Social Services

Contents

Mission Statement
Affordable Care Act Information
Adult Services
Children and Family Services
Economic Support
Juvenile Services
Foster Care
Child Care Certification
Community Resource Directory
Contact

Mission Statement

The Iowa County Department of Social Services is committed to assisting individuals and families identify areas of need and equip them with the necessary skills and tools to become safe, healthy and self-sufficient.

Director Thomas C. Slaney
Phone: 608-930-9801
FAX: 608-935-0371
Email: icdss@iowacounty.org
Address: 303 West Chapel Street, Suite 2300, Dodgeville, WI  53533-1450

ADRC and Social Services Annual Report - 2016

Affordable Care Act Information

It's HEALTH INSURANCE ENROLLMENT TIME (Nov. 1st - Dec. 15th)

Resources that are available:

Call 2-1-1 or text your zip code to 898-211, to connect to free enrollment help.

Schedule an appointment: http://www.coveringwi.org/enroll or call (608)331-0574.
You can find a schedule of the Navigator (individual trained and able to help consumers, small businesses, and their employees as they look for coverage options) at: https://www.coveringwi.org/

Iowa County Assistance:

Community Connections Free Clinic
101 E Fountain Street – Dodgeville, WI
Tuesdays and Thursdays 4:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Dates:  December 5, 7, 12, 14
Appointments preferred   (608)930-2232

Shop the Marketplace on your own - www.healthcare.gov

Adult Services

The Adult Services Unit provides information and referral services, short-term as well as long-term case management services and emergency services to adults, their families, and especially the elderly of Iowa County.

The following are the primary services provided by the Adult Services Unit:

  • Supportive Home Care (SHC) assessment and coordination of services for those eligible for these services. Supportive Home Care provides interior (laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping, etc.) and exterior (lawn mowing and snow removal, etc.), home maintenance in order to help elderly persons remain in their homes and avoid or defer moving into an assistive living .
  • Assess the general needs of elderly persons and provide or refer to appropriate services in the community to meet the needs of the person.
  • Protective services (guardianships and protective placements) for eligible adults suffering from infirmities of aging.
  • Protective placement reviews for those individuals placed as a result of infirmities of aging.
  • Supplemental Security Income-Exceptional Expense certification (SSI-E) for the elderly.
  • Information and referral services for adults and their families seeking information or referral resources to meet the needs of the elderly.
  • Elder abuse and neglect investigations and offer services to the alleged victim.
  • To provide information about services to community groups and other agencies/organizations.
  • Maintain and update the Iowa County Resource Directory for services to the elderly (click link for access to the resource directory).

Children and Family Services

The Children and Family Services Unit provides a broad range of services. These services are provided both on a voluntary basis as well as by Court Order (involuntary basis). The funding for services provided come from a myriad of funding sources including the State of Wisconsin, Iowa County, grants, donations, and fees charged for services. The functions provided include:

Child abuse/neglect investigations . Receive and document all reports of child maltreatment. Screening of the reports in accordance with Wisconsin Standards. Reports screened in are assessed in accordance with Standards set forth by the state. This sometimes includes interviewing with law enforcement.

Ongoing case management services . These include direct family counseling, school and family liaison services, family assessment and service planning, monitoring of Court ordered services coordinating and working with the sub-contracted service providers, coordinating community services for the children and their families, providing information and support regarding Court processes, referrals for alternate care placements, coordinating services with the family and the alternate care provider and other services necessary to provide appropriate services to children and their families to meet their needs and to keep families intact.

Referral and monitoring of sub-contracted in-home family therapy and parent education services . In-home family therapy for children 13 years of age to 18 years of age is provided by Orion. The in-home teams work individually with the child identified as having personal, family relationship, social, and/or school problems as well as working with the entire family. Parent education is provided by Lutheran Social Services.

Foster care, group home care, or child caring institutions are alternate care sites for children who are determined to be in need of placement outside of their parental/family home. We assess and coordinate placement of children, when necessary, outside of their parental home and develop the permanency plan for these children and work toward family reunification when possible.

Foster home recruitment and licensing . Foster home license renewal is also provided as well as training of new foster parents and ongoing training for foster parents currently licensed.

Custody, visitation, and physical placement studies . These are provided as a service to the Court and the community although these are not mandated services. A fee is charged for these studies.

Intake, information and referral services are provided for anyone who calls in or walks into the Agency and is seeking services or information with regard to available services in Iowa County with regard to children, adults, elderly, and families.

On call , 24-hours, seven days per week, coverage is rotated among the social work staff in order to provide emergency information and services to children/families and adults after hours and on weekends and holidays.

