All Pilot County RFA Implementation Coordinators and SPOCs:
The CWS-CARES team has scheduled maintenance activity for the CWS-CARES production environment for Monday, December 23, 2024, 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 Contra Costa, 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.
CWS-CARES
CWS-CARES Scheduled Maintenance - December 23, 2024 | 6 AM - 8 AM
All Pilot County RFA Implementation Coordinators and SPOCs:
The CWS-CARES team has scheduled maintenance activity for the CWS-CARES production environment for Monday, December 23, 2024, 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 Contra Costa, 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.
The CWS-CARES team has scheduled maintenance activity for the CWS-CARES production environment for Monday, December 23, 2024, 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 Contra Costa, 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.
CWS-CARES Calendar - December 2024 to February 2025
To: Child Welfare Directors, Child Welfare Director-Alternates, Tribal Leadership, Probation Leadership, and Core Constituents CC: All CARES SPOCs and Implementation Coordinators
Child Welfare Leadership and Core Constituents,
As part of our ongoing effort to provide you greater insight into upcoming meetings for the CWS-CARES project, please see the updated CWS-CARES Meeting Calendar for December 2024, January 2025, and February 2025. This calendar includes all meetings hosted by the CWS-CARES project, including Core Constituent demonstrations, implementation meetings, and key workgroups.
This calendar includes the following Core Constituent sessions:
Action Required
Please share this information with those at your organization you feel should be informed. Note: This calendar is point-in-time and subject to change. The CWS-CARES project aims to deliver a sustainable, more real-time calendar solution that will be accessible to all meeting participants and leadership in the future.
If you have any questions, please contact CWS_CustRel@osi.ca.gov.
Child Welfare Leadership and Core Constituents,
As part of our ongoing effort to provide you greater insight into upcoming meetings for the CWS-CARES project, please see the updated CWS-CARES Meeting Calendar for December 2024, January 2025, and February 2025. This calendar includes all meetings hosted by the CWS-CARES project, including Core Constituent demonstrations, implementation meetings, and key workgroups.
This calendar includes the following Core Constituent sessions:
- Prototype Demonstrations: Core Constituents see some of the feedback they provided in the Prototype Demonstrations reflected in CWS-CARES and provide further feedback on the developed product.
- Build Review Demonstrations: Core Constituents see some of the feedback they provided in the Prototype Demonstrations reflected in CWS-CARES and provide further feedback on the developed product.
- Milestone User Feedback: Participants test specific functionalities for a subset of milestones in CWS-CARES, scheduled for January 6 - January 17, 2025. Core Constituents were requested to recruit participants for this feedback activity. Note: Extended User Scenario Testing (EUST) 2, where Participants test end-to-end real-world scenarios in CWS-CARES, begins in March 2025 and will be reflected on the March calendar.
Action Required
Please share this information with those at your organization you feel should be informed. Note: This calendar is point-in-time and subject to change. The CWS-CARES project aims to deliver a sustainable, more real-time calendar solution that will be accessible to all meeting participants and leadership in the future.
If you have any questions, please contact CWS_CustRel@osi.ca.gov.
CWS-CARES Scheduled Maintenance - Dec.11, 2024 | 5 PM - 7 PM
All Pilot County RFA Implementation Coordinators and SPOCs:
The CWS-CARES team has scheduled maintenance activity for the CWS-CARES production environment for Wednesday, December 11, 2024, beginning at 5:00 PM and concluding at 7:00 PM. During the maintenance window, the CWS-CARES Resource Family Approval (RFA) Application Submission, Review, and Approval Process will be accessible for pilot counties Contra Costa, 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.
The CWS-CARES team has scheduled maintenance activity for the CWS-CARES production environment for Wednesday, December 11, 2024, beginning at 5:00 PM and concluding at 7:00 PM. During the maintenance window, the CWS-CARES Resource Family Approval (RFA) Application Submission, Review, and Approval Process will be accessible for pilot counties Contra Costa, 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.
CWS-CARES New Resources to Support your Work
CWS-CARES SPOCs Implementation Coordinators, OCM Coordinators and Core Constituent Points of Contact:
We have created two new resources to help you understand the CWS-CARES user feedback process and effectively communicate within your organization about CWS-CARES.
