Cal. Welf. & Inst. Code § 361.2
(b) If the court places the child with that parent, the court may do any of the following:
(e) If the court orders removal pursuant to Section 361, the court shall order the care, custody, control, and conduct of the child to be under the supervision of the social worker who may place the child in any of the following:
(9) A community care facility licensed as a group home for children vendored by a regional center pursuant to Section 56004 of Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations or a short-term residential therapeutic program, as defined in subdivision (ad) of Section 11400 of this code and paragraph (18) of subdivision (a) of Section 1502 of the Health and Safety Code. A child of any age who is placed in a community care facility licensed as a group home for children vendored by a regional center or a short-term residential therapeutic program shall have a case plan that indicates that placement is for purposes of providing short-term, specialized, and intensive treatment for the child, the case plan specifies the need for, nature of, and anticipated duration of this treatment, pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (d) of Section 16501.1, and the case plan includes transitioning the child to a less restrictive environment and the projected timeline by which the child will be transitioned to a less restrictive environment. Any placement longer than six months shall be documented consistent with paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 16501.1 and, unless subparagraph (A) or (B) applies to the child, shall be approved by the deputy director or director of the county child welfare department no less frequently than every six months.
(A) A child under six years of age shall not be placed in a community care facility licensed as a group home for children vendored by a regional center or a short-term residential therapeutic program except under the following circumstances:
(iv) In addition, if a case plan indicates that placement is for purposes of providing family reunification services, the facility shall offer family reunification services that meet the needs of the individual child and their family, permit parents, guardians, or Indian custodians to have reasonable access to their children 24 hours a day, encourage extensive parental involvement in meeting the daily needs of their children, and employ staff trained to provide family reunification services. In addition, one of the following conditions exists:
(B) A child who is 6 to 12 years of age, inclusive, may be placed in a community care facility licensed as a group home for children vendored by a regional center or a short-term residential therapeutic program under the following conditions:
(10) Any child placed in a short-term residential therapeutic program shall be either of the following:
(f)
(3) In determining the best interest of the child, the court shall consider, but not be limited to, all of the following factors:
(g)
(h)
(2)
(k)
(1) An agency shall ensure placement of a child in a home that, to the fullest extent possible, best meets the day-to-day needs of the child. A home that best meets the day-to-day needs of the child shall satisfy all of the following criteria: