Agency Collaboration

Departmental Collaboration on behalf of Children and Families

This information was current when the 2001 Children's Cabinet Annual Report was released.

In addition to the initiatives launched directly by the Children’s Cabinet, the departments collaborate on a variety of initiatives designed to improve services to children and their families. These collaborative initiatives include:

Department of Education

The Learning Results. The Department of Education, in collaboration with participating educators, parents, higher education personnel , and the business community, will continue working towards the goal that every public school student achieves the academic standards required in Maine’s Learning Results so that every student leaves school prepared for post-secondary study. We also need to encourage communities to work toward the vision that Maine people will be among the best educated in the world. To this end, the National Center on Aspirations, at the University of Maine, will expand its work with schools and the Communities for Children Leadership Councils to help children raise their aspirations.
Educating High Risk Youth. The Departments of Education, Human Services, MHMRSAS, and Corrections are collaborating on improving educational opportunities for high risk youth such as children in foster care, youth at the Maine Youth Center, and at the Northern Maine Juvenile facility.
Higher Education Initiative. The Department of Education has set the goal that Maine people will rank among the highest in the nation in the percent seeking and attaining two and four year advanced degrees, and the percent participating in life-long learning opportunities. To achieve this goal, the following efforts are being pursued:

Enhancing Maine’s public K-12 education system on a foundation of quality standards, high expectations for all students, and preparation for post-secondary education study;
Increasing coordination among Maine’s public higher education systems;
Establishing a community college system through the collaboration of the UMS, and the Maine Technical College System; and
Establishing stronger links among systems at all levels — 0-5, K-12, and post-secondary

Department of Health and Human Services

Medicaid Funding for Special Education Services. Staff from the Department of Human Services worked with the MAXIMUS Corporation to secure $10-15 million annually in Medicaid funding for Maine students who need a variety of rehabilitative services. This infusion of federal funds for children with special needs is a great bonus for cash-strapped schools which are under increasing pressure to assure that all students have access to health and rehabilitative services.
Expanded Health Insurance for Children. Maine now enjoys the fourth highest rate of children with health insurance in the U,.S., including both private health insurance and government-provided health insurance. Our efforts have increased the overall rate of people with health insurance in Maine, the opposite of national trends. With 183,000 Mainers receiving Medicaid or Cub Care, these are the highest numbers of people receiving our health insurances in the history of Maine. It is no accident; it is the result of the work and creativity of the Bureau of Family Independence, Bureau of Medical Services staff, Bureaus of Health and of Child & Family Services, as well as education agencies, hospitals, and the regional coalition of clinics, child care, mental health, and social service agencies.
Family Court. Working with the Judicial system, DHS arranged creative financing and support to allow the implementation of a new Family Division of the District Court for Maine benefiting families and children, parents needing child support, and others.
Returning children from out-of-state. Special outreach and cooperative work with the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation, and Substance Abuse Services, and the Department of Education has enabled hundreds of emotionally disturbed Maine children previously being served in out-of-state treatment centers to return to Maine.
Tobacco Settlement: - Community School Grants - Goals of the grants are to pay for interventions that reduce tobacco addiction, use, and tobacco-related diseases through reducing tobacco use, physical inactivity, poor nutrition, and secondary, tertiary tobacco-related disease prevention. Focus must be on those at highest risk such as youth and disadvantaged populations. School funding is for coordinated school health programs with a focus on comprehensive school health education. Funds may be used for school health services.
Community Service Center — The Department of Human Services and the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation, and Substance Abuse Services have developed an interdepartmental center to ensure the health, safety, and well being of children, families, and individuals who need or receive services through community-based programs, organizations, and facilities through the coordination, purchase, and development of community services in order to maximize self-sufficiency and minimize risk to children, families, and individuals in Maine.
Home Visiting Services - In response to a legislative Task Force’s recommendations, three Healthy Families home visiting pilot sites were established by the Department of Human Services in 1996. Following this success, a new legislative Task Force to Study Strategies to Support Parents as Children’s First Teachers was established and staffed by DHS and the Children’s Cabinet. The work of this Task Force led to the inclusion of expanded funding for several home visiting models in the Tobacco Settlement funds for a Healthy Maine
The Department serves children and youth, ages birth through 20 years, who have treatment needs related to mental illness, mental retardation, autism, developmental disabilities or emotional and behavioral needs, and who are not under current statutory authority of existing state agencies. The Department’s Strategic Plan Goal is to ensure that services for children in need of services and supportive services for their families are present in Maine communities in order to promote the children’s health and development.
Children’s Services provides a range of community based services and supports through contracts with qualified providers throughout the state of Maine. The most highly used services include: outpatient; crisis services; case management; individualized flexible (wraparound) services; respite; services to homeless youth; and information and referral services for families and the public at large. Eligible children may access additional services directly through the Medicaid program.
- Chapter 790 established the Children’s Mental Health Program, effective July 1, 1998. The law directs the Department to create a structure for the coordination of children’s mental health care provided by the 4 child-serving state agencies, to include DMHMRSAS and the Departments of Human Services, Corrections and Education. The Department has lead responsibility for implementation of the program. A legislatively appointed Chapter 790 Oversight Committee oversees the progress being made in developing a comprehensive system of children’s mental health services, and advises the child-serving departments as necessary.
- MyCare is the Department’s blueprint for the service delivery system which will manage the behavioral health needs and provision of care across all children’s disability groups. Regional staff will perform essential systems functions such as client enrollment, assuring program fidelity through Quality Improvement Specialists, tracking authorized services and improving access to the system through Enrollment Specialists and Family Information Specialists. MyCare is also supported through the utilization review function and new procedures to access the system.
Collaborations

