Who is Eligible for CARE Court?

To participate in CARE Court, the individual must meet the following criteria:

• Is 18 years or older
• Has a diagnosis of Schizophrenia Spectrum or Other Psychotic Disorder
• Is currently experiencing a mental illness that:
• Is severe in degree and persistent in duration
• May cause behavior that greatly interferes substantially with significant activities of daily living
• May lead to an inability to maintain stable adjustment and independent functioning without treatment, support, and rehabilitation for a long or indefinite period
• Is not clinically stabilized in ongoing voluntary treatment
• At least one of the following:
• Is unlikely to survive safely without supervision and condition is substantially deteriorating
• Needs services and supports to prevent relapse or deterioration, leading to grave disability or harm to others
• Is likely to benefit from participating in a CARE Plan or Agreement
• Participation in a CARE Plan or Agreement is the least restrictive alternative necessary to ensure the respondent's recovery and stability

Who Can Submit a Petition to Begin CARE Court Proceedings?

• A person who lives with the respondent
• A spouse or registered domestic partner, parent, sibling, child or grandparent of the respondent
• A person who stands in the place of a parent to the respondent
• The director of a public or charitable agency, or their designee, who has within the last 30 days provided or who is currently providing behavioral health services to the respondent or in whose institution the respondent resides
• A licensed behavioral health agency, or their designee, of the county where the respondent resides or is found
• A first responder who has had repeated interactions with the respondent
• A judge of a tribal court located in California, or their designee
• Public Guardian or Conservator
• The Respondent