Attached, you will find:
Core Constituent Infographic: A guide to understanding how Core Constituents engage with CWS-CARES, including:
Both infographics are attached. We encourage you to save them for reference and print them as needed.
Action Required
If you have any questions, need clarification, or have any accessibility issues, please do not hesitate to contact Customer Relations at CWS_CustRel@otsi.ca.gov.
We have created two new resources to help you understand the CWS-CARES user feedback process and effectively communicate within your organization about CWS-CARES.
Attached, you will find:
Core Constituent Infographic: A guide to understanding how Core Constituents engage with CWS-CARES, including:
- The Core Constituent Participation Model
- How Core Constituents provide feedback on CWS-CARES
- Opportunities to stay informed
- An overview of the three main CWS-CARES communications roles
- Opportunities to stay informed
Both infographics are attached. We encourage you to save them for reference and print them as needed.
Action Required
If you have any questions, need clarification, or have any accessibility issues, please do not hesitate to contact Customer Relations at CWS_CustRel@otsi.ca.gov.
CWS-CARES Release 0.15 Production Release
All SPOCs and Technical Contacts:
EFFECTIVE December 16, 2024, CWS-CARES RELEASE 0.15 PRODUCTION RELEASE IS PLANNED TO MOVE INTO PRODUCTION
The CWS-CARES team has scheduled release activity that will interrupt connectivity to the CWS-CARES Resource Family Approval (RFA) Application Submission, Review, and Approval Process for pilot counties Contra Costa, Fresno, Placer, and Santa Clara. The release activity is planned to begin at 5:00 PM on December 16, 2024, and conclude at 11:00 PM. During this scheduled outage, users in pilot counties will not be able to access the CARES RFA application.
CWS-CARES Release 0.15:
The purpose of this release is to primarily deliver fixes for known issues, enhancements to behind-the-scenes functionality and security improvements to CWS-CARES Resource Family Approval (RFA) Application Submission, Review, and Approval Process.
CWDS is excited to share the new RFA features that are planned to be available following the implementation of CWS-CARES Release 0.15 on December 16, 2024, 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:
RFA Pilot County users review new features in the CWS-CARES Production Environment after December 17, 2024.
All Release Notes, including information for this release once available, can be found here: RFA Application Process Release Notes and Interim Processes
EFFECTIVE December 16, 2024, CWS-CARES RELEASE 0.15 PRODUCTION RELEASE IS PLANNED TO MOVE INTO PRODUCTION
The CWS-CARES team has scheduled release activity that will interrupt connectivity to the CWS-CARES Resource Family Approval (RFA) Application Submission, Review, and Approval Process for pilot counties Contra Costa, Fresno, Placer, and Santa Clara. The release activity is planned to begin at 5:00 PM on December 16, 2024, and conclude at 11:00 PM. During this scheduled outage, users in pilot counties will not be able to access the CARES RFA application.
CWS-CARES Release 0.15:
The purpose of this release is to primarily deliver fixes for known issues, enhancements to behind-the-scenes functionality and security improvements to CWS-CARES Resource Family Approval (RFA) Application Submission, Review, and Approval Process.
CWDS is excited to share the new RFA features that are planned to be available following the implementation of CWS-CARES Release 0.15 on December 16, 2024, 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
RFA Pilot County users review new features in the CWS-CARES Production Environment after December 17, 2024.
All Release Notes, including information for this release once available, can be found here: RFA Application Process Release Notes and Interim Processes
The Future of SafeMeasures® and Structured Decision Making® (SDM) Assessments with CWS-CARES
Specific CWDA Staff Related to Child Welfare, County Directors and Alternates, Organization Leadership, CARES Implementation Coordinators, and CARES SPOCs, ELT, PMO, State Communications, Strategic Communications, Implementation Management, Implementation Leads, and Evident Change:
There have been many questions regarding the future of SafeMeasures® and Structured Decision Making® (SDM) assessments with the implementation of CWS-CARES. You may have heard previously that SafeMeasures will exist as a separate function. To address this, we are providing more information and guidance on the integration approach.
To enhance efficiency and data-driven decision making with CWS-CARES Version 1, SDM® assessments will be seamlessly integrated into the CWS-CARES platform via single sign-on. The CWS-CARES Project is currently planning the SafeMeasures integration. Ultimately, SafeMeasures and SDM tools will be embedded into CWS-CARES, and 25 years of historical data collected through these tools will be accessible.
