Frequently Asked Questions About Keeping Maine’s Children Connected Liaisons
What is the Keeping Maine’s Children Connected (KMCC) Initiative?
Keeping Maine’s Children Connected (KMCC) is an integrated approach to help children and youth who experience school disruption due to homelessness, foster care placement, correctional facility placement and/or in-patient psychiatric care. The intent is to simplify the transitions to and from school so that these children and youth can stay connected or re-connect to their educational program as soon as possible.
Why is school disruption a concern?
There are an increasing number of children and youth who are experiencing transitions into or out of their home, school and community resulting in disruptions in their education.
Research has shown that stability in schooling is one of the major predictors of academic success. Each time a student has to change schools, the student has to adjust to new teachers and peers and to a curriculum that may differ from the previous school. This is extremely hard and stressful for these children and youth.
Children and youth spend approximately 30 hours a week in school. Keeping school as a point of stability can help children and youth succeed educationally and provide them peers and adults who know them and can support them as they experience these difficult transitions.
How does the Keeping Maine’s Children Connected program work?
Our goal is to facilitate communication among those people working with the youth. Liaisons have been established statewide in school districts, regional state agency offices, juvenile correctional facilities and in-patient psychiatric facilities. There is a database listing all the liaisons on this website. In addition, there will be ongoing meetings and trainings for the liaisons so they can remain up to date on policy changes, resource options and issues affecting these youth.
Why should I contact a Liaison?
Too often, staff and parents waste time trying to figure out how to contact the best person who can support the youth. Utilizing the database to contact the school, state agency and facility liaison, parents and staff can expedite communication to ensure that everyone is working together with the student to develop a supportive plan. The result will be that students will remain connected or will re-connect to their local schools.
The strategy is to build on the existing infrastructure, so that resources within schools, community and home are more effectively used to support youth experiencing the school disruption.
What does the Liaison do?
The liaison can assist you by determining who is the best person or team within a school district, agency or facility to assist with the child or youth’s support plan. This is particularly helpful when you want to contact someone from a specific school, agency or facility and you are not sure who to call.
The liaison can also help if there is a breakdown in communication, i.e., your calls are not being answered. The liaison can work with staff from their own “agency” to facilitate communication among those working with the child or youth.
Oftentimes, workers and parents spend a lot of time trying to figure out who to call and how to reach them. Contacting the liaison can save time and make your work easier.
Will the liaison take over the case plan and coordinate supports for the youth?
In most cases, the liaison will not be the primary person involved with the youth. The role of the liaison is to help connect you with the best person within the school, agency or facility who can assist you.
Do I have to call the liaison every time or can I call a contract I already have?
We encourage the use of natural channels of communication. You should call the liaison if you need assistance in determining who is the best person who can support the child or youth from that particular school, agency or facility or if there is a breakdown in communication.
What if I don’t have a signed release?
You need a release signed by the guardian. If the child or youth is under DHS care then you need to speak with the Bureau of Child and Family Services case worker. If the child has a surrogate parent, then you need to speak with the surrogate parent when talking about special education programs. For more information about the surrogate family program see www.maine.gov/education/surr/
How does this Initiative connect with already existing teams working with the youth?
The intent is to build on existing supports-not create new unnecessary meetings. By contacting the liaison or the people involved with the youth, you can work together to support the youth.
The student lives in a small town but I don’t know if it is part of a School Administrative District (SAD) or School Union, how do I figure out who is the liaison associated with the student’s hometown?
All you need to know is the town where the child lives. Type in the name of the town and hit enter. The name of the liaison associated with that school district will appear on the screen. The liaison will then be able to assist you in determining who can best support that student within their school district.
I know the student has a caseworker but how do I know which regional state agency office to contact?
When you click onto the database, you can type in the county where the youth resides. The name of the liaison for the state regional office associated with that town will appear on the screen. The liaison will then be able to assist you in determining whether someone from their agency is already involved or if the youth is eligible to go through the intake process. The liaison can inform you how to contact the case worker who has been working with the youth. Once again you may need a release to gain information from the state agency representatives.
Who can I call if I have more questions about the role of Liaisons or the Keeping Maine’s Children Connected Initiative?
You can reach Susan Lieberman at 822-0172 or susan.lieberman@maine.gov
