Workforce and Employment Committee
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The purpose of the Workforce and Employment Committee (WEC) is to address the workforce shortage in the public behavioral health system, mental health workforce training needs, employment of individuals with psychiatric disabilities, and the future of funding for workforce efforts to meet the diverse needs of individuals served in the public behavioral health system and ensure that individuals with behavioral health conditions have the opportunity to work and lead productive lives. Additionally, state law provides the Council with specific responsibilities in advising the Department of Health Care and Access Information (HCAI) on policy development of education and training. The Council is also required to provide oversight for the development of the Five-Year Education and
Training Development Plan which includes the review and final approval of the plan. The WEC works closely with HCAI staff to provide input, feedback, and guidance and also to be the conduit for presenting information to the full Council membership as it relates to its responsibilities set in law.
More information on our purpose, mandates, goals, and members is contained in our charter and
WEC Work Plan 2024.
Upcoming Meetings
Quarterly Meeting
Please visit the
Workforce and Employment Committee meeting archives page for information on past meetings.
Committee Documents
Committee Resources
- California’s Current and Future Behavioral Health Workforce – UCSF Healthforce Center
- The Psychiatric Shortage: Causes and Solutions – The National Council for Behavioral Health
- Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) Behavioral Health Workforce Strategy (December 2024)
- Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) Behavioral Health Initiatives (January 2025)
- Per California Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) Section 5820, the Department of Health Care Access and Information, in coordination with the California Behavioral Health Planning Council, shall identify the total statewide needs for each professional and other occupational category utilizing county needs assessment information and develop a five-year education and training development plan. Each five-year plan shall be reviewed and approved by the California Behavioral Health Planning Council.
The Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) introduced the development of the 2026-2030 Workforce Education and Training (WET) Five-Year Plan at the California Behavioral Health Council’s Workforce and Employment Committee (WEC) during the January 2025 Quarterly Meeting. The plan development process and timeline were shared on slides 28-30 of the presentation. The presentation also includes behavioral health workforce updates for Proposition 1: Behavioral Health Services Act, the California Behavioral Health Community-Based Organized Networks of Equitable Care and Treatment (BH-CONNECT) Demonstration Waiver, and a summary of HCAI’s Behavioral Health Workforce Strategy Results.
