MAINE START HERE

One calm first step for Maine families under pressure.

This page is for parents, helpers, and supporters who need a practical route before things escalate: safety, basic needs, school/provider support, calmer communication, private organization, and official/legal information only when needed.

Choose a first step Official/legal doors if needed Family tools Kids learning

SUPPORT FIRST

Court is not the first step for every family.

Start with the least escalated safe step. Use official, legal, medical, crisis, or advocacy help promptly when there is immediate danger, abuse, coercive control, active orders, a real deadline, or a professional/legal question that cannot wait.

See six first-step routes Print crisis card

FIRST-STEP ROUTES

Pick the closest need. Keep private details private.

These cards do not collect information. They point you toward public resources and FOCaF tools you can use privately for your own household, school, provider, helper, or qualified professional conversations.

Safety help now

Use this when someone may be unsafe.

Start here for immediate danger, threats, crisis, abuse or coercive-control concerns, stalking, or child-safety worries. Do not wait on a worksheet if help is needed now.

Call 911 for emergencies.
Call or text 988 for crisis support.
Use 211 Maine for local routing when basic needs or support services are part of the crisis.

Open urgent support doors Crisis card

Basic needs

Use this when food, housing, transportation, childcare, or bills are the first pressure.

Stabilizing basics can lower family stress before paperwork or conflict grows. Start with public support routing, then write down the next call or appointment.

211 Maine for food, housing, health, transportation, and local support routing.
Counseling and support finder for call planning.
Support-first planner for next 24 hours and next 7 days.

School/provider support

Use this when a child needs steadier routines or school/care coordination.

Give short factual updates that help adults support the child without dumping a full case file or asking the child to carry messages.

Calmer communication

Use this when the next message could make things worse.

Keep messages short, adult-to-adult, and focused on logistics. Do not use a child as a messenger, and do not tolerate threats or unsafe contact.

Organize own records

Use this when dates, papers, orders, notes, or questions are scattered.

Keep your own private records organized for yourself, a qualified helper, an advocate, a lawyer, a clerk, a school meeting, or a provider visit. Do not send private records to FOCaF.

Official/legal information

Use this when safety, orders, deadlines, forms, eligibility, or legal questions require qualified help.

This route stays available, but it is not the default for every family problem. Use official and qualified support when needed, especially for deadlines or safety.

Write one next step

Make the next action small enough to finish.

Examples: “Call 211 after school pickup,” “print the school update sheet,” “put the order and deadline in one folder,” or “ask a safe helper for a ride.” Stop after one useful step if that is all today can hold.

Privacy boundary

Do not send private family facts here.

FOCaF does not collect child names, allegations, medical details, sealed records, court documents, uploads, forms, or private case submissions. Keep private materials with you or proper qualified channels.

New support-first tools

Counseling, calmer messages, and role-specific next steps

Counseling + family support

Compare family counseling, parent coaching, child counseling, school support, advocacy, crisis routes, and mediation safety caveats.

Open navigator

Calm communication v2

Use short scripts for logistics, school updates, appointments, transportation, and needing time to respond.

Open calm scripts

Parent/helper triage

Different paths for parents and helpers that prioritize safety, basic needs, school, routines, own records, and official/legal doors only when needed.

Parent path Helper path

New printable companions