Cares

Webinar: CWS-CARES RFA Release 0.8 Enhancements Overview

Hello CWS-CARES RFA Training Participant,   
  
We look forward to your participation in the webinar for the Version 0.8 release of RFA Functionality on Monday, March 13th, from 11:00am – 12:00pm or from 3:00 – 4:00pm. Please attend the session that best fits your schedule.   
  
The one-hour overview will cover enhancements to existing functionality, as well as new features in the CWS-CARES RFA Application Process that are scheduled to be release in CARES RFA on March 22, 2023 and be available to you the morning of March 23, 2023.   
  
Version 0.8 RFA Enhancements and Updated Functionality: March 22, 2023  
Training Day   Time   Course   Intended Audience  
Monday, 3/13   11:00am – 12:00 pm OR  
3:00pm – 4:00 pm  
  • 0.8 Release Functionality Updates  
  • RFA Process Updates: Module Walkthroughs   
All Participants  
    
The class will be delivered through webinar via Webex. We recommend joining the Training Session at least 10 minutes before the session begins to get connected and set up! If this is your first time using WebEx go to Join-a-Webex-Meeting-for-the-first-time-as-a-guest.  
  
If you have any questions or need additional assistance, please contact CWDS Customer Relations.

Version 0.8 RFA Enhancements and Updated Functionality for the CARES RFA March 22, 2023, Release

Hello CWS-CARES RFA Training Participant,   
  
We look forward to your participation in the webinar for the Version 0.8 release of RFA Functionality on Monday, March 13th, from 11:00am – 12:00pm or from 3:00 – 4:00pm. Please attend the session that best fits your schedule.   
  
The one-hour overview will cover enhancements to existing functionality, as well as new features in the CWS-CARES RFA Application Process that are scheduled to be release in CARES RFA on March 22, 2023 and be available to you the morning of March 23, 2023.   
  
Version 0.8 RFA Enhancements and Updated Functionality: March 22, 2023  
Training Day   Time   Course   Intended Audience  
Monday, 3/13   11:00am – 12:00 pm OR  
3:00pm – 4:00 pm  
  • 0.8 Release Functionality Updates  
  • RFA Process Updates: Module Walkthroughs   
All Participants  
  
The class will be delivered through webinar via Webex. We recommend joining the Training Session at least 10 minutes before the session begins to get connected and set up! 
  
If you have any questions or need additional assistance, please contact CWDS Training.

CARES Release 0.8 Go-Live

Resource Family Approval (RFA) Application Submission, Review and Approval process Release 0.8 go-live to pilot counties. Release Notes will be posted here:  (https://cwds.ca.gov/cws_cares_users).

CARES Release 0.7 Production Release – December 15, 2022| 5:00 PM – 11:00 PM

All SPOCs and Technical Contacts:
EFFECTIVE DECEMBER 15, 2022, CARES RELEASE 0.7 PRODUCTION RELEASE IS PLANNED TO MOVE INTO PRODUCTION
The CARES team has scheduled release activity that will interrupt connectivity to the CARES Resource Family Approval (RFA) Application Submission, Review, and Approval Process for pilot counties Contra Costa, Fresno, Placer, Riverside, and Santa Clara. The release activity is planned to begin at 5:00 PM on December 15, 2022, and conclude at 11:00 PM. During this scheduled outage, users in pilot counties will not be able to access the CARES RFA application.
CARES Release 0.7:
The purpose of this release is to improve the performance of the CARES RFA process with the addition of new reports and functional enhancements to RFA features.
CWDS is excited to share the new RFA features that are planned to be available on December 16, 2022, to the CARES-RFA Pilot County users. These new features are derived from user feedback as well as project planned enhancements.  
 
