Termination of Parental Rights

Petitions for Voluntary and Involuntary Termination of Parental Rights are filed with the Register in Probate/Clerk of Juvenile Court.

The Department of Health and Family Services is generally the petitioner in Involuntary Termination of Parental Rights (TPR) proceedings.  Grounds for involuntary TPR are set forth in section 48.415 of Wisconsin Statutes. 

If you are pursuing an Involuntary TPR on your own, you will need to prove that one or more of the grounds established by section 48.415 Wis. Stats. exist.

A parent who is the subject of an Involuntary TPR is eligible for an attorney appointed by the State Public Defender's Office. 

A child who is the subject of ANY TPR proceeding will be represented by a Guardian ad Litem (GAL).  A GAL is an attorney appointed by the Court to represent the best interest of the child.

Most TPR cases are filed as voluntary.  Below you will find a Guideline for Voluntary Termination of Parental Rights.  This guideline briefly outlines the process and lists the forms you will need to file to commence your Voluntary TPR action.

All of the forms numbered with a JC Prefix are available on the Wisconsin Court System website. 

The forms numbered with a CFS prefix are listed below and can be printed from this page.