ARTICLE 1. Legislative Findings and Intent [5801. - 5802.]

Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC 1.

in effect

Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 5801. Section 5801.

(a) A system of care for adults and older adults with severe mental illness results in the highest benefit to the client, family, and community while ensuring that the public sector meets its legal responsibility and fiscal liability at the lowest possible cost. (b) The underlying philosophy for these systems of care includes the following: (1) Mental health care is a basic human service. (2) Adults and older adults with a serious mental health condition are citizens of a community with all the rights, privileges, opportunities, and responsibilities accorded other citizens. (3) Adults and older adults with a serious mental health condition usually have multiple disabling conditions and should have the highest priority among adults for mental health services. (4) Adults and older adults with a serious mental health condition should have an interagency network of services with multiple points of access and be assigned a single person or team to be responsible for all treatment, case management, and community support services. (5) The client should be fully informed and volunteer for all treatment provided, unless danger to self or others or grave disability requires temporary involuntary treatment, or the client is under a court order for assisted outpatient treatment pursuant to Section 5346 and, prior to the filing of the petition for assisted outpatient treatment pursuant to Section 5346, the client has been offered an opportunity to participate in treatment on a voluntary basis and has failed to engage in that treatment, or the client is under a court order for CARE pursuant to Part 8 (commencing with Section 5970) and, prior to the court-ordered CARE plan, the client has been offered an opportunity to enter into a CARE agreement on a voluntary basis and has declined to do so. (6) Clients and families should directly participate in making decisions about services and resource allocations that affect their lives. (7) People in local communities are the most knowledgeable regarding their particular environments, issues, service gaps and strengths, and opportunities. (8) Mental health services should be responsive to the unique characteristics of people with a mental health condition, including age, gender, minority and ethnic status, and the effect of multiple conditions. (9) For the majority of adults and older adults with a serious mental health condition, treatment is best provided in the client’s natural setting in the community. Treatment, case management, and community support services should be designed to prevent inappropriate removal from the natural environment to more restrictive and costly placements. (10) Mental health systems of care shall have measurable goals and be fully accountable by providing measures of client outcomes and cost of services. (11) State and county government agencies each have responsibilities and fiscal liabilities for adults and older adults with a serious mental health condition.

Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 5802. Section 5802.

(a) The Legislature finds that a mental health system of care for adults and older adults with severe and persistent mental illness is vital for successful management of mental health care in California. Specifically: (1) A comprehensive and coordinated system of care includes community-based treatment, outreach services and other early intervention strategies, case management, and interagency system components required by adults and older adults with severe and persistent mental illness. (2) Adults and older adults with a mental health condition receive service from many different state and county agencies, particularly criminal justice, employment, housing, public welfare, health, and mental health. In a system of care these agencies collaborate in order to deliver integrated and cost-effective programs. (3) The recovery of persons with severe mental illness and their financial means are important for all levels of government, business, and the community. (4) System of care services that ensure culturally competent care for persons with severe mental illness in the most appropriate, least restrictive level of care are necessary to achieve the desired performance outcomes. (5) Mental health service providers need to increase accountability and further develop methods to measure progress towards client outcome goals and cost-effectiveness as required by a system of care. (b) The Legislature further finds that the adult system of care model, beginning in the 1989–90 fiscal year through the implementation of Chapter 982 of the Statutes of 1988, provides models for adults and older adults with severe mental illness that can meet the performance outcomes required by the Legislature. (c) The Legislature also finds that the system components established in adult systems of care are of value in providing greater benefit to adults and older adults with severe and persistent mental illness at a lower cost in California. (d) Therefore, using the guidelines and principles developed under the demonstration projects implemented under the adult system of care legislation in 1989, it is the intent of the Legislature to accomplish the following: (1) Encourage each county to implement a system of care as described in this legislation for the delivery of mental health services to adults and older adults with a serious mental illness. (2) To promote a system of care accountability for performance outcomes that enable adults with severe mental illness to reduce symptoms that impair their ability to live independently, work, maintain community supports, care for their children, stay in good health, not misuse drugs or alcohol, and not commit crimes. (3) Maintain funding for the existing pilot adult system of care programs that meet contractual goals as models and technical assistance resources for future expansion of system of care programs to other counties as funding becomes available. (4) Provide funds for counties to establish outreach programs and to provide mental health services and related medications, substance use disorder services, supportive housing or other housing assistance, vocational rehabilitation, and other nonmedical programs necessary to stabilize persons who are experiencing homelessness with a mental health condition or persons with a mental health condition who are at risk of being homeless, get them off the street, and into treatment and recovery, or to provide access to veterans’ services that will also provide for treatment and recovery.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026