Release

All SPOCs and Technical Contacts:

August 6, 2026 UPDATE: An additional issue has been identified as a result of Release R9.8 that required corrective action. The CWDS Office and IBM have created release R9.8.2 to provide fixes and / or updates for these items. There is no outage associated with this release.

The R9.8.2 MSI file will be available in the “R982” staging folder later this evening. Counties may deploy the release as soon as they have received the MSI file.

R9.8.2 is an optional release for Co-Existent Counties; however, deployment of the R9.8.2 code is strongly recommended.

R9.8.2 Release Highlights

IN10026262 – Referral Completion Due Date Issue

• Some scenarios are affecting the Completion Due Date displayed on the Referral Summary page in CWS/CMS.
• Expected Behavior is the due date should be calculated as the earlier of:
  • 30 days from the first completed, in-person investigation contact that includes the Referral Victim with the Start Date counted as Day 1; or
  • 40 days from the Referral Received Date, with the Referral Received Date counted as Day 1.
• However, the system is currently calculating the due date as 30 days from the first contact entered that includes the referral victim, regardless of Contact Purpose (Investigate Referral, Conduct Client Evaluation, etc.) or Contact Status (Attempted, Completed, etc.) or Contact Method (In person, Telephone, etc.).
• This issue does not prevent workers from completing their work. However, the due date displayed on the Referral Summary page may be inaccurate. The system continues to calculate the 40-day maximum timeframe as expected.

Action Required

Co-Existent Counties

Distribute the release through the normal county process. Since R9.8.2 is an optional release, Co-Existent Counties can plan to deploy the update when it is most convenient for them once they have received the MSI file.

Dedicated Counties

IBM will distribute the MSI file to the Dedicated Counties on Thursday, August 6, 2026. Release 9.8.2 will be installed automatically via the normal release deployment process.

For best results the users should do the following on Friday, August 7, 2026:

• Reboot the workstation and log into Windows at least once to receive the Release 9.8.2 installer.
• If prompted, select “Take All Actions” (the prompt will not occur while CWS/CMS is running);
  or
• When leaving the office at the end of that day, reboot the workstation again, but do not log into Windows.
• Leave the workstation powered on so that automatic installation can occur overnight.

If users experience any issues with CWS/CMS, please follow your county process for reporting issues or you may contact the IBM Boulder Help Desk at 1-800-428-8268.

__________________________________________________________________________

Following the deployment of Release R9.8, two issues were identified that required corrective action. In addition, an update to the JV-415 form has been included to incorporate the latest version released by the Judicial Council. The CWDS Office and IBM has created a hot-fix release, R9.8.1, to provide fixes and / or updates for these items. There is no outage associated with this release.

The R9.8.1 MSI file is now available in the “R981” staging folder. Counties may deploy the release as soon as they have received the MSI file.

R9.8.1 is an optional release for Co-Existent Counties; however, deployment of the R9.8.1 code is strongly recommended.

R9.8.1 Release Highlights

IN10025562 - Case Closure Approval Issue

• R9.8 introduced a new requirement that the focus child's ICWA Eligibility value cannot be "Not Asked" when ending a Case. As an unintended consequence, 235 Cases that were already in Pending Approval status when R9.8 was deployed could no longer be approved.
• Resolution: R9.8.1 restores the ability to approve the affected Case Closure requests while maintaining the new requirement for Cases submitted after the R9.8 release.

IN10025575 - Process Placement Home Move (PPHM) Issue

• An issue introduced with R9.8 prevented users from running the Process Placement Home Move (PPHM) function.
• Resolution: R9.8.1 resolves the issue and restores normal PPHM processing functionality.

IN10025759 – JV-415 Form Update

• The recent forms release included the January 1, 2026 version of form JV-415. The July 1, 2026 version became available after release development activities were completed.
• Resolution: R9.8.1 updates JV-415 to the July 1, 2026 version.

Action Required

Co-Existent Counties

Distribute the release through the normal county process. Since R9.8.1 is an optional release, Co-Existent Counties can plan to deploy the update when it is most convenient for them once they have received the MSI file.

Dedicated Counties

IBM distributed the MSI file to the Dedicated Counties on Monday, July 20, 2026. Release 9.8.1 will be installed automatically via the normal release deployment process.

For best results the users should do the following on Tuesday, July 21, 2026:

• Reboot the workstation and log into Windows at least once to receive the Release 9.8.1 installer.
• If prompted, select “Take All Actions” (the prompt will not occur while CWS/CMS is running);
  or
• When leaving the office at the end of that day, reboot the workstation again, but do not log into Windows.
  • Leave the workstation powered on so that automatic installation can occur overnight.

If users experience any issues with CWS/CMS, please follow your county process for reporting issues or you may contact the IBM Boulder Help Desk at 1-800-428-8268.

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

This is the August 3rd update regarding CWS-CARES Technical Environments and additional updates as we track toward our CWS-CARES Version 1 Go-Live on October 26, 2026.

We are providing these two documents:

1. CWS-CARES Support Model: CWS-CARES_Support_Model_Fact_Sheet_-_ACC.pdf
2. CWS-CARES Release Notes – August 3, 2026: 080326_CWS-CARES Release Notes - ACC.pdf

The CWS-CARES Support Model outlines available support channels, contacts, and resources for staff. To ensure comprehensive assistance, multiple support channels are available depending on which area of the system you are using.

