The Office of Multicultural Services, established in December 1997, provides leadership direction to the Department of Mental Health (DMH) in promoting culturally competent mental health services within California’s Public Mental Health System.

The Chief of the Office of Multicultural Services serves as a member of the executive staff in developing policies and procedures to ensure that cultural and linguistic competence guidelines are incorporated within all facets of the Department of Mental Health. Mental health care providers and managers must understand the importance of language and culture in delivering appropriate mental health care. Culturally and linguistically sensitive mental health services improve outcomes and are cost-effective.

The Office of Multicultural Services is charged with a leadership role in the development of the Cultural Competency Plan, ensuring culturally appropriate treatment intervention, services, and assessment in each of California’s diverse counties. These elements are fundamental to the successful implementation and delivery of managed mental health services. Each county Mental Health Plan (MHP) is responsible for providing an annual Cultural Competency Plan to DMH that enumerates the planned strategies for providing cultural and linguistically competent care.