The CARE for Children Act amends federal foster care law to allow states to place children in cottage family homes as an alternative to traditional foster care placements. Cottage family homes are small, single-family residences operated by licensed child care agencies that house no more than two children per bedroom and provide 24-hour care from live-in parents using a "reasonable and prudent parent" approach. The bill makes children placed in these homes eligible for the same federal foster care maintenance payments that traditional foster placements receive, with no time limit on benefits. The law emphasizes keeping sibling groups together, maintaining family connections, and implementing trauma-informed care practices that prohibit seclusion and most physical restraints while giving children a way to report concerns about their treatment. States have flexibility to define and implement cottage family homes as they see fit, and the law takes effect upon passage, with states having up to six months to update any necessary legislation to comply with the new requirements.
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