CARES

CWS-CARES Weekly Digest - October 27, 2025

October 27, 2025 Communications

CARES SPOCs, Implementation Coordinators, OCM Coordinators, County Leadership, Tribe Leadership, Probation Leadership, and State Leadership:
 

Data Dictionary V0.06 – Now Available

CWS-CARES Data Dictionary V0.06 is now available on the Microsoft Teams Channel: CARES Data Dictionary under Files. 

The Intro tab of the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary highlights all updates in the new version, making it easy to see what is new or changed.

_______

County Forms: AEM vs Word

Having trouble deciding whether to build a form in Word or Adobe AEM? Here are some key questions to ask: 

  • Does the final output (CWS-CARES generated document) need to be a Word document? Use Word as the template.    
  • Does this document require collaboration with members outside of CWS-CARES before finalizing content for generation in CWS-CARES? Use Word. 
  • Does this document require track changes and/or commenting to be turned on during collaboration before finalizing content for generation in CWS-CARES? Use Word.
  • Is there a need for the template to have advanced features? Use Adobe AEM.
  • Does this document require CWS-CARES to automatically trigger e-Sign? Good news: you can use either Word or Adobe AEM!

If you have any questions about the features available for Word or Adobe AEM, please reach out to CWDS CARES Forms.

_______

Dreamforce Conference Recap

The CWS-CARES Project attended Salesforce’s Dreamforce Conference from October 14-16 to gain a deeper understanding of the Salesforce platform and to connect with our partners.

Kimberly Glenn participated in a Health and Human Services Panel to help other government agencies understand how CWS-CARES is solutioning for the children and families of California.

Julie Al-Huneidi (Director of Product Development) and Arun Sukumaran (Architecture and Engineering Chief) participated in a panel to help government agencies understand the importance of building a Center of Excellence (CoE) for their Salesforce projects with their Salesforce Customer Success and Professional Services partners.

_______

October 2025 Stakeholder Briefing Recap

Thanks to all those who attended the October 2025 Stakeholder Briefing! Three hundred and two participants attended, with representation from 39 counties and four partner organizations.

The recording of the session is now available on the CWS-CARES Stakeholder Webinar Materials page on the CWDS website. The accessible slide deck and Q&A document will be posted in coming weeks.

_______

Share Your Feedback and Subscribe

Thank you for following our progress! Share your feedback on this CWS-CARES Weekly Digest here: CWS-CARES Weekly Digest Feedback Form. Subscribe to future issues here: CWS-CARES Weekly Digest Subscription Form. 


Action Required

We request that all CARES Single Point of Contacts (SPOCs) and Implementation Coordinators coordinate and distribute the CARES Weekly Digest to all staff impacted by CWS-CARES, at their discretion. 

CARES, CWS-CARES, Bulletin

CWS-CARES Scheduled Maintenance - October 31, 2025 | 6AM - 8AM

October 24, 2025 Communications

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 31, 2025, beginning at 6:00 AM and concluding at 8:00 AM. During the maintenance window, the CWS-CARES Resource Family Approval (RFA) Application Submission, Review, and Approval Process will be accessible for pilot counties Fresno, Placer, and Santa Clara.

During the maintenance window, document related functionality in the CARES application will not be accessible.

Action Required

No action required from end-users during this maintenance window.

If users experience any issues with the 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.

Maintenance, CARES, CWS-CARES

CWS-CARES Weekly Digest - October 20, 2025 

October 20, 2025 Communications

CARES SPOCs, Implementation Coordinators, OCM Coordinators, County Leadership, Tribe Leadership, Probation Leadership, and State Leadership:


The October Stakeholder Briefing is on Wednesday, October 22, 2025

We are excited to host the CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #4 this week, on October 22, 2025, from 10:00 AM – 12:00 Noon! This live webinar will feature updates from the Project and a 30-minute demonstration on the Administrative Service Console in CWS-CARES. 

A recording of the session, along with the presentation deck and Q&A documentation, will be available on the Stakeholder Briefings and Webinars page on the CWDS Website.

