Facility Types

Adult & Senior Care

Adult Residential Facilities (ARF)

Provide 24-hour a day, non-medical care and supervision for clients ages 18-59 or any person 60 years of age or older under specified requirements. These clients may have a mental, physical or developmental disability.

Enhanced Behavioral Support Homes-ARF (EBSH)

Enhanced Behavioral Support Home means a facility certified by the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) and licensed by the Department (CCLD) as an Adult Residential Facility that provides 24-hour nonmedical care to individuals with developmental disabilities who require enhanced behavioral supports under specified requirements.

Community Crisis Homes-ARF (CCH)

Community Crisis Home means an Adult Residential Facility certified by the Department of Developmental Services and licensed by the Department that provides 24-hour nonmedical care to individuals with developmental disabilities receiving regional center services and in need of crisis intervention services under specified requirements.

Social Rehabilitation Facilities (SRF)

Provide 24 hour a day non-medical care and supervision in a group setting to adults recovering from a mental illness who temporarily need assistance, guidance or counseling. Mental Health certification from the California Department of Health Care Services is required for this type of facility.

Residential Care Facilities for the Chronically Ill (RCFCI)

Provides care and supervision to adults who have HIV disease or AIDS, emancipated minors with HIV disease or AIDS, or family units with adults or children or both with HIV disease or AIDS, or have a terminal illness.

Adult Residential Facilities for Persons with Special Health Care Needs (ARFPSHN)

Provide 24-hour a day services for up to five adults with developmental disabilities, who have special health care needs and intensive support needs. This facility type requires certification of program approval from the Department of Developmental Services.

Adult Day Programs (ADP)

Any community-based facility or program that provides non-medical care and supervision to persons 18 years of age or older in need of personal services, supervision, or assistance essential for sustaining the activities of daily living or for the protection of these individuals, in a day care setting, on less than a 24-hour basis.

Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE)

A housing arrangement for persons, 60 years of age and over, where 24-hour non-medical care and supervision is provided. Residential Care Facility for the Elderly are often referred to as assisted living facilities, or board and care homes.

Residential Care Facility for the Elderly-Continuing Care Retirement Community (RCFE-CCRC)

Offer a long-term continuing care contract that provides for housing, residential services, and nursing care, usually in one location, and usually for a resident's lifetime.

Children's Residential

Crisis Nursery

A facility licensed to provide short-term, 24-hour non-medical residential care and supervision for children under six years of age, who are voluntarily placed by a parent or legal guardian due to a family crisis or a stressful situation, for no more than 30 days.

Adoption Agency (AA)

Nonprofit organizations licensed to assist with the permanent placement of children to adoptive parents. The AA is governed by the Community Care Facilities Act.

There are two types of AA:

  • Full-service adoption agency: A licensed entity providing adoption services, that does all of the following: (A) Takes responsibility for the care, custody, and control of a child from when the child is placed with the agency or when there has been an involuntary termination of parental rights to the child. (B) Assesses the birth parents, prospective adoptive parents, or child. (C) Places children for adoption. (D) Supervises adoptive placements. (E) Recruits prospective adoptive parents, locates children for an adoption, or acts as an intermediary between the parties to an adoption.
  • Noncustodial adoption agency: A licensed entity providing adoption services, that does all of the following: (A) Assesses the prospective adoptive parents. (B) Cooperatively matches children freed for adoption, who are under the care, custody, and control of a licensed adoption agency, for adoption, with assessed and approved adoptive applicants. (C) Cooperatively supervises adoption placements with a full-service adoptive agency, but does not disrupt a placement or remove a child from a placement. (D) Recruits prospective adoptive parents, locates children for an adoption, or acts as an intermediary between the parties to an adoption.

Foster Family Agency (FFA) and the Foster Family Agency Suboffice

A Foster Family Agency (FFA) is a public agency or private organization, organized and operated on a nonprofit basis. FFAs recruit, approve, provide training for, and provide support and services to Resource Families. FFAs coordinate with county placing agencies to find homes for dependent children in need of care. An FFA suboffice is any additional, independently licensed office set up by the FFA to supplement the services provided by the administrative office.

