Rule 7.2225 Persons who may file petition (§§ 5974, 5978)

Under California's CARE Act, certain people are allowed to ask a court to start a CARE Act case for someone who may need mental health or substance use support. The law lists who those people are, and only people on that list can file the paperwork to get the process started.

If the case starts because of a referral from a specific source, like a hospital or other authorized entity, then only the person or party named in that part of the law can file the petition. Someone else cannot step in and file on their behalf in that situation.