(a) Applicability. This rule shall apply when a child who is in the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services (the department) under Title 22 of the Maine Revised Statutes is placed in a children’s residential treatment program that qualifies as a qualified residential treatment program (QRTP).
Rule 129.Qualified Residential Treatment Program Review
Adopted October 1, 2021 · Last verified July 8, 2026
In one sentenceRule 129 requires the Department of Health and Human Services to notify the court within 7 days of placing a child in a qualified residential treatment program, file a needs assessment within 42 days addressing the statutory placement factors, undergo court review of the placement within 60 days and at every later judicial review or permanency hearing, and file a discharge notice, with related records admissible on 10 days' advance disclosure.
Full Text of Rule 129
(b) Notice of Placement. The department shall file a notice and request for a review hearing (the notice of placement) with the court within 7 days after placing a child into a children’s residential treatment program that qualifies as a QRTP as that term is defined in 22 M.R.S. § 4002(6-C). The notice of placement shall state the date of placement, the name of the provider, and the location of the placement. The department shall provide a copy of the notice of placement to all counsel, self-represented parties, and the child’s guardian ad litem.
(c) Records for Initial Placement Review. Within 42 days after a child's placement in a QRTP, the department shall file with the court a needs assessment of the child prepared by a qualified individual as that term is defined in 22 M.R.S. § 4002(6-B). The assessment shall comply with all the requirements set forth in 42 United States Code, Section 675a(c), as amended. The needs assessment shall assist the court in determining the following:
(1) Whether the needs of the child cannot be met through placement in a family foster home as defined in 22 M.R.S. § 8101(3) and instead support placement in a QRTP;
(2) Whether the placement of the child in the QRTP provides effective and appropriate care in the least restrictive environment; and
(3) Whether the placement of the child in the QRTP is consistent with the short-term and long-term goals for the child as specified in the permanency plan of the child if a permanency plan has been developed under 22 M.R.S. § 4038-B.
(c) Initial Placement Review. The court shall review every initial placement of a child in a QRTP and determine the appropriateness of the placement within 60 days after the placement as required by 22 M.R.S. § 4038(8).
(d) Records for Continued Placement Review.
(1) After the initial placement review, for as long as a child remains placed in a QRTP, at least 14 days before every judicial review or permanency hearing, the department shall file with the court the following records:
(A) An ongoing needs assessment, as prepared by qualified individuals, of the strengths and needs of the child, which includes records concerning the specific services or treatment being provided to the child at the QRTP and the length of time the child is expected to need the treatment or services; and
(B) Records of the department’s specific efforts to prepare the child to return home or to be placed with a fit and willing relative, a legal guardian, or an adoptive parent, or in a foster family home.
(2) The records filed under subdivision (d)(1) shall assist the court in determining the following:
(A) Whether the needs of the child cannot be met through placement in a family foster home as defined in 22 M.R.S. § 8101(3) and instead support placement in a QRTP;
(B) Whether the placement of the child in the QRTP provides effective and appropriate care in the least restrictive environment; and
(C) Whether the placement of the child in the QRTP is consistent with the short-term and long-term goals for the child as specified in the permanency plan of the child if a permanency plan has been developed under 22 M.R.S. § 4038-B.
(e) Continued Placement Review. The court shall review the continued placement of a child in a QRTP at every judicial review and permanency hearing pursuant to 22 M.R.S. § 4038(9).
(f) Admissibility of Records. In a hearing to review the initial or continued placement of a child in a QRTP, records of evaluations of the child and medical, behavioral, and mental health records of the child are admissible upon showing that the records contain information relevant to the issues before the court, as long as the records are made available to counsel at least 10 days prior to the hearing.
(g) Notice of Discharge. Upon discharge of a child from a QRTP, the department shall file a notice of discharge with the court no later than the date of the judicial review or permanency hearing, or within 14 days after the discharge, whichever occurs first. The department shall provide a copy of the notice of discharge to all counsel, self-represented parties, and the child’s guardian ad litem.
Advisory Committee’s Notes & Reporter’s Notes
Advisory Note – October 2021
Rule 129 of the Maine Rules of Civil Procedure establishes procedures for review, pursuant to 22 M.R.S. § 4038(8)-(10), of a child's placement in a qualified residential treatment program when the child is in the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services. See P.L. 2021, ch. 210 (effective Oct. 18, 2021). Last reviewed and edited November 3, 2020
Plain-English Summary
This rule applies when a child in the Department of Health and Human Services' custody under Title 22 is placed in a children's residential treatment program that qualifies as a qualified residential treatment program, or QRTP, under 22 M.R.S. § 4002(6-C). The Department must file a notice of placement with the court within 7 days, stating the placement date, provider, and location, and send a copy to all counsel, self-represented parties, and the child's guardian ad litem. Within 42 days of the placement, the Department files a needs assessment by a qualified individual meeting the federal requirements of 42 U.S.C. § 675a(c), addressing whether the child's needs can be met in a family foster home instead, whether the QRTP placement provides effective care in the least restrictive setting, and whether the placement fits the child's permanency plan. The court reviews every initial QRTP placement within 60 days, as 22 M.R.S. § 4038(8) requires.
For as long as the placement continues, the Department files an updated needs assessment and records of its efforts toward reunification or another permanent placement at least 14 days before every judicial review or permanency hearing, addressing the same three statutory questions, and the court reviews the continued placement at each of those hearings under 22 M.R.S. § 4038(9). Evaluation and medical, behavioral, and mental health records of the child are admissible at a placement-review hearing on a showing of relevance, as long as they reach counsel at least 10 days before the hearing. When the child leaves the QRTP, the Department files a notice of discharge by the earlier of the next judicial review or permanency hearing or 14 days after discharge, again copying all counsel, self-represented parties, and the guardian ad litem.
Frequently Asked Questions
What must Maine's Department of Health and Human Services file when a child enters a QRTP?
A notice of placement within 7 days, stating the date, provider, and location, followed by a needs assessment within 42 days addressing whether a family foster home could meet the child's needs instead.
How often does the court review a child's QRTP placement?
Within 60 days of the initial placement, and again at every subsequent judicial review or permanency hearing for as long as the placement continues.
When must the Department file a notice of discharge from a QRTP?
By the earlier of the next judicial review or permanency hearing, or 14 days after the child's discharge.
Source & verification. The rule text and Advisory Committee’s Notes / Reporter’s
Notes are reproduced verbatim from the official Maine Rules of Civil Procedure (Me. R. Civ. P. 129), prescribed by the
Supreme Judicial Court of Maine (4 M.R.S. § 8, the Rules Enabling Act). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 8, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: QRTP placement review Mainequalified residential treatment program court reviewchild placement review Maine DHHS