(1) No person may receive children, with or without transfer of legal custody, to provide care and maintenance for 75 days in any consecutive 12 months’ period for 4 or more such children at any one time unless that person obtains a license to operate a child welfare agency from the department. To obtain a license under this subsection to operate a child welfare agency, a person must meet the minimum requirements for a license established by the department under s. 48.67, meet the requirements specified in s. 48.685 and pay the applicable license fee under s. 48.615 (1) (a) or (b). A license issued under this subsection is valid until revoked or suspended, but shall be reviewed every 2 years as provided in s. 48.66 (5). (2) This section does not include: (a) A relative or like-kin, guardian, or person delegated care and custody of a child under s. 48.979 who provides care and maintenance for such children. (b) A bona fide educational institution whose pupils, in the ordinary course of events, return annually to the homes of their parents or guardians for not less than 2 months of summer vacation. (c) A public agency. (d) A hospital or nursing home licensed, approved or supervised by the department. (e) A licensed foster home. (f) Institutions for mentally deficient children, which institutions have a full-time child population of not less than 150 children and which are subject to examination as provided in s. 46.03 (5). (g) A licensed group home. (3) Before issuing or continuing any license to a child welfare agency under this section, the department shall review the need for the additional placement resources that would be made available by licensing or continuing the license of any child welfare agency after August 5, 1973, providing care authorized under s. 48.61 (3). Neither the department nor the department of corrections may make any placements to any child welfare agency where the departmental review required under this subsection has failed to indicate the need for the additional placement resources. (4) (a) In this subsection, “child with a disability” has the meaning given in s. 115.76 (5). (b) Notwithstanding ss. 121.78 (3) (a) and 121.79 (1) (a) , a child welfare agency shall pay for the costs incurred by a school district in providing special education and related services to a child with a disability who has been placed with the child welfare agency under the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children under s. 48.988 or the Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children under s. 48.99. (5) (a) No later than 24 hours after the death of a child who resided in a residential care center for children and youth operated by a child welfare agency, the child welfare agency shall report the death to the department if one of the following applies: 1. There is reasonable cause to believe that the death was related to the use of physical restraint or a psychotropic medication for the child. 3. There is reasonable cause to believe that the death was a suicide. (c) No later than 14 days after the date of the death reported under par. (a), the department shall investigate the death.
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