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ATTENTION:

Effective March 2, 2026, the Superior Court of Santa Barbara welcomed Angela Braun as the new Court Executive Officer. Local forms have been updated to reflect this change. Please use the latest versions available on our website. Prior versions will continue to be accepted during this transition period.

Notice:

The court is aware of fraudulent messages and scams being sent to the public. For more information please click here.

What is the CARE Act?

Approved by Governor Newsom in fall of 2022, the CARE Act, also known as Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment (CARE) Act is a new framework to get people with untreated mental health and/or co-occurring disorders the support and care they need.

CARE Act is a voluntary civil court process designed to connect individuals struggling with certain untreated mental illnesses, and often also substance use challenges, with an individualized court ordered care plan for up to 24 months with county behavioral health services, under the oversight of a judge.

Resources

You can find more information on the CARE Act page.  Please see the Judicial Council Self-Help Guide for instructions on how to file.

General FAQs  (English)

General FAQs (Spanish)

Care Court Overview and FAQs_Providers (English)

Care Court Overview and FAQs_Providers (Spanish)

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