Homes overseen by FFA and FFA suboffices:

  • Resource Family Approval (RFA): In order to care for dependent children, individuals must become approved caregivers through the Resource Family Approval process. The RFA process unifies approval standards for all caregivers regardless of the child's case plan, includes a comprehensive evaluation, home environment assessment, and training for all caregivers, which prepares them to better meet the needs of children in the foster care system and allows a seamless transition to permanency.
  • Intensive Services Foster Care: Sometimes children may require more intensive structured care. Intensive Services Foster Care (ISFC) provides more intensive care within a Resource Family. ISFC Resource Families receive additional training and support in order to provide more intensive care to children who may have complex mental health, behavioral, or medical needs.

Small Family Home (SFH)

A facility or home that provides 24 hour care for six or fewer children who have mental health disabilities, or developmental, or physical disabilities and who require special care and supervision as a result of their disabilities. A small family home may accept children with special health care needs. In addition to accepting children with special health care needs, the department may approve placement of children without special health care needs, up to the licensed capacity.

Group Home (GH)

A GH provides 24-hour non-medical care and supervision to children, age 0 through 17, and non-minor dependents, age 18 through 21, in a structured environment, with services provided by persons employed by the licensee. Children in a GH are in treatment programs under court jurisdiction or as dependent children removed from their homes because of abuse, neglect, or abandonment.

GHs include the following subcategories:

  • Care for Children Under the Age of Six: A GH program which provides care for children under the age of six years who are dependents of the court, regional center placements, or voluntary placements who are not accompanied by the minor parent.
  • Community Treatment Facility (CTF): A CTF provides 24-hour non-medical care and mental health treatment services to children in a secure environment, which are less restrictive than a hospital. A facility's program design is subject to program standards developed and enforced by the State Department of Health Care Services (DHCS).
  • Enhanced Behavioral Supports Home: A facility certified by the State Department of Developmental Services (DDS) and licensed by CCLD as a group home that provides 24-hour nonmedical care to individuals with developmental disabilities who require enhanced behavioral supports, staffing, and supervision in a homelike setting. An enhanced behavioral supports home has a maximum capacity of four residents.
  • Community Crisis Home for Children (CCH): An Adult Residential Facility or a Group Home certified by the Department of Developmental Services and licensed by CCLD that provides 24-hour nonmedical care to individuals with developmental disabilities receiving regional center services and in need of crisis intervention services, who would otherwise be at risk of admission to a more restrictive setting. A Community Crisis Home shall have a maximum capacity of eight clients.
  • Minor-Parent Program: A GH program that serves pregnant minors and minor parents with children younger than six years of age, who are dependents of the court, nondependent, voluntary and/or regional center placements, and reside in the GH with the minor-parent, who is the primary caregiver of the young child.
  • Youth Homelessness Prevention Programs: A Youth Homelessness Prevention Center is a nonprofit group home licensed by the Department to provide voluntary, short-term shelter and personal services for up to 25 participants who are homeless youth, youth who are at risk of homelessness, youth who are exhibiting status offender behavior, or runaway youth who are 12 to 17 years of age, inclusive, or 18 years of age if the youth is completing high school or its equivalent.
  • Group Homes for Children with Special Health Care Needs (GHCSHCN): A facility certified by the Department of Developmental Services and licensed by CCLD as a group home that provides 24-hour health care and intensive support services in a homelike setting that is licensed to serve up to five children with developmental disabilities.
  • Nonminor Dependent Program (NMD): A GH program that provides care and services to nonminor dependents who are current or former dependent children or wards of the juvenile court between the ages of 18 to 21 and are participating in a transitional independent living case plan.

Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Program (STRTP)

A residential facility licensed by CCLD and operated by a public agency or private organization that provides short-term, specialized, and intensive therapeutic and 24-hour care and supervision to children. The care and supervision provided by an STRTP shall be non-medical, except as otherwise permitted by law.

