Transferring Agencies

Making the decision to transfer to another agency is a big decision, and as such, consists of a process which Community Care values in order to ensure the best interests of the child(ren) are met. The Foster Home Developer will explain the process, and if the decision that is arrived at is to transfer to Community Care, the Foster Home Developer will assist you each step of the way.

The process to transfer varies from one family to another, depending on the process involved for each family.

Community Care’s Treatment Foster Care Program supports foster parents within a 1-hour radius of Skowhegan and Bangor, as well as the Machias area. The physical location of the Skowhegan office is 98 North Avenue and the Bangor office is located at 40 Summer Street. Our foster care program is rapidly expanding – call to inquire if we are in your area!

Community Care provides a wide range of support to foster families and youth placed in their homes, which are customized to the needs of the family and youth. The services set up for one family/child may look different from family to family, as each family and youth are unique in their needs, skills, and preferences.

Case Management: Each family has an assigned Case Manager that works with the family and each child placed in their home that provides the case management services for the youth. The Case Manager becomes the foster parents primary support person, as it is the person who meets all of the case management needs for each youth placed in their home. We have Case Managers who have worked with the same foster parents for decades. The relationship between the foster parent and Case Manager is strong, and the Case Manager is often the first person the foster parent calls when they need support. The Case Manager works with the youth, the youth’s service providers, birth family, foster family, teachers, and other providers supporting the youth to create a treatment team. This treatment team works closely together to meet the needs of the youth, and to support the foster parent’s in their care of the child. The Case Manager’s duties include but are not limited to: scheduling team meetings, assisting in scheduling appointments, making referrals on behalf of the youth/family, advocating for the youth’s educational needs through attending school meetings, monitoring the youth’s progress towards their treatment goals, lending a supporting ear to the foster parent family, and connecting the foster family with needed resources.

One-to-one support for the youth: Community Care assigns a one-to-one worker to each youth, depending on the needs of the youth. This staff member provides one-to-one support for the youth in-home or in the community to assist the youth in learning skills to advance towards their goals.

Clinical Supervision: A licensed clinician provides clinical supervision and consultation for foster parents. This allows the foster parent to seek support from the clinician regarding concerns they may have for the child, their family, challenges in managing behaviors, or other challenges they are experiencing within their home. The clinical supervisor offers strategies, behavior management tools, education, and support to assist foster parents in meeting the complex needs of youth in their care.

24/7 Support: Community Care maintains a 24/7 support line for foster parents. Day or night, when foster parents are experiencing a crisis, there is someone they can call to assist them through that difficult time.

Foster parent expertise: Community Care has been specializing in foster care since being established in 1995 – with the Treatment Foster Care Program being the first and only program offered by the agency at the beginning. Many of the same staff within the program at the start remain with us to this day – with some being foster or adoptive parents themselves – resulting in decades of experience supporting foster parents in the unique challenges they may experience along their journey of fostering.

Community Care views foster parents as caring and committed individuals who have made the difficult decision of opening up their home and their hearts to a child in need. Our foster parents are a dynamic group of people who go above and beyond to help others. Our staff is eager to join foster parents along that journey so they do not need to go it alone. Community Care understands the level of commitment, time, and emotional energy it takes to be a foster parent –some of our staff are foster or adoptive parents as well. In addition, the first program developed by Community Care was our treatment foster care program. Out of all of the programs we offer, this program is by far the one in which we have the most experience.

In order to enhance support to foster parents and children placed in their homes, Community Care has a full-time clinician to provide clinical consultation and clinical support to foster parents to help them best meet the needs of the youth in their home and to navigate through the complicated family dynamics that can result from fostering. This additional resource has proven to be invaluable for foster parents – enhancing their support team, reducing stress within the home, and having a clearly identified road map to follow in meeting the needs of the youth in their care.

Each family is assigned a Case Manager who becomes a key support person for the family. Some of our staff have been with the agency for over 20 years and have supported the same foster parents for that same amount of time. We understand the value of trusting, supporting relationships in fostering, and create a consistent, supportive team of staff for foster parents. The Case Manager is assigned to the foster family – therefore, is the Case Manager assigned to each child placed in your home allowing for consistency. In addition to a consistent Case Manager, the family is assigned a one-to-one worker who provides direct support to the youth placed within their home. The foster family works with their team to identify their level of need for a one-to-one worker for the child they are caring for; therefore, the number of hours provided varies based on the needs of the family/youth but can be up to 6 hours a week.

Community Care is committed to excellence in service delivery and staff satisfaction. We hold a national accreditation for excellence in service delivery for families in children through the Council on Accreditation for Children and Families (COA). We have also been rated as one of the Best Places to Work in Maine for the past 6 years. We have demonstrated our ability to recruit and retain excellent employees which allows us to offer our foster parents consistency and quality in the support they receive.

The foster parents of Community Care come together for quarterly training, creating the opportunity to connect with one another and be a part of a strong foster parent community. Childcare is provided by the staff of Community Care during the training to allow foster parents to relax, enjoy time with other foster parents, and participate worry-free in the training. Community Care also offers reimbursement for the CPR/First Aid training that is required to be a treatment-level foster parent.

The Department of Health and Human Services prefers one person to work out of the home in order to ensure a stable income. In the situation where both parents work, the Department will pay for childcare.

The Community Care Foster Home Developer, the individual each foster parent comes to know well, assists in supporting the family to identify youth who are the best fit for their home. When the Department of Health and Human Services is in need of placement for a child, they contact the Foster Home Developer who assists in matching the youth to a family. The foster parent is a large part of the decision in matching a youth to their home or deciding if the youth is not a good fit for their family.

Yes. Mileage reimbursement of .44 cents/mile is provided for all medical/mental health/treatment-related appointments, supervised visits, training, etc. While transportation is part of the Daily Room and Board Subsidy that foster parents receive and therefore, is a responsibility of the foster parents, Community Care staff can assist with transportation during times of scheduling conflicts.

Each child is assigned a Case Manager through Community Care, who visits the home twice a month, and more often if needed or requested by the foster parent. In-home, one-to-one support depends on the needs of the family.

3 years old up to the age of 20. The average youth is 10-12 years old.

Treatment level foster parents are provided room and care reimbursement in the amount of $45-$75 per day depending on the level of the child. The Department of Health and Human Services has created 3 treatment levels that are based on the emotional and behavioral needs of the youth and the corresponding support and skill level that will be needed to meet the needs of the youth. In addition to room and care reimbursement, a clothing allowance is provided for each youth up to $3.47 per day, depending on the age of the child.

No. You can if the team decides it is best for the birth family and if the foster parent is interested in doing so. In those situations the visit can occur in the community, office, foster home, or birth home – depending on the needs of the child and comfort level of the foster and birth parent. Otherwise, Community Care staff provides the supervised visits.

Absolutely. The Foster Home Developer’s primary interest is in supporting you as a foster family. If at any time you do not feel as though the youth being presented to you for placement is a good fit for your family, and/or your family is not able to take a new placement at any given time, you will be entirely supported in this decision.