In 2018, Maine’s Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS) partnered with PCG to assess the state’s Children’s Behavioral Health Services (CBHS) system. The following report evaluated the CHBS system and offered several recommendations for improvement, one of which addressed a familiar challenge: a workforce stretched thin and a gap in the continuum of care.

Building on years of workforce development efforts, Maine’s Office of Behavioral Health contracted with PCG in 2023 to support and expand this work through the Maine Center of Excellence (COE).

Building, Training, and Sustaining the System

With funding from Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the Center of Excellence, operated by PCG, provides training and technical assistance to local providers at no cost. As some model certifications can cost several thousand dollars per staff member, this approach removes significant financial barriers for the workforce, especially for smaller organizations in rural areas. This training model allows for standardized, high-quality training statewide, building a children’s behavioral health workforce capable of meeting increasing community needs.

The COE was also designed with long term sustainability in mind. Rather than creating a temporary initiative or a onetime training rollout, the COE is embedding ongoing coaching, supervision, and fidelity monitoring into its work, allowing trainers to adapt to workforce turnover and evolving statewide needs.

“If this had some impact on workforce retention, that would be huge because there’s ample information out there about the impact that workforce shortages are having on the availability, the accessibility of children’s behavioral health services,” said Jennifer MacBlane, Manager at PCG. “Not having enough workforce is a huge issue and a huge barrier to children getting services. Having a workforce that is able to meet the needs of children and families is one of the very first things that needs to happen almost before you can do anything else.”

A Foundation for the Future

Effective January 31, 2026, emergency rulemaking by the Office of MaineCare Services made High Fidelity Wraparound (HFW) services reimbursable under MaineCare (Medicaid). HFW is a nationally recognized, evidence‑based care coordination model for children and youth with complex behavioral health needs, requiring highly trained facilitators and supervisors to ensure fidelity to its core principles of family voice and choice, team‑based planning, and cultural responsiveness. Through the Maine Center of Excellence, PCG supports statewide implementation by delivering required HFW training and technical assistance. The new MaineCare policy ensures providers can be reimbursed for delivering high‑quality, evidence‑based HFW services, supporting sustainable implementation across Maine.

As of March 31, 2026, 800 individuals across 64 organizations, including behavioral health, juvenile justice, and child welfare case workers and supervisors, have completed self-paced training through the Maine COE in the Principles of Wraparound. While it is too early for outcome data, the Maine COE is establishing long-term infrastructure that expands access, elevates care quality, and supports sustainable evidence-based practices across Maine’s children’s behavioral health system.

Learn More:

• Maine Center of Excellence
• PCG’s Children’s Behavioral Health Services Consulting
• Read Meeting the Challenge: Children and Youth with Complex Needs