Petitioners
CARE Act Resources for Petitioners
CARE Act petitions may be filed in the counties of Glenn, 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.
When a petition is filed to begin CARE Act proceedings, the subject of that petition (the person who would benefit from services) is called the “respondent”. Eligible petitioners include lay individuals, such as a family member, roommate, or the respondent themselves. A petition can also be filed by a number of system partners, such as a first responder, licensed BH professional, and the director of a hospital in which the respondent is hospitalized; a public or charitable organization, agency, or home; county adult protective services; or a California Indian Health Services program. Note that in many instances, the eligible petitioners include a “designee,” or individuals at the organization that are able to complete a petition.
For more information on the CARE Act petition process and petition forms, visit the Information for CARE Act Petitioners section on the CalHHS website. You can also reference CallHHS’s one-page informational flyer for CARE Act Resources for Petitioners. This document is available in English, Spanish / Español, Chinese / 中国人, Tagalog, Vietnamese / Tiếng Việt, and Korean /한국인.
Consider reviewing the following materials and resources for more information.
Completing Petitions
- FAQ on who can file a petition.
- Petition forms can be found on the Judicial Council’s Self-Help 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), or 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.
Resources for Specific Petitioner Types
- County Behavioral Health: Considerations for 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)
CARE Basics
- 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, visit the CARE Act Eligibility Criteria Fact Sheet, the Judicial Council’s video on eligibility, the Eligibility in Practice training materials, and California Welfare and Institutions Code (W&I Code) section 5972.