Petitioners
CARE Act Resources for Petitioners
The CARE Act allows specified adults to petition a civil court to begin CARE Act proceedings. The subject of that petition (the person who would benefit from services) is called the “respondent.” For a list of eligible petitioners, see this FAQ on who can file a petition. For an overview of the petitioning process, see the Petitioning at a Glance video.
Petitions must be filed in the county in which the respondent resides, is found, or is facing criminal or civil proceedings. The CARE Act Resource Center has a County Directory that lists county behavioral health (BH) and court websites for counties that have implemented the CARE Act.
Petitioning at a Glance
This short video is a high-level overview of petitioning for system partners.
Resources for Completing a Petition
- Petition forms can be found on the Judicial Council’s CARE Act Forms website, including:
- Information for Petitioners – CARE 050.
- Information for Respondents – CARE 060.
- How to File the CARE – 100 Form.
- The Petition to Commence CARE Act Proceedings (CARE-100).
- The Mental Health Declaration – CARE Act Proceedings (CARE 101 form).
- Self-Help Centers can provide legal information about CARE petitions and resources to people who do not have legal representation.
- The California Health and Human Services (CalHHS) provides Information for CARE Act Petitioners
Resources for Specific Petitioner Types
- System Partners: Video tutorials for system partners on petitions.
- County Behavioral Health: Considerations for Petitioning (training video and material)
- Public Guardians & Conservators: Role of Public Guardians & Conservators in Petitioning (training video and material)
- Hospitals/EDs: Role of Hospitals and Emergency Departments in Petitioning (training video and material)
- Justice System: Role of the Justice System in Petitioning (training video and material)
- First Responders: First Responders & the CARE Act (training and open-forum videos and material)
- Family Members: The Petition Process on CARE Act (NAMI video)
- Behavioral Health and Social Service Providers: Role of Behavioral Health and Social Service Providers in Petitioning (training video and material)
CARE Basics Resources
- For an introduction to the CARE Act, visit the CARE Act at a Glance brief and the CARE Process Flow brief.
- For more information on eligibility:
- The CARE Act Eligibility Criteria Fact Sheet.
- The Judicial Council’s video on eligibility.
- Eligibility in Practice training materials.
- California Welfare and Institutions Code (W&I Code) section 5972.