The Planning Council's overarching values are to empower direct consumers and family members and to assist in creating an effective consumer-directed mental health system.

The California Mental Health Planning Council is mandated by federal and state law to advocate for adults and older adults with serious mental illnesses and children with serious emotional disturbances and to provide oversight of the public mental health system. In addition, the Planning Council is also responsible to advise the Department of Mental Health, the Legislature, local mental health departments, and mental health boards and commissions on priority mental health issues.

Planning Council members are appointed by the Director of the Department of Mental Health to three-year terms to carry out the duties of the Planning Council.

Planning Council members are expected to attend all Planning Council meetings, which are generally two and one-half day meetings held four times a year. In addition, for committee meetings held in between regularly scheduled Planning Council meetings, committee members are expected to attend those meetings if they have indicated that they will be able to attend the meeting at the time that it is scheduled.

Planning Council members are encouraged to serve on one functional committee and one system of care committee. The Planning Council currently has three functional committees: Quality Improvement, Human Resources, and Mental Health Policy and System Development. These committees represent the mental health issues that the Planning Council considers to be of the highest priority. System of care committees address issues unique to each target population: children and youth, adults, and older adults.

In addition to committee meetings at regularly scheduled Planning Council meetings, committees will conduct their work between Planning Council meetings through conference calls and one-day meetings. Planning Council members are expected to make themselves available for these conference calls and one-day meetings. Planning Council members are also expected to complete assignments by deadlines established by committee processes.

Planning Council members may also be asked to serve on committees sponsored by the Department of Mental Health to work on key areas of policy development. These committees meet with varying frequency ranging from monthly at times to quarterly.

Planning Council members are expected to have reviewed any background materials sent prior to meetings provided that these materials have been sent a week or more in advance of the meeting. Planning Council members report that reading the materials for each quarterly meeting can take from two to four hours.

By design, Planning Council members represent the diverse viewpoints contained in the mental health constituency. All members of the Planning Council act as individuals in the deliberation of issues. Although members bring expertise and insight from their organizations, they are not required to make decisions on issues based on the position of their organizations.

Reasonable people can and will disagree. Planning Council members should be able to tolerate such disagreements without identifying each other as allies or enemies or polarizing into factions. Constructive discussion and engagement is essential for effective decision-making.

The Planning Council is a very dynamic organization requiring three members to serve as officers, six members to serve as committee chairpersons, and six to serve as committee vice-chairpersons. As such, we place a priority on leadership development so that members have the skills to run committee meetings. Planning Council members are expected to participate in leadership development either by enhancing their own skills or being supportive of other members who are providing leadership or trying to develop their skills in that area.

Planning Council members are considered to be representing the Planning Council when asked to do so by the Chairperson or Executive Officer. Members are responsible for accurately representing the Planning Council's positions.

Planning Council members volunteer the time they spend on Council activities. However, Planning Council members are reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses, such as travel to meetings.