CARE Court

CARE Court (Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment) is the only court-supervised mental health treatment program where families and friends may file a written petition directly to the court seeking treatment and housing support for their loved ones.

Our firm will guide, advise, and zealously represent family clients in seeking assistance from CARE Court. We help families who may need court intervention to help their loved ones obtain mental health treatment. You have a right to be heard in court.

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CARE Court is scheduled to begin implementation in Orange County in October 2023, and throughout the rest of the state later in 2023 and 2024.

You will be able to directly file a CARE Court Petition in court, but forms are not yet available. After October 2023, the Petition and other CARE Court forms should be available by searching CARE Court on the Court’s website at: https://www.occourts.org/forms/forms.html. Every county will have different contacts and procedures. Prior to filing out the Petition, you should first carefully review the required CARE Court criteria, or you may contact our firm to assist you.

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CARE Court Criteria:

The program is for those adults who suffer from specified severe mental illnesses and are unable to be stabilized with voluntary treatment.

Additionally, the individual must:

1. be unable to survive safely in the community without supervision and their condition is substantially deteriorating
2. OR be in need of services and supports to prevent relapse or deterioration that would likely result in grave disability (unable to provide for food, clothing, or shelter) or serious harm to themself or others.

Furthermore, CARE Court must be deemed the least restrictive program to ensure the person’s recovery and stability, and CARE Court must be determined to be likely beneficial for the person.

In addition to meeting the criteria above, the CARE Court Petition must contain either:

1. evidence that your loved one has suffered at least two 5250 detentions (14 Day holds), the most recent one within 60 days of filing the Petition
2. OR an affidavit of a licensed behavioral health professional who states that your loved one meets CARE Court criteria, and that the professional has examined or made multiple attempts to examine them within 60 days.

If CARE Court criteria is met, the court may order mental health professionals to conduct outreach and to work with the individual in need of treatment. Ultimately, if a voluntary treatment agreement is not reached, the court can order the individual to participate in a CARE Court Plan of specified treatment and services.

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Our firm can prepare you and represent you through this CARE Court process.

If someone you care about is at risk, we are available to provide a consultation to see if we can help.

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