Binti County Coordination Meeting

Binti Counties, CARES 105 Testers, SPOCs, and Implementation Coordinators:

Dear County Partners,

Thank you for your valuable input and feedback on the Binti data conversion options presented last week.

Based on the overwhelming support from counties, CWS-CARES leadership has decided to move forward with Option 2: Rescheduling Binti Data Conversion to Post CWS-CARES Version 1 (CARES V1) Go-Live.

Option 2 Details

• At CARES V1 Go-Live, all new Resource Family Approval (RFA), including Emergency Placements, Family Finding, and Placement activities will be entered in CWS-CARES.
• Existing RFA applications started in Binti will be completed within Binti. Once approved, the home record will be manually added to CWS-CARES—consistent with today’s practice.
• RFA applicants finish their application in the same system in which they started, avoiding unnecessary disruption.
• All historical information will remain in Binti until the data conversion to CWS-CARES is complete.

Moving the Binti data conversion schedule allows project and county teams to focus 100% on CWS/CMS data conversion, and CARES V1 Go-Live readiness and additional time for data cleanup and field mapping validation prior to data conversion.

We are communicating this decision directly with Binti leadership so they are aware of the revised timeline.

Our team is developing guidance covering processing in-progress RFA applications vs. new applications at CARES V1 Go-Live, emergency placements, and placements in CWS-CARES. We plan to distribute this guidance to counties later this month.

In addition to the guidance, we are formulating a plan and structured approach for Binti data cleanup and validating data mapping ahead of the post-V1 conversion.

We truly appreciate your continued partnership and active engagement in shaping decisions that best support county needs and the families we serve.  We will provide additional updates and details as they are finalized.

Action Required

For any specific county questions, please reach out directly to your designated External Systems contact.

Binti Counties, CARES 105 Testers, SPOCs, and Implementation Coordinators:

Following our July 28^th communication, we are providing key updates regarding the Resource Family Application (RFA) and Placement & Family Finding data mapping validation windows in the CWS-CARES environments.

CARES 105 (DCVal) Binti Data Validation Window Closed

Please be aware that the Binti data validation window in CARES 105 (DCVal) officially closed on August 4, 2026.

• Testers will no longer have access to CARES 105 (DCVal) as this environment is currently being repurposed for Sealed and Sensitive data validation.
• We recognize that counties need additional time for mapping validation and that Family Finding data could not be validated in CARES 105. Our project team is actively exploring options to support ongoing validation. We will present these options at the Binti County Coordination Meeting on August 6, 2026, to gather your input and feedback before leadership makes a decision next week.

Upcoming Key Validation Dates

Please keep the following deadlines in mind as you plan your ongoing testing:

• Binti RFA Data (CARES 105 – DCVal): July 31, 2026 (Closed)
• Placement and Family Finding Data: August 4, 2026

Please contact the External Systems mailbox for questions.

Action Required: 

Please share this information with staff at your discretion and complete your county's validation activities by the dates above.

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Security Protocols for Prod Sim Case Data

The Prod Sim environment contains converted CWS/CMS cases reflecting actual system data as of April 17, 2026. Because this includes real, sensitive Personally Identifiable Information (PII), all case information must be strictly protected or redacted.

To protect CWS-CARES case data, please follow these important security guidelines when working with our support teams:

• Redact Ticket Info: Do not send Protected Health Information (PHI), PII, or confidential case details to the Service Desk via email or ticket. Sensitive and confidential data cannot be stored in the ticketing system.
• Secure Screen Shares: During support-requested screen shares, limit attendees to essential personnel only. Recording of sensitive information is strictly prohibited.
• Consult for Tier 3 Transfers: If Tier 3 support needs sensitive data, use secure transmission methods. Contact your county Privacy Officer or the CWDS ISO if you need assistance with secure routing.

We appreciate your dedication to protecting the safety and privacy of vulnerable children and families while we work together to support your needs.