Register now: CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #4: October 2025 Registration. Note: registration is required to attend.

_______

New CWS-CARES Data Dictionary V0.06 and Office Hours Reminder

This update covers the new CWS-CARES Data Dictionary version and a reminder for CWS-CARES Office Hours (Data Dictionary and SQLDBM) Discussion.

New Version Available on October 24, 2025: CWS-CARES Data Dictionary V0.06 

  • CWS-CARES Data Dictionary V0.06 will be available on the Microsoft Teams Channel: CARES Data Dictionary under Files on Friday, October 24, 2025.     
  • The Intro tab of the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary highlights all updates in the new version, making it easy to see what’s new or changed. 

Reminder: CWS-CARES Office Hours 

Join us for the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary and SQLDBM Office Hours on November 4, 2025, from 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM. This is a drop-in session designed to provide hands-on training, live demonstrations, and answers to your questions about the Data Dictionary and SQLDBM. 

Please contact CWDSDataManagement@otsi.ca.gov if you have any questions. if you have any questions. 

Thank you for your support as we work to successfully implement and maintain the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary.

_______

CWDA Conference Recap 

The CWS-CARES Project participated in the annual CWDA Conference, October 8 through 10, in Santa Clara. The conference theme this year was “Putting Families & Communities First.” About 1,000 participants and many vendors attended.

The CWS-CARES Project hosted a booth, three demonstration sessions, a drop-in discussion, and a 90-minute workshop focused on some new features that will be part of the CWS-CARES V1 Go-live. These activities provided fantastic opportunities to meet with counties and answer questions, as well as giving more people a chance to see CWS-CARES in action.

If you attended the conference, you can access CWS-CARES flyers and other resources in the conference app.

_______

External Systems Monthly Meeting: Continuing Operations

The External Systems Monthly Meeting was held on October 16, 2025, from 1:00 – 2:00 PM. It focused on the topic of Continuing Operations – determining which systems organizations will need to be maintained at Go-Live, how to make needed technical updates, and what support is available.

Materials and recordings will be posted on the new External Systems Portal. Reach out to the External Systems Coordination Unit (ESCU) team for support and clarifications at CWDS-ExternalStakeholder@otsi.ca.gov.

_______

Share Your Feedback and Subscribe

Thank you for following our progress! Share your feedback on this CWS-CARES Weekly Digest here: CWS-CARES Weekly Digest Feedback Form. Subscribe to future issues here: CWS-CARES Weekly Digest Subscription Form. 


Action Required

We request that all CARES Single Point of Contacts (SPOCs) and Implementation Coordinators coordinate and distribute the CARES Weekly Digest to all staff impacted by CWS-CARES, at their discretion. 

CARES, CWS-CARES

CWS-CARES Weekly Digest - September 29, 2025

September 29, 2025 Communications

CARES SPOCs, Implementation Coordinators, OCM Coordinators, County Leadership, Tribe Leadership, Probation Leadership, and State Leadership:

CARES Explorer Newsletter – September 2025

We are pleased to present the September 2025 issue of the CARES Explorer, the long‑form newsletter published each quarter! For the best experience, please open the link using the Microsoft Edge browser. This issue includes the following article topics:

Project Updates: Read a message from the director of Product and get the latest details and a sneak peek into the October 2025 Stakeholder Briefing Agenda.

Explore CWS-CARES: Learn about upcoming testing periods for CWS-CARES, information and document sharing between CWS-CARES and CalSAWS, and changes to Optimistic Concurrency in CWS‑CARES. Discover what to expect for Resource Family Approval (RFA) in CWS-CARES and the new External Systems resources available on the CWDS website.

Implementation Corner: Read about how the San Luis Obispo OCM team uses creativity to build excitement for CWS-CARES, and the latest statistics from the CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop. Also, included is an update on the first user group in the CWS-CARES Sandbox.

We recommend that you share this newsletter at your discretion with staff that are impacted by the changes coming with CWS-CARES. You may also obtain all previous CARES Explorer issues on the CWDS website: CARES Compass/Explorer | Child Welfare Digital Services

If you have any questions, need clarification, or have any accessibility issues, please do not hesitate to contact Customer Relations.

