CARE is a principle-based program designed to enhance the social dynamics in residential care settings through targeted staff development, ongoing reflective practice, and data-informed decision-making. Using an ecological approach, CARE aims to engage all staff at a residential care agency in a systematic effort to orient practices in order to provide trauma-informed and developmentally enriched living environments and to create a sense of normality for children and young people. CARE is organized around six principles related to attachment, trauma, resiliency, and ecological theory. The principles state that child care practices must be:

• Relationship-based
• Trauma-informed
• Developmentally focused
• Competence-centered
• Family-involved
• Ecologically oriented

Cornell University CARE consultants follow a standardized set of steps to train and support staff over the 3–4 year implementation period. An essential activity is the formation of a local Implementation Team with multilevel representation that provides support, modeling, and mentoring to staff at all levels as they incorporate CARE principles into their work. This approach is designed to cultivate personal investment and ownership among all staff levels at the agency.