Helpful Links

Have you ever wondered how to find a community service when you or someone you know needs help? Do you know where to turn when you want to reach out and help by volunteering or donating? In times of disaster or emergency, do you know where to go to receive updates and emergency bulletins

Access Maine is an online resource guide with information to connect people living in Maine to public programs, services, and other resources that are available to provide support they need to be safe, happy, healthy, and successful.

The award-winning national adoption magazine, is the leading adoption information source for families before, during, and after adoption.

GTS is proud to partner with Maine Cite to offer free device demonstrations and loans to all Maine residents! Their occupational therapists provide free demonstrations of equipment to help the team make decisions about what equipment might be best for them. Individuals or organizations are welcome to borrow equipment and technology to try within their natural environments - serving as a loaner device, assisting in decision-making, to learn about equipment and more!

The Autism Society of Maine is a non-profit organization that serves individuals with autism and their families, professionals, and communities by providing education, advocacy, referrals, and resource development. The Society provides current information in support of informed choice of treatments and services.

Camp to Belong Maine is a summer camp program that reunites brothers and sisters who have been separated by foster care for events of fun, sibling connection and creating life-long memories together.

Our mission is to train and supervise community volunteers to serve as officers of the court to advise the judge on what is in the best interest of an abused and neglected child who is in Maine’s child welfare system. Our vision is that every child has a safe, permanent, loving home and is given the opportunity to thrive.

The Bureau of Highway Safety has partner locations around the State of Maine where income eligible families can make an appointment with a certified car seat technician to obtain a car seat.

This tool allows users to search regulated child care programs around the state of Maine.

Maine Children's Oral Health Network is united by a shared vision: ensuring that all children in Maine can grow up free from preventable dental disease. As of July 1, 2022, MaineCare covers full dental care for adults, including preventive care like cleanings, diagnostic care, and restorative care, like fillings and dentures.

Many child welfare terms are subject to interpretation. The Glossary identifies commonly held definitions for terms that can be found on the Child Welfare Information Gateway website or in products and materials developed by external entities (e.g., Federal or State Agencies or other reliable organizations).

The Colorado Coalition of Adoptive Families, COCAF, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, was formed in 1999 by a group of families who desired to increase the amount of information and resources available to Colorado’s pre- and post-adoptive and kinship families. Our primary goals are to provide information to and advocate for families at all phases of the foster-adopt/adoption/kinship process.

The oldest and largest national nonprofit organization developing and promoting policies and programs to protect America’ children and strengthen America’s families.

The Finance Authority of Maine (FAME) provides access to innovative financial solutions to help Maine citizens pursue business and higher education opportunities.

FASD Maine works to increase awareness and prevention of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder through the education of families, providers, educators, and community stakeholders. We provide resources to make services and support accessible to those individuals and families affected by FASD.

Every day, there are 518,000 children and youth living in foster care because their own parents can’t take care of them. We must address the needs of these children, who need a stable and secure home until they can either return to their parents or establish a lifelong connection to a nurturing adult.

We provide innovative, research-based, interactive online courses for foster, adoptive, and kinship parents. We strive to give foster, adoptive and kinship parents the knowledge they need to raise children who will thrive in today’s world.

believes in a system of care that helps children, youth and families function better at home, in school, in the community and throughout life.

Improving the lives of children, youth and older adults through inter-generational collaboration, public policies, and programs. Great resource for kinship families.

The Hallowell Centers integrate the latest research on brain, body and heart. We help people with emotional issues and learning disabilities lead happier, more productive lives through a positive, balanced treatment approach.

Help Me Grow (HMG) Maine is a free service available to children up to eight years of age and their families. Help Me Grow Maine connects you to information and services about child development and community resources. In partnership with 2-1-1 Maine, any parent, caregiver, or provider can call for support. The Help Me Grow team will listen, link you to services, and supply ongoing support when needed.
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089697013157

GLAD works to advance LGBTQ equity and equality acknowledge intersecting oppressions and advance other social movements, particularly movements for racial and economic justice. Here is a link to their resource page for Maine youth. https://www.glad.org/maine-youth-resources/

The mission of the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative is to ensure that young people—primarily those between ages 14 and 25—make successful transitions from foster care to adulthood. We do this by working nationally, in states, and locally to improve policies and practices, promote youth engagement, apply evaluation and research, and create community partnerships. Our work creates opportunities for young people to achieve positive outcomes in permanence, education, employment, housing, health, financial capability, and social capital.