As a resource to pilot counties, over the next few weeks, your organization can expect to receive information regarding a Webinar along with an updated Participant and Quick Reference Guide. These resources will provide the system users with details of the features/functionality that have been added since the last production release. 
RFA Application Process:
The RFA Application process is the Receipt, Record, Submission, and Assignment of an Application. The RFA Application process was selected as the first software build for CARES. CARES will ultimately replace the legacy Child Welfare System CWS/CMS. The RFA Application Process will operate in a totally new Production Environment without integrating with other legacy systems such as the CWS/CMS and CARES-Live applications.
RFA Application Process Features:
  • Allows an applicant or County staff member to initiate an emergency or standard application to become a resource family home
  • Creates a facility profile that tracks required information to complete this process, including background check results, completion of orientation and training hours, physical home assessment, and family evaluation
  • Aggregates information into a report to recommend approval or disapproval of a resource family application
Action Required
RFA Pilot County users review new features in the CARES Production Environment after December 16, 2022..
All Release Notes including information for this release once available can be found here

 

CWS-CARES Scheduled Maintenance – October 28, 2022| 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM

All Pilot County RFA Implementation Coordinators and SPOCs:
The CWS-CARES team has scheduled maintenance activity for the CWS-CARES production environment for Friday, October 28, 2022, beginning at 5:00 PM and concluding at 8:00 PM. During the maintenance window, the CWS-CARES Resource Family Approval (RFA) Application Submission, Review, and Approval Process will remain accessible for pilot counties Contra Costa, Fresno, Placer, Riverside, and Santa Clara.
 
However, the RFA Key Performance Indicator (KPI) reports will not be available for CWS-CARES users during this maintenance window.
Action Required
If users experience any issues with CWS-CARES, please follow your county process for reporting issues. CWS-CARES County Administrators may contact the CARES Service Desk through the CWDS ServiceNow Customer Support Management (CSM) Portal. Alternate methods are phoning 1-855-292-3444 or via email at Servicedesk@cwds.ca.gov during normal business hours. You may also email after hours and a Service Desk representative will contact you the next business day.

 

CWS-CARES Hot Fix 0.6.2 – October 26, 2022| 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM

All Pilot County RFA Implementation Coordinators and SPOCs:
A CWS-CARES issue was identified that prevented users from creating person records for “Other” adults in the home using the ‘Create Person’ button on that other adult. When clicking ‘Create Person’ a non-visible box would pop-up and the only option was to close the window.
Approval has been received by our leadership, on the condition that all regression testing has successfully completed by the morning of Monday, October 24, 2022, to deploy a hot fix to resolve this issue on Wednesday, October 26, 2022. The maintenance window will begin at 5:00 PM and conclude at 6:00 PM. CWS-CARES will not be accessible during this maintenance window.

Action Required
If users experience any issues with CWS-CARES, please follow your county process for reporting issues. CWS-CARES County Administrators may contact the CARES Service Desk through the CWDS ServiceNow Customer Support Management (CSM) Portal. Alternate methods are phoning 1-855-292-3444 or via email at Servicedesk@cwds.ca.gov during normal business hours. You may also email after hours and a Service Desk representative will contact you the next business day.

 

CWS-CARES (CARES) Version 1 (V1) Rollout Strategy Decision

All Child Welfare Directors and Tribal Leaders:
CC: All CARES SPOCs and CWS SPOCs:
The CARES project has been performing analysis over the past several months with support from Organizations’ (Orgs’) representatives to determine how CARES Version 1 (V1) will be rolled out to all Orgs as the CWS/CMS replacement. We would like to extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to all Org representatives that participated and contributed input to help inform this important decision.
On September 19, 2022, the CARES Board of Directors elected to proceed with a CARES V1 statewide rollout approach that implements all Orgs at the same time for CARES V1. In alignment with the County Welfare Directors Association (CWDA), Tribal Consultation and the CARES project team recommendation, this approach will also include a robust production pilot prior to statewide implementation.
The rollout approach is intended to add the following benefits:
  • Reduces the risk to child safety by establishing a single statewide system at go live, in which all CARES users will be entering Child Welfare data into a single system.
  • Allows the CARES project team to exercise the CARES system, implementation, and operational support processes in a live production environment prior to implementing statewide, without impacting all users.
The detailed plans to support the statewide rollout and pilot are still to be discussed. Some of the key initial questions that are being evaluated by the CARES project team include:
  • What are the objectives of the pilot?
  • How will the pilot be structured?
  • What is the duration of the pilot?
  • How many counties will participate in the pilot?

The project will continue to share details on a regular basis through a variety of communication forums and methods regarding the above questions, as well as many other details regarding this decision. Future project communications will be forthcoming.

Action Required
No action needed.

 

CARES Release 0.1 Go-Live

Resource Family Approval (RFA) Application Submission, Review and Approval process Rollout to Fresno county.  See Release Notes (https://cwds.ca.gov/cws_cares_users) for detailed information regarding this release.