Keeping Maine's Children Connected
A Maine Children's Cabinet Initiative
An Integrated Approach to Help Children and Youth
Who Experience School disruption to: Homelessness,
Foster Care Placement, Correctional Facility Placement,
In-Patient Psychiatric Care and/or High Mobility
Mission: To promote success for all youth who experience a disruption in their educational program.
Intent : To simplify the transition to and from school so that these students can stay connected or re-connect to their education programs as soon as possible. It is a collaborative effort among The Department of Corrections, The Department of Education, Department of Labor, The Department of Justice and The Department of Health and Human Services.
Who Are We Talking About? : All youth affected by homelessness, foster care placement, correctional facility placement, in-patient psychiatric care and/or High Mobility.
What This Means For Children and Youth :
- Improved educational outcomes through the continuity and completion of their educational program.
- Reduced number of school transitions in each child’s life.
- Increased sense of belonging to the school and community.
What This Means for the System :
- A standardized system of communication among state agencies, correctional facilities, in-patient psychiatric facilities and school districts
- An increased knowledge of issues and policies affecting youth who have experienced disruption in their school placement.
How Does It Work :
- Establish and train liaisons in each school district, state agency, correctional facility, and in-patient psychiatric facility. These liaisons along with the youth and family, will help decide who are the best people to assist in a plan to support the child in transition. There will be a single statewide database listing all the liaisons which can be easily accessed through a designated website.
- Maintain ongoing training and meetings for the liaisons so they can remain up to date on policy changes and issues affecting youth.
- Interagency Systems Training so staff can learn more about other disciplines and agencies .
For More Information Contact: Susan Lieberman. Director at 822-0172 or susan.lieberman@maine.gov