This integration provides a unified user experience and reduces the need for switching between multiple systems. Further, it will ensure continuity for counties, with CWS-CARES handling more direct operational reports and SafeMeasures continuing to provide more complex reporting. SafeMeasures in CWS-CARES will retain its critical and most-used features and reports, as well as the collaborative service relationship between CDSS, counties, and Evident Change.
SafeMeasures and SDM will be part of CWS-CARES and should not be treated as separate, external systems. Therefore, they will not require the same level of effort or planning as external systems, particularly for tasks like data conversion, ongoing operations, or decommissioning.
Here is the impact on county budgets and the transition of SafeMeasures costs:
CWS-CARES Project Coverage: The CWS-CARES project will cover the costs associated with integrating SafeMeasures into the system and ongoing maintenance. This means there will be no additional costs to county budgets for these specific activities.
State Assumption of Costs: Based on the planned CWS-CARES Version 2 implementation date, the State expects to take over county costs associated with SafeMeasures starting on July 1, 2028. As such, counties will continue to be responsible for their existing SafeMeasures contracts and access until June 30, 2028. This includes any associated costs during this period. Counties must continue to submit an Advance Planning Document (APD) to the California Department of Social Services prior to executing, renewing, or amending the agreement or paying for associated services. Please see County Fiscal Letter 23/24-12 for APD submission requirements and details. This means counties shall plan to end their contracts on June 30, 2028, and will no longer be responsible for these costs after this date.
In summary:
Sincerely,
The CWS-CARES Project – Executive Leadership Team
California Department of Social Services (CDSS)
Action Required
No action needed.
There have been many questions regarding the future of SafeMeasures® and Structured Decision Making® (SDM) assessments with the implementation of CWS-CARES. You may have heard previously that SafeMeasures will exist as a separate function. To address this, we are providing more information and guidance on the integration approach.
To enhance efficiency and data-driven decision making with CWS-CARES Version 1, SDM® assessments will be seamlessly integrated into the CWS-CARES platform via single sign-on. The CWS-CARES Project is currently planning the SafeMeasures integration. Ultimately, SafeMeasures and SDM tools will be embedded into CWS-CARES, and 25 years of historical data collected through these tools will be accessible.
This integration provides a unified user experience and reduces the need for switching between multiple systems. Further, it will ensure continuity for counties, with CWS-CARES handling more direct operational reports and SafeMeasures continuing to provide more complex reporting. SafeMeasures in CWS-CARES will retain its critical and most-used features and reports, as well as the collaborative service relationship between CDSS, counties, and Evident Change.
SafeMeasures and SDM will be part of CWS-CARES and should not be treated as separate, external systems. Therefore, they will not require the same level of effort or planning as external systems, particularly for tasks like data conversion, ongoing operations, or decommissioning.
Here is the impact on county budgets and the transition of SafeMeasures costs:
CWS-CARES Project Coverage: The CWS-CARES project will cover the costs associated with integrating SafeMeasures into the system and ongoing maintenance. This means there will be no additional costs to county budgets for these specific activities.
State Assumption of Costs: Based on the planned CWS-CARES Version 2 implementation date, the State expects to take over county costs associated with SafeMeasures starting on July 1, 2028. As such, counties will continue to be responsible for their existing SafeMeasures contracts and access until June 30, 2028. This includes any associated costs during this period. Counties must continue to submit an Advance Planning Document (APD) to the California Department of Social Services prior to executing, renewing, or amending the agreement or paying for associated services. Please see County Fiscal Letter 23/24-12 for APD submission requirements and details. This means counties shall plan to end their contracts on June 30, 2028, and will no longer be responsible for these costs after this date.
In summary:
- SafeMeasures and SDM tools will be embedded into CWS-CARES via a single sign-on with access to historical data and reports already in use.
- Counties will not incur additional costs for the integration and maintenance of SafeMeasures and SDM into CWS-CARES.
- Counties will continue to be responsible for their contracts until June 30, 2028.
- The state will assume the costs of SafeMeasures starting July 1, 2028.
Sincerely,
The CWS-CARES Project – Executive Leadership Team
California Department of Social Services (CDSS)
Action Required
No action needed.