Job Corps offers career technical training in high-growth industries. Job Corps is tuition-free to eligible highly motivated young people and provides housing, meals, basic medical care, a living allowance, hands-on training, and preparation for a career. Job Corps can help you complete your high school education and help you get your driver's license. After students complete the program, Job Corps offers transitional support services, such as help finding employment, housing, and transportation. Please click on our website for more information.

The Learning Disabilities Association of Maine is dedicated to assisting individuals with specific learning disabilities through support, education, and advocacy

Featuring: Video Read Aloud (for families to enjoy together or for teachers to project onto a screen to share with their classrooms) Make Writing Visible-a blog for teachers with advice on teaching writing learning activities for the 27 kids’ books and much more.

The mission of the Maine Children’s Alliance is to be a strong and powerful voice to improve the lives of all Maine’s children, youth and families.

Maine Children's Trust works to strengthen families, promote healthy relationships, and support communities to prevent child abuse and neglect.

Maine Department of Health and Human Services.

Resource families will receive a copy of the OCFS newsletter.

The Maine Parent Federation, Inc. is a statewide private non-profit organization that provides information, advocacy, education, and training to parents and professionals to benefit all children. We promote individual aspirations and community inclusion for people with disabilities. In existence since 1984, MPF is physically located in Augusta Maine, but assistance is available on a statewide basis.

The Maine Youth Transition Collaborative (MYTC), made up of public and private partners from across Maine, works with young people, the child welfare system, and community members to ensure that youth transitioning from the foster care system to adulthood have the resources and personal connections they need to be successful. MYTC works with communities around Maine on the issues vital to a young person’s economic self-sufficiency, such as post-secondary education and employment.

A not-for-profit service organization offering information and resources on attachment disorder.

The National Foster Parent Association is the only national organization which strives to support foster parents, and remains a consistently strong voice on behalf of all children.

New Beginnings partners with youth to create lasting change so all youth have a safe place to live and opportunities to grow.
Our vision is a world in which all youth are safe and valued in their communities.

Every child has the right to a permanent family. The Council advocates the right of every child to a permanent, continuous, nurturing and culturally sensitive family.

The mission of the National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children (National DEC) is to break the cycle of abuse and neglect by empowering practitioners who work to transform the lives of children and families living in drug environments. They provide training and technical assistance to state DEC alliances and all those in the community who assist and care for drug endangered children.

NAMI Maine has been providing support, education, and advocacy on behalf of people with mental illness and their families since 1984. For more information on NAMI Maine’s support groups and about NAMI Please click on the Support drop down box. Support groups are available across the state, our help line responds to thousands of calls each year, and we provide education about mental illness and co-occurring substance abuse issues to all who need it. We work locally and state-wide to make sure that people with mental illness and their families can find the help when and where they need it.

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services is pleased to announce that on April 11, 2022, the Office of Child and Family Services launched a new online portal for currently licensed families and for families wishing to apply to be resource parents.
The Resource Parent Portal allows families to renew a foster care license, download forms, and upload required documentation.
To renew a license the portal can be accessed by clicking on this link: https://som01.force.com/resourceparentportal

• The first time you use the portal, you will receive a verification code via email that will allow you to set up an account
• All license applications and renewals, including uploading of completed supplemental documents can be done through the portal
• Additionally, you can download commonly used forms, such as mileage reimbursement forms, by clicking “forms” on the taskbar

The Multi-Tier Systems of Support Resource Guide for Maine Families, Schools, and Communities was written to provide assistance to individuals, families, and schools in identifying needed resources and supports. Maine schools are working diligently to support the needs of students every day. Schools are an important point of contact for many families given the amount of time their children spend at school with caring adults. There are times when the needs of a child and family are supported by community services in addition to school-based supports and interventions. Interconnecting school and community supports can be important in building lasting partnerships.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation and to improve the lives of individuals living with mental and substance use disorders, and their families.
Vision:
To provide leadership and resources – programs, policies, information and data, funding, and personnel – advance mental and substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery services in order to improve individual, community, and public health.
Mission:
SAMHSA's mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America's communities.

VFA develops and advocates for improved adoption policies. Recognized as a national leader in special needs adoption, VFA works closely with federal and state legislators, as well as other child welfare organizations, to make a difference in the lives of the 107,000 children in foster care who are waiting to be adopted and the families who adopt children from foster care.

(YLAT) Maine’s YLAT is a dynamic group of young people and adult partners from across the state working together to make sure that youth in care have the best possible experience. We believe that this partnership has a powerful role in improving foster care experiences for all youth in care in Maine. YLAT members passionately seek to improve outcomes for youth in foster care with a sense of duty, on behalf of all future youth who will come in contact with the system