1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Caring Homes and Improved Lives for Dependents (CHILD) Act . 2. Placement of foster children in cottage homes (a) State plan requirement Section 471(a) of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 671(a) ), as amended by the Family First Prevention Services Act, is amended— (1) by striking and at the end of paragraph (36); (2) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (37) and inserting ; and ; and (3) by adding at the end the following: (38) provides that, with respect to a child who has attained 6 years of age and who is removed from the child’s home, if a suitable relative or other designated caregiver is not available as a placement for the child, placing the child in a foster family home or a cottage home shall be considered the least restrictive setting for the child. . (b) Eligibility for foster care maintenance payments of certain children placed in a cottage home Section 472(a)(2)(C) of such Act ( 42 U.S.C. 672(a)(2)(C) ) is amended by striking home or child-care institution and inserting home, a child-care institution, or (if the child has attained 6 years of age and a suitable relative or other designated caregiver is not available as a placement for the child) a cottage home that is not a foster family home or child-care institution . (c) Definition of cottage home Section 472(c) of such Act ( 42 U.S.C. 672(c) ), as amended by the Family First Prevention Services Act, is amended by adding at the end the following: (3) Cottage home The term cottage home means a residential operation— (A) in which not more than 12 children reside; (B) that has and implements a trauma-informed treatment plan for its residents; (C) that involves family members of a child in the treatment for the child, and maintains contact with the family of the child, if available and if the involvement is clinically appropriate for the well-being of the child