_______

Stakeholder Briefing #4 – Reminder to Register

Register now for Stakeholder Briefing #4 on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, at 10AM – 12PM. All stakeholders are invited to attend this webinar to hear an update on the CWS-CARES Project. Registration is required to attend.

All webinar materials, including a recording of the session, slides, and Q&A document, will be available on the CWDS website after the session. View page 3 of the September 2025 CARES Explorer for more information on Stakeholder Briefing #4.

We look forward to your participation!

_______

Thank you for Shopping! The Pop-Up Shop is Now Closed

Thank you to everyone who ordered from the CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop! The first shop closed on September 26, 2025, with thousands of items ordered. We are thrilled by the participation from counties and organizations across the state! We are confident these items will build excitement and enthusiasm for CWS-CARES. Check out page 6 of the September CARES Explorer for more information and statistics on the most popular items from the Pop-Up Shop.

The next Pop-Up Shop is planned for March 2026 and will feature a new selection of branded items. If you have future item suggestions, please fill out the survey: CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop: Merch Ideas.

 ______

CWS-CARES is Coming to the 2025 CWDA Conference!

The CWS-CARES Project is excited to participate in the annual CWDA Conference on October 8-10, 2025, in Santa Clara. Visit our booth to connect with the team, explore resources, and pick up giveaways. The CWS-CARES Project will conduct a 90-minute Breakout Session and multiple demonstration viewings. Participants will have an opportunity to learn more about CWS-CARES and ask questions to Project leadership. We hope to see you there!

_______

Reminder: The CWS‑CARES Public Library

The CWS-CARES Public Library is designed to provide you with quick and easy access to articles about CWS‑CARES Product Features, Service Areas, Milestones, Teams & Roles, Data & Interfaces, and other important topics covered in the Explorer newsletter. On the CWS-CARES Public Library page, you can search by keyword or browse articles by category. Click on any article title to view the full text on its own page. No login is needed to access the articles; feel free to share these with your team!

_______

Share Your Feedback and Subscribe

Thank you for following our progress! Share your feedback on this CWS-CARES Weekly Digest here: CWS-CARES Weekly Digest Feedback Form. Subscribe to future issues here: CWS-CARES Weekly Digest Subscription Form. 

 

Action Required

We request that all CARES Single Point of Contacts (SPOCs) and Implementation Coordinators coordinate and distribute the CARES Weekly Digest to all staff impacted by CWS-CARES, at their discretion. 

 

CWDS Customer Relations

CWS_CustRel@otsi.ca.gov

News, CARES, CWS-CARES, Bulletin

Announcing the Grand Opening of the CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop

September 08, 2025 Communications
CARES SPOCs, Implementation Coordinators, OCM Coordinators, County Leadership, Tribe Leadership, Probation Leadership, and State Leadership:

We proudly announce the grand opening of the CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop! 

You may shop now at the CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop.

The shop will be open until the end of day on Friday, September 26, 2025.

If you have questions, please refer to our previous communication from August 14, 2025.

Have an idea for future items? Tell us here: CWS-CARES Pop-up Shop: Merch Ideas.  
 
Action Required
No action required.
Announcement, CARES, CWS-CARES

CWS-CARES Weekly Digest – New Communication Format

September 08, 2025 Communications
CARES SPOCs, Implementation Coordinators, OCM Coordinators, County Leadership, Tribe Leadership, Probation Leadership, and State Leadership:

Welcome to our first issue of the CWS-CARES Weekly Digest – your updates in a single, easy-to-read email, distributed every Monday.

The second annual CWS-CARES Communications Effectiveness Survey showed that while project emails are your main source of information, the sheer volume makes it hard to prioritize. In response, we are streamlining our informational content into a single weekly email. You will still get individual emails for items that require action, but this update will summarize key information to save you time and keep you up to date.

For more information, please see the CWS-CARES Weekly Digest Overview.
_______
CARES Compass – Executive Summary – September 2025
We are pleased to present the September issue of the CARES Compass, the two-page executive summary with upcoming project communications and brief informational highlights, available here: The CARES Compass - September 2025.

