Who Can Initiate a Baker Act? Which form should be used?
A Baker Act can be completed by a number of different professionals. There are two versions of the form. One form is to be used by medical and mental health providers (“Professionals”) and the other is to be used by law enforcement.
To identify the appropriate form, first notice the headings. There are 2 options:
“Certificate of Professional Initiating Involuntary Examination”
“Report of Law Enforcement Officer Initiating Involuntary Examination”
The form to be used by “Professionals” requires them to provide their license number, and to select which license they hold. The options are:
Psychiatrist
Physician (but not a Psychiatrist)
Clinical Psychologist
Psychiatric Nurse
Clinical Social Worker
Mental Health Counselor
Marriage and Family Therapist
Physician’s Assistant
The form to be used by law enforcement requires that the person completing the form is a “law enforcement officer certified by the State of Florida.” This form is shorter than the one used for “Professionals” and is only 1 page.