Coordination and collaboration with the District Attorney and Corporation Counsel regarding cases requiring Court action. These include alleged sexual assault investigations or severe child abuse/neglect investigations, as well as issues of confidentiality change in out-of-home placements, and all other child related issues that may require legal intervention.

Coordination and collaboration of services with other community service providers . Other providers include, but are not limited to, mental health and/or AODA providers, medical service providers, low income housing providers, probation and parole agents, law enforcement agencies, public health department, Job Center, domestic abuse shelters and counseling service agencies, schools, the Family Resource Center, private agencies who provide foster homes, treatment foster homes and group homes when needed to meet the needs of children needing placement outside of their family home, as well as child caring institutions, and many other service providers both in and outside of Iowa County.

Economic Support

SOUTHERN CONSORTIUM
CALL/CHANGE REPORTING CENTER
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday)
11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (Thursday)

Most changes affecting benefits that you receive through Iowa County Economic Support should be reported to our Call/Change Reporting Center.  By calling 1-888-794-5780, your change can be handled immediately and you will know the status of your benefits.  Depending on the change you are reporting and the program(s) you are receiving assistance for, verification of the information may be required.

Some changes that should be reported to the Change Reporting Center are:

  • Birth of a child
  • Address changes
  • Changes in income or assets
  • People moving in or out of the household
  • Changes in expenses

You can also mail any changes to:

CDPU
Centralized Document Processing Unit
PO Box 5234
Janesville, WI 53547-5234
or FAX to 1-855-293-1822

To complete an online application visit http://www.access.wisconsin.gov or call 1-888-794-5780.

ECONOMIC SUPPORT PROGRAMS

FoodShare :  Provides FoodShare to most households that meet certain financial and non-financial requirements helping low-income families and individuals to buy nutritious food. http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/foodshare

The four ways you can apply for Foodshare are:

  • You can go to www.access.wi.gov and complete an on-line application.
  • You can call the Southern Consortium Call Center at 1-888-794-5780 and complete an application over the telephone.
  • You can go in person to Iowa County Social Services at 303 W. Chapel Street- Suite 2300- Dodgeville, WI.
  • We can mail you a paper application.  You can return it by faxing it to 1-855-293-1822, or in person at 303 W. Chapel Street- Suite 2300- Dodgeville, WI, or you can mail it to the agency.

BadgerCare Plus :  BadgerCare Plus is a program for children under 19 years of age and families in Wisconsin who need and want health insurance.  BadgerCare Plus Core plan is a program for long-term uninsured adults ages 19 through 64 who do not have children or do not have dependent children under age 19 living with them.  BadgerCare Plus Basic plan is a limited benefit health care plan for individuals on the Core Plan Wait List.  For more information, visit http://dhs.wisconsin.gov/badgercareplus

Family Planning Only Services :  provides family planning services and supplies for men and women age 15 through 44 who are at or below 200% of the federal poverty level.  The purpose of this plan is to stop unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.  For more information visit: https://dhs.wisconsin.gov/fpos/index.htm

Medical Assistance :  Wisconsin’s ForwardHealth Medicaid plans for Elderly, Blind or Disabled provide healthcare for those who are age 65 or older, blind or disabled, with income at or below the monthly program limit, and who are United States citizens or legal immigrants.  For more information visit: http://dhs.wisconsin.gov/medicaid/index.htm

Family Care :  is a comprehensive and flexible long-term care service system, which strives to foster people’s independence and quality of life, while recognizing the need for interdependence and support.  For more information http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/LTCare

Wisconsin Shares—Child Care Subsidy Program :  helps families with the cost of childcare while their parents are at work, work and school, and/or participating in a work program.  For more information, visit https://dcf.wisconsin.gov/wishares .

Caretaker Supplement .  Wisconsin Caretaker Supplement is a cash benefit available to parents who are eligible for Supplement Security Income payments.  Caretaker Supplement is not a Medicaid benefit; it pays cash only to eligible parents.  For more information, visit http://dhs.wisconsin.gov/ssi/caretaker.htm

W-2 Program :  W-2 provides a wide range of employment services and training to help eligible Wisconsin residents get and keep employment.  W-2 provides work experience positions through community service jobs, and other work-readiness placements.  Work experience positions have monthly payments based on participation. For more information, visit https://dcf.wisconsin.gov/w2/parents/w2 .

Childcare :  Wisconsin Works Childcare provides a subsidy to low-income families who require child day care to obtain or retain employment, teen parents in school or an equivalent program and working families who need training to improve their employment status.  Families are eligible for child day care subsidies if they are a parent of or provide care and maintenance to a child under the age of 13 or a child under the age of 19 who has special needs when the parent works in an unsubsidized job or are participating in a Food Stamp Employment and Training Job Search or work experience program.  Providers must be licensed or certified, depending on the circumstances and payments are made directly to the childcare provider. For more information, visit https://dcf.wisconsin.gov/ .

