adm. code.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 2 cases, 1991–1992 · leading case: Carrington v. St. Paul Fire & Marine Ins., 485 N.W.2d 267 (Wis. 1992).
Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment
Carrington v. St. Paul Fire & Marine Ins., 485 N.W.2d 267 (Wis. 1992). · cites it 2× “Sunburst is a residential treatment center licensed as a child welfare agency pursuant to sec.”
Carrington Ex Rel. Nathan v. St. Paul Fire & Marine Ins., 473 N.W.2d 591 (Wis. Ct. App. 1991). · cites it 2× “; see also sec. 48.61, Stats. Under chapter 880, Stats.”
— Wis. Stat. § 48.61(2) — 1 case
Carrington v. St. Paul Fire & Marine Ins., 485 N.W.2d 267 (Wis. 1992). “Sunburst is a residential treatment center licensed as a child welfare agency pursuant to sec.”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.