Create Accountable Respectful Environments (CARE) for Children Act
The Create Accountable Respectful Environments (CARE) for Children Act would change how foster care is provided under part E of title IV of the Social Security Act. It creates a new placement type called “cottage family homes” and requires states to include these homes in their federal foster care plans. The bill sets detailed standards for these homes (including trauma-informed care, strong support for siblings, and limits on restraints) and allows them to receive foster care maintenance payments. It also removes time limits on payments for children placed in cottage homes and preserves state flexibility in how they implement these provisions. The overarching goal is to expand the pool of appropriate foster homes, keep siblings together when possible, and establish safeguards to ensure ongoing safety and well-being for foster children.
Key Points
- 1Establishes cottage family homes as an eligible foster care placement and requires state plans to include them.
- 2Allows cottage family homes to receive foster care maintenance payments and ensures there is no time limit on those payments for children placed in such homes.
- 3Provides a detailed definition and standards for cottage family homes, including:
- 4- Licensed/approved operation by a recognized child care agency
- 5- Support for maintaining family ties and sibling contact
- 6- Ability to facilitate sibling group placements and daily activities
- 7- Trauma-informed care, prohibitions on seclusion and most restraints
- 8- Mechanisms for children to report concerns and regular quality feedback from children
- 9- A single-family-style residence with no more than 2 children per bedroom (unless in the child’s best interests)
- 10- Live-in parents using a reasonable and prudent parent standard and providing 24-hour substitute care
- 11Includes a “preservation of state flexibility” provision to avoid penalizing states for how they designate cottage family homes or cottage family care homes, as long as it serves children’s best interests.
- 12Sets an effective date that generally starts on enactment and allows up to six months for states to implement if legislation is needed at the state level (not for funding).