Wisconsin Kinship Care Documents Needed for Your Application

What You Need Before You Apply

Gathering the right paperwork before you submit your Kinship Care application can help avoid follow-up delays. Payments cannot be backdated before the date the agency receives your completed, signed application. Here's what to collect.

Documents for the Kinship Care Application

Form DCF-F-CFS2023-E is the mandatory application for voluntary or private kinship care arrangements. For court-ordered out-of-home care, use Form DCF-F-2483-E. The revised DCF-F-CFS2023-E (November 2024, implemented under DCF Memo 2025-01i) is available from the DCF website in English, Hmong, and Spanish. You'll also need:

For the child:

• Birth certificate (original or certified copy)
• Social Security number or card
• Any court orders affecting custody or placement (CHIPS, JIPS, guardianship orders)
• Documentation of the child's income, if any (Social Security Dependent/Survivors benefits statements, trust payments, or child support records)

For you (the caregiver):

• Government-issued photo ID
• Proof of Wisconsin residency (utility bill, lease, mortgage statement)
• Social Security number (for background check purposes)

For every adult in your household (age 18+):

• Full legal name, date of birth, and Social Security number — all adults undergo mandatory criminal background checks, child abuse and neglect registry screenings, and fingerprint-based checks under Wis. Stat. § 48.57(3p)

Proving Your Relationship to the Child

Wisconsin's qualifying relative definition includes grandparents, step-grandparents, siblings, step-siblings, aunts, uncles, step-aunts, step-uncles, first cousins, nephews, nieces, and extended relatives (great-grandparents, great-aunts, etc.) by blood, marriage, or adoption.

Proof options include:

• The child's birth certificate showing a parent who is your son, daughter, sibling, etc.
• Marriage certificates connecting you through a step-relationship
• Adoption records

If you're applying as a like-kin caregiver under 2023 Wis. Act 119, you won't have biological or legal documentation of a family relationship. Instead, the agency evaluates whether you have a significant emotional relationship with the child or the child's family that is equivalent to a familial relationship. Supporting evidence can include:

• Statements from teachers, counselors, or clergy describing your longstanding role
• Photos or records showing the child has lived with or regularly stayed with you
• For an Indian child, tribal documentation identifying you according to tribal custom or tradition

Legal Authority Documents

Having one of these strengthens your application and helps with school enrollment and medical decisions:

• Form GF-223 (Power of Attorney Delegating Parental Power) — signed by every parent who holds legal custody, valid for up to one year under Wis. Stat. § 48.979
• Court guardianship order under Wis. Stat. § 48.9795 or § 48.977
• CHIPS/JIPS placement order — if the child was placed by the child welfare system

None of these are strictly required to apply for voluntary Kinship Care (an informal arrangement is sufficient), but they make the process smoother and eliminate questions about your authority over the child.

What Happens After You Submit

The agency reviews your application and initiates background checks. If all adults clear the checks and the placement is found to be in the child's best interests, payments begin. Expect 30 to 45 calendar days for processing.

If you're denied, you have 45 calendar days from the date of the written notice to file an appeal with the Division of Hearings and Appeals.

The Wisconsin Kinship Financial Help guide includes a printable Document Assembly Checklist that lists every record you need for each agency — Kinship Care, BadgerCare Plus, FoodShare, and Wisconsin Shares — so nothing gets missed.

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