Welcome To CARE
Under the Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Act, eligible individuals or entities can request the Superior Court of Sonoma County to assist in connecting qualified individuals to a wide range of services, such as mental health and housing services. This is done through a voluntary CARE Agreement or CARE Plan overseen by a judge.
Who is eligible to participate in CARE Court?
To be eligible for CARE Court, individuals must meet all the following criteria:
- Be 18 years of age or older.
- Have been diagnosed with a disorder within the "schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders" class of disorders and currently experiencing symptoms.
- Not be clinically stabilized in ongoing treatment.
- Experience substantial deterioration in mental health and are unlikely to survive safely in the community without supervision or need services and support to prevent relapse and deterioration.
- Participation in a CARE Plan is the least restrictive alternative, and the individual will likely benefit from it.
The person who is the subject of the petition for the CARE Court process is called the "respondent." If you do not meet these requirements, The Sonoma County Behavioral Health Division still offers options for assistance.
Who is eligible to petition?
Please take note of the following categories:
Family/Home
- A person who lives with the respondent
- Spouse, parent, sibling, child, grandparent, or another individual in place of a parent
- Respondent (i.e., self-petition)
Community
- First responder (e.g., peace officer, firefighter, paramedic, mobile crisis response, homeless outreach worker)
- Director of a hospital, or their designee, where the respondent is hospitalized (including for Welfare and Institutions Code 5150 and 5250 holds)
- Licensed behavioral health professional or their designee treating the respondent for mental illness
- Director of a public or charitable organization that provides behavioral health services to the respondent and where the respondent resides
County
- County behavioral health director or their designee
- Public guardian or their designee
- Director of Adult Protective Services or their designee
Tribal Jurisdiction
- Director of a California Indian health services program, California tribal behavioral health department, or their designee
- Judge of a tribal court located in CA or their designee
How do I file a CARE Court petition?
Eligible petitioners must complete and submit the following materials to begin the CARE Court process:
CARE 100 AND
CARE 101 - Mental Health Declaration from a licensed behavioral health provider
OR
Attach evidence to the CARE-100 form that the person in need of services was detained for at least two periods of intensive treatment (WIC 5250 hold process) and the most recent event occurred within the past 60 days.
Please be aware that the forms are available in Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Vietnamese, and English.
For assistance please get in touch with the Civil Self-Help Center
Phone: 707-521-6534
Address: 3055 Cleveland Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA 95403
Email: selfhelp@sonomacourt.org
Where do I file a CARE Court petition?
CARE Court petitions can be eFiled (mandatory for attorneys) or filed in person at the Probate Clerk's Office
What to expect after submitting a petition.
Assessment:
The Court will assess and evaluate the petition to determine if there is enough information to schedule an initial hearing for the individual or if more information is needed. The eligible individual may be contacted by the Sonoma County Behavioral Health Department and may also be contacted by an appointed attorney.
Determination and Treatment Hearings:
Usually, after the parties have begun exchanging information, the Court holds closed hearings to determine whether the individual can participate in CARE Court. At the initial hearing, the Sonoma County Behavioral Health Department will become the petitioner in the CARE Court case and will remain the petitioner for the duration of the case.
Oversight and Treatment Implementation Hearings:
The Court will schedule hearings at least every 60 days to learn about the individual's progress. If needed, progress reports can be scheduled for up to a year and extended for an additional year under certain circumstances.
Ongoing Monitoring and Evaluation:
Throughout the CARE Court process, specialists monitor the individual's progress, and adjustments are made as needed, whether there is a mutually entered into CARE Agreement or CARE Plan order requested by a judicial officer.
CARE Court location and remote appearance options:
CARE Court hearings are held in Department 13 at the Hall of Justice, 600 Administration Drive, Santa Rosa, California 95043
Participants can attend in person or remotely via Zoom.
To protect the confidentiality of CARE Court proceedings, instructions on how to appear remotely will be provided to all parties upon notice of the hearing.