Give your child a great start.
How to read the stars.  Understanding YoungStar.
Interviewing Providers: What to Ask Before You Choose
Reading the Stars: Choosing Child Care with YoungStar
Finding Child Care for Children with Special Needs
Getting the Most Out of Child Care: Family Engagement
Your Child's Nutrition: At Home and Away from Home
Know the Milestones: Monitoring Your Child's Development

Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program :  Assists in paying heating costs of low-income households.  A one-time per heating season payment is issued to the fuel providers.  Crisis assistance is available to persons who have already received their regular payment but have an emergency fuel need or a problem with their heating unit.  For general information, visit http://homeenergyplus.wi.gov .

Emergency Assistance :  You may be eligible for up to $150 per family member if you are facing a current emergency for one of the following reasons:  fire, flood, natural disaster, energy crisis, homelessness or impending homelessness. For more information, visit http://www.fsc-corp.org/programs/emergency-assistance/ .

Juvenile Services

The Juvenile Services Unit provides juvenile delinquency and truancy intake services and court ordered supervision services pursuant to Chapter 938, the Juvenile Justice Code of the State of Wisconsin. The population served in this unit are juveniles who are at least 10 years of age and who are less than 17 years of age and have allegedly violated a state or federal criminal law as well as persons who are habitually truant as defined in Chapter 118.16. A variety of funding sources including the State of Wisconsin, Iowa County, grants, donations and court ordered supervision fees provide funding for juvenile delinquency and court ordered truancy services.

The following are the primary services provided by the Juvenile Services Unit:

Intake inquiries including all or some of the following: notice of rights, obligations and possible disclosure, multidisciplinary screens, intake conferences, deferred prosecution agreements, community service referrals, court ordered program referrals and referrals to the District Attorney for prosecution.

Community resource referrals, coordinate and collaborate with outside agencies in order to meet juvenile/family needs.

Family interviews for the purpose of gathering data for court reports.

Court reports including social histories, plan for treatment and rehabilitation as well as recommendations.

Ongoing supervision for juveniles under court ordered supervision due to delinquent acts and/or habitual truancy.

Referral and monitoring of sub-contracted in-home family therapy and parent education services.

Referrals for alternate care placements, coordinate services with family and the alternate care provider and any other services necessary in order to reunite families expeditiously and to keep families intact, if possible.

Coordination and collaboration with the District Attorney's office and corporate counsel with regard to cases requiring court action.

On-call, 24-hour per day coverage is rotated among the social work staff in order to provide emergency information and services to children/families and adults after Agency operating hours and on weekends and holidays.

Foster Care

Level I and Level II Foster Care Overview
Foster Care
Respite Care

Become an Iowa County Foster Parent

Child Care Certification

For information on how to become a Certified Child Care Provider in your home please call 608-930-9801.

Additional information for child care providers can be obtained at Family Connections of Southwest Wisconsin www.familyconnectionsswwi.org .  For parents looking for regulated child care, click here: http://childcarefinder.wisconsin.gov/Search/Search.aspx?type=b&YoungStarProviders=true

Community Resource Directory

Iowa County Connections
A Directory of Human Services for
Iowa County Households
Section 1. Children and Families

County Taxi Service, see Section 5, 5.4

Transportation for Public, Seniors/Disabled Person
See Section 5, 5.14

Section 2. Clothing

Section 3. Disability Assistance

Section 4. Education, Training and Job Assistance

Section 5. Elder Programs

Section 6. Financial Assistance

Alzheimer’s Family and Caregiver Support Program
(AFCSP), see Section 5, 5.3
Child Support, see Section 1, 1.3

Section 7. Food

Emergency Food , see Section 6, 6.2
Family Connections of SW Wisconsin (Child Care Food
Program) see Section 1, 1.4

Section 8. Health Care and Insurance

Health Care
Alzheimer’s Family and Caregiver Support Program, (AFCSP)
See Section 5, 5.3

Health Insurance

Section 9. Housing and Energy Assistance

Emergency Food and Shelter, see Section 6, 6.2

Section 10. Legal and Tax Assistance

ABC for Health, Inc., see Section, 8, 8.13

Section 11. Substance Abuse Programs

Section 12. APPENDICES

  1. Quick Income Eligibility Guides
    ACCESS: An Internet Eligibility Guide
  2. Hispanic Resources
  3. Alphabetical List of Programs
  4. Hotlines and Helplines [Back Cover]

Contact

8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Monday - Friday

303 W. Chapel St.
Dodgeville, WI 53533
608 930-9801
608-935-9754 (Fax)
icdss@iowacounty.org