CWS-CARES Scheduled Maintenance
All Pilot County RFA Implementation Coordinators and SPOCs:
The CWS-CARES team has scheduled maintenance activity for the CWS-CARES production environment for Friday, November 22, 2024 , beginning at 5:00 PM and concluding at 6:00 PM. During the maintenance window, the CWS-CARES Resource Family Approval (RFA) Application Submission, Review, and Approval Process will be accessible for pilot counties Contra Costa, Fresno, Placer, and Santa Clara.
There is no anticipated impact for CWS-CARES users. We are sharing this information in the unlikely circumstance that there is an actual impact during the scheduled maintenance window and the CWS-CARES application becomes inaccessible.
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.
The CWS-CARES team has scheduled maintenance activity for the CWS-CARES production environment for Friday, November 22, 2024 , beginning at 5:00 PM and concluding at 6:00 PM. During the maintenance window, the CWS-CARES Resource Family Approval (RFA) Application Submission, Review, and Approval Process will be accessible for pilot counties Contra Costa, Fresno, Placer, and Santa Clara.
There is no anticipated impact for CWS-CARES users. We are sharing this information in the unlikely circumstance that there is an actual impact during the scheduled maintenance window and the CWS-CARES application becomes inaccessible.
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.
Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Meeting
Meeting Location: Remote via MS Teams
Meeting Time: 01:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Frequency: Monthly - 2nd Tuesday every month
Contact: CWDS Customer Relations
CWS_CustRel@osi.ca.gov
Meeting Time: 01:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Frequency: Monthly - 2nd Tuesday every month
Contact: CWDS Customer Relations
CWS_CustRel@osi.ca.gov
CWS-CARES Meeting Calendar – November 2024 to January 2025
Child Welfare Leadership and Core Constituents,
As part of our ongoing effort to provide you greater insight into upcoming meetings for the CWS-CARES project, please see the attached updated CWS-CARES Meeting Calendar for November and December 2024 and January 2025. This calendar includes all meetings hosted by the CWS-CARES project, including Core Constituent demonstrations, implementation meetings, and key workgroups.
The calendar includes Core Constituent Build Review Demonstrations, which are a follow up to the Core Constituent Demonstrations of CARES prototypes that occurred in September and October. Participants may see feedback they provided during the prototype demonstrations incorporated into this Build Review. Please note that the CARES Product Team is still prioritizing some of the feedback and suggestions from the previous sessions. Please also note that invites will come from either the PaaS SI Product Team or the Rework mailboxes.
The CWS-CARES project is in the process of identifying Milestone User Feedback session dates for January 2025. Milestone User Feedback is a feedback period to test specific functionalities for a subset of milestones in the developed product before Extended User Scenario Testing (EUST), which will begin in March 2025.
Action Required
Please share this information with those at your organization you feel should be informed. Note: This calendar is point-in-time and subject to change. The CWS-CARES project aims to deliver a sustainable, more real-time calendar solution that will be accessible to all meeting participants and leadership in the future. If you have any questions, please contact CWS_CustRel@osi.ca.gov.
As part of our ongoing effort to provide you greater insight into upcoming meetings for the CWS-CARES project, please see the attached updated CWS-CARES Meeting Calendar for November and December 2024 and January 2025. This calendar includes all meetings hosted by the CWS-CARES project, including Core Constituent demonstrations, implementation meetings, and key workgroups.
The calendar includes Core Constituent Build Review Demonstrations, which are a follow up to the Core Constituent Demonstrations of CARES prototypes that occurred in September and October. Participants may see feedback they provided during the prototype demonstrations incorporated into this Build Review. Please note that the CARES Product Team is still prioritizing some of the feedback and suggestions from the previous sessions. Please also note that invites will come from either the PaaS SI Product Team or the Rework mailboxes.
The CWS-CARES project is in the process of identifying Milestone User Feedback session dates for January 2025. Milestone User Feedback is a feedback period to test specific functionalities for a subset of milestones in the developed product before Extended User Scenario Testing (EUST), which will begin in March 2025.
Action Required
Please share this information with those at your organization you feel should be informed. Note: This calendar is point-in-time and subject to change. The CWS-CARES project aims to deliver a sustainable, more real-time calendar solution that will be accessible to all meeting participants and leadership in the future. If you have any questions, please contact CWS_CustRel@osi.ca.gov.
If unable to find a specific Bulletin, please contact Communications.