January 16, 2025

To aid the implementation of the Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Act, new training and technical assistance (TTA) activities for 2025 have been developed to align with the priorities and feedback from counties, implementation partners, and key stakeholders, including the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), California Health & Human Services Agency (CalHHS), the Judicial Council of California (JC), and CARE Act Working Group members.

The proposed topics focus on critical areas of CARE Act implementation, such as data collection and reporting, treatment planning, eligibility criteria, and volunteer supporter roles. These sessions will offer practical tools and resources, incorporate lessons learned, reflect updated materials, and promote equity and best practices throughout CARE Act implementation. Planned TTA activities include:

• Revised Trainings: Updated visuals and statutory changes to enhance existing resources.
• Training Sessions: A mix of didactic presentations paired with open-forum discussions or panels.
• “CARE in Practice” Discussions: Interactive sessions highlighting practical strategies shared by county teams.
• New & Updated Resources: Additional resources to the resource library covering high-priority topics, such as legislative updates, fact sheets, person-centered care, CARE Act process, and data collection & reporting.  
• Ongoing TA and Office Hours: Informal opportunities to ask both general and targeted questions related to CARE.  
• Continued HMA County Liaison Support: Designated TTA liaisons for all 58 counties play a crucial role in supporting TTA activities by facilitating communication between counties and stakeholders, ensuring counties’ needs are heard, triaging requests for technical assistance, and connecting counties to appropriate resources and experts.  
• Monitoring TA Requests and Questions: In 2024, over 500 emails with resources and carefully crafted responses were sent to county and community partners, individuals, and families via info@CARE-Act.org and county liaisons.

Updated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The FAQ page on the CARE Act Resource Center website has been updated to include new FAQs about:

• Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 2 impact to information sharing during the CARE process
• Referrals from conservatorship to CARE
• Substance/medication-induced psychotic disorder (SIPD) and CARE

Questions featured are a selection of those asked during trainings, submitted via feedback forms, and through engagement with stakeholders. The FAQ page features a search and filter feature for stakeholders to look for answers to specific questions.

CARE Act Working Group 2025 Dates

The CARE Act Working Group will meet on the following dates in 2025 (anticipated to be held in person at 1215 O Street, Sacramento, CA 95814):

• Wednesday, February 12, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. PT
• Wednesday, May 21, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. PT
• Wednesday, August 27, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. PT
• Wednesday, November 19, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. PT

Additional information about the CARE Act Working Group, including past meetings and materials, can be found on the CARE Act Working Group website.