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.
CARE Act petitions may be filed in the counties of Glenn, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, San Mateo, Stanislaus, and Tuolumne. All other counties will begin accepting petitions by December 1, 2024. 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
- First Responders: First Responders & the CARE Act (training and open-forum videos and material)
- Family Members: The Petition Process on CARE Act (NAMI video)
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.