Maine CPS Relative Placement Process: What Kinship Caregivers Need to Know

When Maine's Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS) removes a child from a parent's home, placing that child with a relative is the preferred outcome. But the process — from the initial phone call to a stable, subsidized arrangement — involves steps that most families have never encountered before.

How the Placement Starts

OCFS (the child welfare arm of Maine DHHS) identifies and contacts relatives when a child enters state custody through a child protection proceeding. You may get a phone call asking if you can take the child immediately, sometimes the same day.

Saying yes to an emergency placement does not mean you are automatically licensed as a kinship foster parent. At this stage, OCFS places the child with you under an emergency or temporary arrangement while the formal process begins.

The Kinship Foster Care Licensing Process

To become a licensed kinship foster parent, you need to complete OCFS's licensing process. Maine law also allows DHHS to set daily board-and-care rates for unlicensed foster homes; licensure may qualify a home for a higher rate. The licensing process involves:

1. Background checks — criminal history and child abuse registry checks for every adult in your household
2. Home study — an OCFS caseworker visits your home to assess safety, sleeping arrangements, and the home environment
3. Training — OCFS may require pre-service training covering topics like trauma-informed care, the child welfare system, and working with biological parents during reunification
4. Application completion — paperwork documenting your household, finances, health, and references

The licensing process can take weeks to months. During this period, the child remains in your care, but you may not yet receive the full foster care board rate.

Financial Support After Licensing

Once licensed as a kinship foster parent, you become eligible for:

• Foster care maintenance payments — a monthly board rate to cover the child's food, clothing, shelter, school supplies, and daily care. Rates vary by the child's age and needs
• MaineCare coverage — OCFS Financial Resource Specialists apply for coverage when a child enters state custody
• Clothing and personal needs allowances — additional stipends beyond the base board rate

These payments are separate from, and generally higher than, standard public benefits like TANF child-only grants.

The Path to Permanency Guardianship Subsidies

DHHS may provide a Guardianship Subsidy under 22 M.R.S. § 4038-D for a child placed in a permanency guardianship or a similar status by a Native American tribe. The statute requires reasonable but unsuccessful efforts to place the child without a subsidy and a determination that the child would not be placed in guardianship without it; department rules also apply.

Federal Title IV-E funding has additional requirements. These include that the child was eligible for foster care maintenance payments while living in the prospective guardian's home for at least six consecutive months, and that returning home or adoption is not an appropriate permanency option. This six-month condition is for federal Title IV-E eligibility, not a universal condition stated in Maine's § 4038-D.

A written subsidy agreement must generally precede the guardianship order. Maine law allows a later application if relevant eligibility facts were not presented at placement or the guardian was not told the child was eligible for the program. The subsidy may continue based on the child's needs until the guardianship ends or the guardian is no longer caring for the child. It may continue until age 21 if the child needs educational benefits or has a physical, mental, or emotional disability and the child, parents, and department agree that the need for care and support exists. Up to $2,000 per child may be reimbursed for required legal expenses, including attorney fees and travel.

What If You Already Have the Child Informally?

Many kinship caregivers are raising children who never entered the child welfare system — the parent handed the child to you without DHHS involvement. In this situation, the CPS placement pathway and its financial supports do not apply.

Instead, you access benefits through OFI: TANF child-only grants, SNAP, MaineCare, and CCAP. These programs do not require state custody or foster licensing. The Maine Kinship Financial Help guide covers both tracks — informal care benefits and the child welfare pathway — so you understand exactly which programs apply to your situation.

Your Rights During the Process

During a CPS-involved placement, you have the right to:

• Be informed of the child's case plan and permanency goals
• Attend court hearings related to the child's welfare case
• Request information about the child's medical, educational, and behavioral history
• Contact the Maine Office of the Child Advocate (1-866-621-0758) if you believe OCFS is not treating you fairly

Navigating Both Tracks

Whether your situation involves OCFS or not, the financial programs available in Maine can be confusing. The Maine Kinship Financial Help guide maps each arrangement — informal care, private guardianship, and state placement — to the specific benefits you can access, with step-by-step instructions for every application.

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