STRTPs include the following subcategories:

  • Care for Children Under the Age of Six: An STRTP which provides care for children under the age of six years who are dependent of the court, regional center placements or voluntary placements who are not accompanied by the minor parent.
  • Dependent and Nonminor Dependent-Parent Program: An STRTP that cares for minor or nonminor dependents who are pregnant or parenting children younger than six years of age, who are dependents of the court, nondependent, voluntary and/or regional center placements, and reside in the STRTP with the minor or nonminor dependent parent, who is the primary caregiver of the young child.
  • Children's Crisis Residential Program (CCRP): A facility licensed by CCLD as a STRTP and approved by the State Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), or a county mental health plan to which DHCS has delegated approval authority, to operate a children's crisis residential mental health program approval to serve children, nonminor dependents, and individuals 18 to 20 years of age, experiencing mental health crises as an alternative to psychiatric hospitalization.

Temporary Shelter Care Facility

A temporary shelter care facility is a facility owned and operated by the county or on behalf of a county by a private, nonprofit agency that provides for 24-hour non-medical care for up to 10 calendar days, for children under 18 years of age who have been removed from their homes as a result of abuse or neglect. During the child's stay, the county is identifying and placing the child with a suitable family member or in an appropriate licensed or approved home or facility.

Transitional Housing Placement Program (THPP)

A licensed provider who operates programs which include supportive housing and a wide range of supportive services to youth from 16 to 21 years of age, who are in or were formally in foster care on their 18th birthday. Supportive services shall include: counseling, educational guidance, employment counseling, job training and assistance reaching emancipation goals outlined in a participant's Transitional Independent Living Plan, the emancipation readiness portion of a youth's case plan.

The THPP may oversee two types of programs:

  • THPP Program for participants who are Minors (THPP-M): An independent living program that serves children at least 16 years of age and not more than 18 years of age who are in foster care.
  • THPP Program for participants who are Nonminor Dependents (THPP-NMD): An independent living program that serves youth ages 18 to 21 who are in foster care or who had been in foster care at age 18.

Child Care

Child Care Centers

A Child Care Center (or Day Care Center) is usually located in a commercial building. Non-medical care and supervision is provided for infant to school age children in a group setting for periods of less than 24 hours.

Family Child Care Homes

A Family Child Care Home must be in the licensee's own home. A Family Child Care Home reflects a home-like environment where non-medical care and supervision is provided for periods of less than 24 hours.

There are Small Family Child Care Homes and Large Family Child Care Homes.

  • Small Family Child Care Homes provide care to no more than 8 children.
  • Large Family Child Care Homes provide care to no more than 14 children.

License-Exempt Child Care

California's child care regulations are intended to promote children's health and safety in licensed child care facilities. However, families and providers should understand that state regulations exempt certain types of providers from licensure, meaning they can operate legally without a license. Licensed providers have undergone an application and review process with Community Care Licensing and are required to comply with certain health and safety regulations. While license-exempt care is not regulated by Community Care Licensing, there may be other governmental agencies that monitor their activities.

Four main groups of child care providers are exempt by the state from obtaining a child care license.

  • The first group includes individuals who care for the children of a relative, or who care for the children of one other family in addition to their own children. Certain parent cooperatives, in which families rotate care on an unpaid basis are also exempt.
  • The second group includes public as well as private non-profit programs that offer recreational services. These programs include some community centers as well as most parks and recreation programs.
  • The third group includes businesses that offer limited child care to their clients and customers. These programs usually require that the parent or guardian remain on the premises and that they remove their children within a specified amount of time.
  • A fourth group includes programs that are overseen by state agencies other than Community Care Licensing. For example, organized camps that are overseen by the Department of Public Health and heritage schools that are overseen by the Department of Education.

Home Care Services

Home Care Organizations

Home Care Organizations arrange for home care services to be provided by an Affiliated Home Care Aide to a client. (Health and Safety Code § 1796.12(j).) Home care services are nonmedical services and assistance provided by a Registered Home Care Aide to a client who, because of advanced age or physical or mental disability, cannot perform these activities. These services specified in Health and Safety Code section 1796.12, subdivision (n), enable the client to remain in their residence.