Maine must strengthen its community-based services for children with behavioral health challenges to keep them from being placed outside the home, according to an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice filed Tuesday in federal court.

The settlement stems from a lawsuit the Justice Department filed earlier this year that said Maine unnecessarily segregates children with behavioral health disabilities in institutions. Investigators said at the time that the state's actions violated the Americans with Disabilities Act and the children's right not to be confined away from their families.