Highlights include:
  • October Stakeholder Briefing Registration
  • Announcing the CWS-CARES Weekly Digest
  • The CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop
  • The New External Systems Portal
  • Upcoming Communications
_______
The CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop is Now Open
The online CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop is now open and ready for business! From Monday, September 8, 2005, to Friday, September 22, 2025, you can shop our exclusive collection of CWS-CARES branded items online. This limited-time shop is open to everyone, including 58 California counties, partners, public agencies, and CWDS Project staff.

For more details regarding shipping fees, invoice requests, and future Pop-Up Shops, please reference the following link: Featured Items and FAQs.

Happy Shopping!
_______
CWDS Website Update: New External Systems Portal
The External Systems Portal is your one-stop shop for all the latest external systems information, including monthly meeting recordings, materials, and other helpful resources.​To access the portal, simply navigate to the CWDS Portals, select the External Systems Portal, and log in with your organization email address.
_______
New CWS-CARES Microsoft Teams Channel Guide
In response to your feedback, we have created the CWS-CARES MS Teams Channel Guide. The matrix provides an overview of all CWS-CARES Microsoft Teams Channels for Organizations, including each channel’s purpose, audience, and point of contact. Note: Each channel is intended for a specific audience. If you believe you should be included in a Teams channel, please contact the listed point of contact.
_______
Monthly CWS-CARES Progress and Engagement Summary
The August CWS-CARES Progress and Engagement Summary is now available on the CWDS Webpage here: CWS-CARES Progress and Engagement Updates. This monthly update provides a clear, concise, and consistent overview of the collaborative efforts and achievements of CWS-CARES and its stakeholders.
_______
CWS-CARES Data Dictionary v0.05 Announcement & Office Hours
We are excited to announce that v0.05 of the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary (DD) was made available on the Microsoft Teams Channel: CARES Data Dictionary under Files on September 2, 2025. The Intro tab of the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary highlights all updates in the new version, making it easy to see what is new or changed.

We also held a CWS-CARES Office Hours (Data Dictionary and SQLDBM) Discussion on September 2, 2025, from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM. This was a drop-in session designed to provide hands-on training, live demonstrations, and answers to your questions about the Data Dictionary and SQLDBM. The meeting recording, demo, and key takeaways are available on the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary Teams Channel here: CWS-CARES Data Dictionary and SqlDBM Office Hours.

Please contact CWDSDataManagement@otsi.ca.gov if you have any questions.
_______
CWS-CARES Sandbox Environment Launch
The CWS-CARES Team is providing a Sandbox Environment for Organizations to support CWS-CARES V1 end-user readiness and offer early, hands-on experience with the system. Access will be granted in cohorts. The first cohort, which included 559 users from 28 counties and CDSS, received access on July 23, 2025. Additional cohorts will gain access between September 2025 and April 2026.
_______
Share Your Feedback and Subscribe
We would love to hear from you! Share your feedback on this the CWS-CARES Weekly Digest here: CWS‑CARES Weekly Digest Feedback Form. Subscribe to future issues here: CWS‑CARES Weekly Digest Subscription Form.
 
Action Required
No action required.

We request that all CARES Single Point of Contacts (SPOCs) and Implementation Coordinators coordinate and distribute the CARES Weekly Digest to all staff impacted by CWS-CARES, at their discretion.
News, CARES, CWS-CARES, Bulletin

CWDS ServiceNow Customer Service Management (CSM) Portal Showing Sandbox V1 Tickets to County Admins - UPDATE

August 26, 2025 Communications
All CWDS ServiceNow CSM Portal County Admins and SPOCs:

August 26, 2025 UPDATE: Please disregard the information conveyed in the communication below. The communication was sent out prematurely. At this time the CWDS project is not taking steps to make Sandbox ServiceNow tickets available to County Admins in the CWDS ServiceNow CSM Portal. In the future, should this change be implemented, the project will send a communication to all impacted parties.
_______________________________________________________

Starting on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, the CWDS Sandbox Support Team that supports the CWS-CARES Sandbox environment will begin using the “Organization” Field in ServiceNow tickets. This additional field will link the ticket to one of the Organizations (Counties, Tribes, and CDSS) in California.

