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History of CCL

In 1973, the Legislature enacted the Community Care Facilities Act to be administered by the Department of Health. The purpose of the Act was to establish a statewide system of community care (separate from health care) for persons with mental and developmental disabilities, and socially dependent children and adults. The Act required the Department of Health, together with care providers (Advisory Committee on Community Care Facilities), to jointly establish new regulations for licensing non-medical out-of-home care facilities.

In 1978, the Legislature established within the Health and Welfare Agency the Departments of Health Care Services, Mental Health, Developmental Services, Social Services, Alcohol and Drug Programs, and the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. The Department of Health Services was reorganized and retained licensing responsibility for all Health Care Facilities (medical models/institutional settings) and licensing responsibilities for all Community Care Facilities (social models/residential settings), were transferred to the new California Department of Social Services (CDSS). The Community Care Licensing (CCL) Program along with several programs from the former Department of Benefit Payments were combined to form the current Department of Social Services.

Community care was originally envisioned as a normalizing and least restrictive environment for persons needing basic care and supervision that would assist them in performance of the activities of daily living. The children and adults placed in such settings were envisioned as requiring little more than a healthful safe and supportive environment.

Today the CCL Program remains a Division within CDSS. However the nature of community care has changed significantly and now includes care for persons whose needs require the management of severe behavior adjustment problems, serious mental disorders, and significant medical needs. In order to give emphasis to the different populations served the CCL Program is now governed by three separate licensing Acts and a fourth statute that was enacted in 1990.