Active collaboration among the child serving agencies to develop a system of care has been productive and effective. Substantive progress has been made on improvements to better manage behavioral health care for children and their families; specifically:
- Utilization Review Program to assure that effective and efficient service is delivered to Mainechildren and families through on-site visits and medical record reviews by qualified staff.Systems Access Program developed with DHS that requires a single point of access to crisis services and out of home placement for any child needing mental health services.Mental Health Services for Juveniles places Children’s Services mental health programcoordinator staff in DOC district offices and at the Southern Maine Juvenile Facility.Clinical Case Management developed with DHS provides mental health clinical services tostate wards; MSW mental health professionals work collaboratively in the local DHS offices.
- Interdepartmental Resource Development Planning is done with DHS, DOC and DOE to identify priority needs for all children to include new or enhanced program models.
- Increased case management services to children with mental health needs by 70% last year.
- Trained and certified 393 qualified Behavioral Specialists over last 2 years.
- Expanded in-home supports to children with behavioral needs by 700% in last 2 years.
- Reduced the census of children placed out of state by 46% over last 2 years.
- Developed standards for Case Management and Crisis Services last year.
- Provided case management services to 3,387 children in FY00.
  
  Department of Corrections
Improved Service Coordination. The Department of Corrections, in collaboration with other state agencies with responsibility for service to children with special needs at the Maine Youth Center, has been working on better service coordination and case planning. A Mental Health Coordinator funded by the DMHMRSAS has been assigned to assist in the development and implementation of case plans for youth with mental health needs. A Human Services caseworker funded by the DHS has been assigned to work with all youth in DHS custody at the Maine Youth Center;

Improved Mental Health Services. In collaboration with the DMHMRSAS, and with the support of the Legislature, the department will provide expanded assessment, diagnostic, and treatment services for juvenile offenders including psychological services to youth in the detention unit, a Mental health coordinator for each of the four juvenile regions, an evaluation of the develop of a forensic unit for retarded and severely mentally ill youth, an increase in treatment funds for mental health services, and release planning for corrections youth with Acadia Hospital and DMHMRSAS;
Improved Substance Abuse Services. In collaboration with DOC, the Office of Substance Abuse provides assessment and treatment counselors at the Maine Youth Center, a substance abuse treatment counselor/coordinator at the Northern Maine Juvenile Detention Facility, substance abuse evaluators, and manages substance abuse treatment networks in the community;
Research re: Juveniles who have Sexually offended - is a collaboration with DHS which includes the development of appropriate assessment tools, research profiling of the juveniles in Maine who have sexually offended, and the development of best practices in treatment;
Improved Community Placements for Juvenile Offenders. Collaborations include development of transition services with DMHMRSAS and the City of Bangor for youth who are homeless, and the MYC Foster Care Program for DHS youth on aftercare.
Improved Educational Services. Initiatives underway with the Department of Education including Vocational Education and Special Education teams at Maine youth Center, collaboration on education programs to be offered in the new juvenile facilities, Project Impact at Maine Youth Center, and special education services at Northern Maine Juvenile Detention Facility.
Multi-Systemic Therapy Project - This pilot project in York County involves the Departments of Human Services, Education, and MHMRSAS in developing a high level, intensive treatment response to high risk youth in a community setting. The pilot is implementation of a successful model developed by Scott Henggeler and is an approach which involves daily interactions with the youth, their families, and community support systems.
Drug Treatment Court Program - Funded with Federal funds administered by the Division of Juvenile Services, the Drug Treatment Court Program is a collaborative of the DMHMRSAS's Office of Substance Abuse, the Department of Corrections Juvenile Field Services, and the Judiciary to intensively supervise and treat youth who are high risk for further delinquency and have substantial substance abuse issues.

Department of Public Safety

State Troopers - involved with community policing projects around the state, al dealing with youth or youth-related problems;
Crime Lab - instrumental in the classification of children’s fingerprints and DNA identification kits;
Fire Marshal’s Office - responsible for educating youth on Juvenile Fire Setting programs;
Bureau of Liquor Enforcement is involved in juvenile Alcohol and Tobacco Education & Enforcement;
Bureau of Highway Safety — instrumental in passing-through federal funds for seatbelt and child safety seat programs, bike safety; driver education;
All public safety issues relevant to youth; e.g. drug & alcohol, dealing with the mentally ill; safe communities
Collaborator with DHS et.al. in the prevention of adolescent suicide.