As a result, these tickets will become visible to County Admins according to their respective Organization’s view in the CWDS ServiceNow CSM Portal. The County Admin will not be able to view the CWS-CARES Sandbox environment tickets from other Organizations.

The CWDS Sandbox Support Team is working directly with Sandbox Super Users in the Organizations, so the County Admins should not interact or make changes to the tickets with the Application field category ‘CARES V1’ and Environment field selection ‘Sandbox’.
 
Action Required
This announcement is for your awareness and there is no action needed at this time.
 
If you need more information, please contact the CARES Service Desk via the CWDS ServiceNow CSM Portal. If this is unavailable, please use the alternate contact information at 855-292-3444 or email CWDS Service Desk.
Update, CARES, CWS-CARES

CWS-CARES Scheduled Maintenance - August 11, 2025 | 5 PM - 8:30 PM

August 05, 2025 Communications
All Pilot County RFA Implementation Coordinators and SPOCs:
The CWS-CARES team has scheduled maintenance activity for the CWS-CARES production environment for Monday, August 11 2025, beginning at 5:00 PM and concluding at 8:30 PM. During the maintenance window, the CWS-CARES Resource Family Approval (RFA) Application Submission, Review, and Approval Process will be accessible for pilot counties Fresno, Placer, and Santa Clara.

During the maintenance window, document related functionality in the CARES application will not be accessible.

Action Required
No action required from end-users during this maintenance window.
 
If users experience any issues with the 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.
Maintenance, CARES

Available CWS-CARES Environments for User Access

July 31, 2025 Communications
CARES SPOCs, Implementation Coordinators, OCM Coordinators, County Leadership, Tribe Leadership, Probation Leadership, and State Leadership:

We are pleased to share a new resource that will help you understand the various CWS-CARES application environments that are currently available to users.  

In order to build, test, and safely launch changes to CWS-CARES, we use different environments. These environments are essentially different versions of the application that allow us to develop, test, train, and eventually deploy new features with confidence. Each one serves a different purpose in the development lifecycle, or a different audience. Some of these environments will help users gain early, hands-on exposure to and familiarity with CWS-CARES, provide a safe space to practice, and will directly support your CWS-CARES go-live readiness activities without impacting real data.  

We have made several of these environments available to county users, including V1Readiness (Sandbox), V1DCVAL (for Data Conversion Validation activities), and CARES102 County Development (for Forms, Reports, and Data Extract activities). The PDF document, titled ‘CWS-CARES Environments’ includes more details about each one, including: 
  • Activity Name
  • Environment name 
  • Intended Purpose/Usage
  • Intended Users/Audience
  • Access and Duration 
  • Associated Teams Channel or Contact.
Please review this guide to identify the environments most relevant to your role. If you have any initial questions about this resource, please reach out to the designated contact listed, or Customer Relations.  
We appreciate your continued commitment to staying informed. 
 
Action Required
No action required. If you have any questions, need clarification, or have any accessibility issues, please do not hesitate to contact Customer Relations.
CARES, CWS-CARES, General

CWS-CARES Scheduled Maintenance - Aug. 1, 2025 | 6 AM - 8 AM

July 28, 2025 Communications
All Pilot County RFA Implementation Coordinators and SPOCs:
The CWS-CARES team has scheduled maintenance activity for the CWS-CARES production environment for Friday, August 1, 2025, beginning at 6:00 AM and concluding at 8:00 AM. During the maintenance window, the CWS-CARES Resource Family Approval (RFA) Application Submission, Review, and Approval Process will be accessible for pilot counties Fresno, Placer, and Santa Clara.
During the maintenance window, document related functionality in the CARES application will not be accessible.
 
Action Required
No action required from end-users during this maintenance window.

If users experience any issues with the 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.
Maintenance, CARES, CWS-CARES