Maine

Facilities in Maine

Residential facilities providing religious, behavioral, and mental health treatment to children exist in all 50 states. Some of these facilities are known to be part of the Troubled Teen Industry, while others have not yet been verified. Any facility where children live and receive care requires additional oversight. This directory helps communities monitor local programs and advocate for accountability.

Reporting abuse in Maine

Maine runs one number for two different jobs: 1-800-452-1999 takes reports of suspected child abuse and it takes licensing concerns about a children's residential facility, because the same Office of Child and Family Services unit licenses and investigates them. Maine also has an independent Child Welfare Ombudsman, outside the department, for when the department itself is the problem.

Time limits in Maine: a general guide

This was correct as far as we could tell when we checked it on 28 September 2026. Laws on time limits change often, sometimes every legislative session, so some of what follows may have been updated since. It is a starting point, not legal advice: please check with a lawyer before relying on any date here. A time limit on a lawsuit or a criminal charge is also not a time limit on telling someone, and most of the places listed below will still take a report.

Time limits for abuse of a child often run from the survivor's 18th birthday, or from when they came to understand what happened, rather than from the day the program closed. Many states have lengthened them, removed them for child sexual abuse, or reopened claims that had already expired. A criminal charge, a lawsuit and a licence complaint each have their own time limit, so one having passed does not necessarily mean the others have.

Lawsuits

Physical abuse or injury: Six years from the injury, for assault, battery, false imprisonment and negligence alike. 14 M.R.S. § 752
If it happened before you turned 18: For someone injured as a child, the six years start when they turn 18, so the deadline is normally the 24th birthday. There is no separate longer deadline for non-sexual physical abuse of a child. 14 M.R.S. § 853
If the program was run by or for the government: Under the Maine Tort Claims Act, written notice must be filed within 365 days, and suit within 2 years; if the claimant was a minor, suit may be brought within 2 years after turning 18. 14 M.R.S. §§ 8107, 8110
Child sexual abuse: There is no civil SOL for CSA, trafficking, and CSAM claims, and all claims against all defendants are permanently revived. CHILD USA's summary

Criminal charges

Physical child abuse: Maine has no separate physical child abuse crime; it is charged as assault or endangering the welfare of a child. Six years for Class A, B or C crimes (such as assault on a child under 6, or aggravated assault) and three years for Class D or E crimes (such as simple assault or endangering the welfare of a child), counted from the crime, with no delay until the child turns 18. 17-A M.R.S. § 8(2); 17-A M.R.S. §§ 207, 554
Assault: Aggravated assault (Class A or B): six years from the crime. Simple assault (Class D): three years. 17-A M.R.S. § 8(2); 17-A M.R.S. § 208
Child sexual abuse: CSA: There is no SOL for certain CSA crimes, an SOL of either 6 or 20 years from the offense for remaining felonies, and an SOL of 3 years from the offense for misdemeanors. Trafficking: There is no SOL for trafficking. CSAM: There is no SOL for CSAM violations that include intentionally subjecting the victim to sexual contact. Remaining CSAM offenses have an SOL of either 3 or 6 years, depending on the seriousness of the crime. CHILD USA's summary

The injury, assault and physical abuse lines are our reading of the statutes linked, as they stood on 28 September 2026. The child sexual abuse lines are CHILD USA's summary as it stood on 28 September 2026; their page may be more current than ours. In them SOL means statute of limitations, CSA child sexual abuse, and CSAM child sexual abuse material. Exceptions, court rulings and the details of what happened can all change which time limit applies, and some of these may be longer or shorter for you than they look here. CHILD USA's statute of limitations tracker, updated as each state changes its law. A lawyer can tell you which time limit applies to you, and many offer a free first consultation.

The therapist's licensing board

Holds the individual clinician's licence and can suspend or revoke it.

Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation

Multiple professions

Houses the Board of Counseling Professionals Licensure, the Board of Examiners of Psychologists and the State Board of Social Worker Licensure, and takes complaints against all of them through one form. Complaints, investigations and legal negotiations are handled by the Office's own investigators and attorneys.

Use this whenA licensed counselor, psychologist or social worker in Maine.

HowFile through the Office's online complaint form.

The agency that licenses the program

Inspects the facility itself and can cite, fine, suspend or close it.

Maine OCFS, Children's Licensing and Investigation Unit

Licenses and oversees every children's residential facility in Maine, including shelters, along with child placing agencies and child care providers, and investigates complaints against them.

Use this whenA children's residential facility - licensing violations as well as suspected abuse or neglect inside one.

HowCall the same number used for child abuse reports and say it is a licensing concern about a facility.

1-800-452-1999 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays.
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Law enforcement and legal channels

Child protection, the Attorney General, and the criminal side.

Maine OCFS Intake (child abuse and neglect)

The statutory report line for suspected child abuse and neglect in Maine, staffed around the clock including holidays.

Use this whenA child at a Maine program.

HowCall.

1-800-452-1999 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays.
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Oversight and advocacy

Bodies with a right to investigate, and advocates who can act for you.

Maine Child Welfare Ombudsman

An independent office, outside the Department of Health and Human Services, that takes complaints about how the Department is handling a child's case.

It reviews the Department's conduct rather than licensing or prosecuting a program.

Use this whenA family or young person who believes the Department has mishandled a child's case, including after a report was made.

HowSubmit a complaint through the office's site, or call.

Disability Rights Maine

Maine's Protection and Advocacy agency, with federal authority to investigate abuse and neglect of people with disabilities in facilities, a right of access to them, and free legal advocacy.

Use this whenA Maine program where the young person has a disability or a mental health diagnosis.

HowContact the intake line.

1-800-452-1948 Voice and TTY. Main line 207-626-2774.
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National reporting channels, and the same list for other states