Specialized Foster Care (SFC) is a more intensive, comprehensive approach to the traditional  family foster care system.  Children ages birth to eighteen who are referred by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) for TFC have experienced trauma, abuse, neglect or abandonment.  Some children have additional medical needs while others have developmental delays or disabilities.  As a result of these experiences, children often present behavioral and emotional challenges severe enough that they are most effectively addressed in TFC using a team approach.  

Treatment foster parents work in coordination with other team members, some of whom may include case managers, school personnel, therapists, psychiatry staff, birth families and DHHS case workers. Together the treatment team identifies and prioritizes the treatment goals.  The resulting treatment plan is the shared responsibility of the entire team. 

Treatment foster parents are vital in helping children learn to develop healthy, trusting relationships and are the primary agents of change for those placed in their care.  Careful consideration is given to matching foster children’s individual needs with the strengths of available treatment foster homes.