Wisconsin Family Connections Center: Kinship Care Support and Navigation

What the Wisconsin Family Connections Center Does

The Wisconsin Family Connections Center (WiFCC) is the state's dedicated kinship navigation hub, operating under contract with the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF). It exists specifically for relatives who have taken in a child they did not expect to raise — grandparents, aunts and uncles, older siblings, and family friends who now need to figure out which agencies handle what and where the money comes from.

WiFCC offers three main services. Peer support groups connect you with other kinship caregivers in your area who understand the emotional weight of raising a relative's child on a fixed income. Educational workshops walk you through topics like applying for the $384/month Kinship Care payment, understanding BadgerCare Plus enrollment for the child, and keeping paperwork organized for annual eligibility reviews. Kinship navigation puts you in touch with someone who can help you identify which programs the child qualifies for and which county or tribal office to contact first.

WiFCC does not give direct financial assistance and does not provide legal representation. Its value is in helping you understand the system before you walk into a county office with a stack of forms.

How WiFCC Fits into the Bigger Picture

Wisconsin's public benefits for kinship caregivers are split across two state agencies and dozens of local offices. The Department of Children and Families handles Kinship Care payments, Subsidized Guardianship, Wisconsin Works (W-2), and Wisconsin Shares childcare subsidies. The Department of Health Services oversees BadgerCare Plus health coverage and FoodShare food assistance. In Milwaukee, child welfare runs through the Division of Milwaukee Child Protective Services (DMCPS) rather than the county. And for caregivers in Wisconsin's eleven federally recognized tribal nations, applications route through tribal child welfare departments.

WiFCC's navigation service helps you untangle which of these offices handles your situation. A grandparent in Dane County who has taken in a grandchild informally needs the county human services department for a Kinship Care application and the regional Income Maintenance consortium for BadgerCare Plus and FoodShare. That same grandparent in Milwaukee needs DMCPS for Kinship Care and the Milwaukee Enrollment Services Program for health coverage. WiFCC can help you identify the right path.

Finding Your Local Support Group

WiFCC hosts support groups and workshops around the state, often in partnership with county Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) and local kinship care programs. You can find upcoming events through the WiFCC website or through your county ADRC.

For caregivers aged 55 and older, ADRCs also connect you to Title III-E National Family Caregiver Support Program services, which include respite care reimbursement, caregiver training, and emergency funding — administered through county Aging Units with federal Older Americans Act dollars.

Other Free Resources Worth Knowing

Beyond WiFCC, two legal aid organizations serve kinship caregivers across the state. Legal Action of Wisconsin covers 39 southern and eastern counties (intake line: 855-252-0677). Judicare Legal Aid covers 33 northern counties and 11 tribal nations (intake line: 800-472-1638). Both serve low-income residents; call to confirm current eligibility and intake availability.

If you want the full picture of every financial program the child may qualify for — Kinship Care, BadgerCare Plus, FoodShare, Wisconsin Shares, Subsidized Guardianship, and emergency assistance — organized into one step-by-step system with the forms, the agencies, and the application sequence, the Wisconsin Kinship Financial Help Guide pulls it all together in one place.

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