CWS-CARES Release Notes - August 3, 2026 details the current system status, features, and known limitations across technical environments. This guide highlights recent updates and outlines what to expect from overall system performance. Please note that this attachment is a living document.

We acknowledge how critical this information is to your planning, and we remain fully committed to partnering with you to ensure a smooth transition. Thank you for your ongoing commitment to preparing your teams for the V1 Go-Live.

Action Required:  Please contact Customer Relations for questions.

___________________________________________________________________________________

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.

All SPOCs and Technical Contacts:

Following the deployment of Release R9.8, two issues were identified that required corrective action. In addition, an update to the JV-415 form has been included to incorporate the latest version released by the Judicial Council. The CWDS Office and IBM has created a hot-fix release, R9.8.1, to provide fixes and / or updates for these items. There is no outage associated with this release.

The R9.8.1 MSI file is now available in the “R981” staging folder. Counties may deploy the release as soon as they have received the MSI file.

R9.8.1 is an optional release for Co-Existent Counties; however, deployment of the R9.8.1 code is strongly recommended.

R9.8.1 Release Highlights

IN10025562 - Case Closure Approval Issue

• R9.8 introduced a new requirement that the focus child's ICWA Eligibility value cannot be "Not Asked" when ending a Case. As an unintended consequence, 235 Cases that were already in Pending Approval status when R9.8 was deployed could no longer be approved.
• Resolution: R9.8.1 restores the ability to approve the affected Case Closure requests while maintaining the new requirement for Cases submitted after the R9.8 release.

IN10025575 - Process Placement Home Move (PPHM) Issue

• An issue introduced with R9.8 prevented users from running the Process Placement Home Move (PPHM) function.
• Resolution: R9.8.1 resolves the issue and restores normal PPHM processing functionality.

IN10025759 – JV-415 Form Update

• The recent forms release included the January 1, 2026 version of form JV-415. The July 1, 2026 version became available after release development activities were completed.
• Resolution: R9.8.1 updates JV-415 to the July 1, 2026 version.

Action Required

Co-Existent Counties

Distribute the release through the normal county process. Since R9.8.1 is an optional release, Co-Existent Counties can plan to deploy the update when it is most convenient for them once they have received the MSI file.

Dedicated Counties

IBM distributed the MSI file to the Dedicated Counties on Monday, July 20, 2026. Release 9.8.1 will be installed automatically via the normal release deployment process.

For best results the users should do the following on Tuesday, July 21, 2026:

• Reboot the workstation and log into Windows at least once to receive the Release 9.8.1 installer.
• If prompted, select “Take All Actions” (the prompt will not occur while CWS/CMS is running);

or

• When leaving the office at the end of that day, reboot the workstation again, but do not log into Windows.

• Leave the workstation powered on so that automatic installation can occur overnight.

If users experience any issues with CWS/CMS, please follow your county process for reporting issues or you may contact the IBM Boulder Help Desk at 1-800-428-8268.

All CWS and Probation SPOCs and Technical Contacts:

An issue has been reported where users are unable to complete a Process Placement Home Move (PPHM) within Resource Management in the CWS/CMS application following R9.8 go-live.

The issue has been confirmed and IBM is preparing a fix.

The issue is being tracked under Master Ticket IN10025722. 

An additional update will be provided once the details and expected delivery timeline have been identified. 

Action Required:

If users experience any issues with CWS/CMS, please follow your county process for reporting issues or you may contact the IBM Boulder Help Desk at 1-800-428-8268 and indicate this issue is related to Master Ticket IN10025722.

•  \CODEDIST\Staging\R98

• Restart (reboot) the workstation and log into Windows (aka the "welcome screen").
• Restart again and do not log into Windows.
• Leave the workstation powered on.

•  \CODEDIST\Staging\R98

•  \CODEDIST\Staging\R98

All SPOCs and Technical Contacts:

An interim CWS/CMS release has been scheduled to allow counties an opportunity to receive new content prior to the next release. Release 9.6.1 (R9.6.1) is an optional release and will include the following content:

• SCR 9049 – Forms Release Update #1 for 2026

The forms included in this release are:

• ICWA-010(A) Indian Child Inquiry Attachment (January 2026)
• ICWA-020        Parental Notification of Indian Status (January 2026)
• JV-320               Orders Under Welfare and Institutions Code Sections 366.24, 366.26, 727.3, 727.31 (January 2026)
• JV-410               Findings and Orders After Detention Hearing (Welf. & Inst. Code, § 319) (January 2026)
• ADOPT-200     Adoption Request (July 2025)
• ADOPT-210     Adoption Agreement (July 2025)
• ADOPT-215     Adoption Order (July 2025)
• ADOPT-230     Adoption Expenses (July 2025)

R9.6.1 will be implemented on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, beginning at 6:00 PM. This will be an optional release. Co-Existent Counties will not be required to implement this release. The content will be included in the ensuing required release, R9.8, which is planned to be implemented on July 11, 2026.

Important Dates

• Monday, May 11, 2026 – IBM stages the MSI file
• Wednesday, May 13, 2026 – Go-live at 6:00 PM

Action Required

Co-Existent Counties

Distribute the release through the normal county process. Since R9.6.1 is an optional release, Co-Existent Counties can plan to deploy the update when it is most convenient for them after the go-live, after 6:00 PM on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.

Dedicated Counties

IBM will distribute the MSI file to the Dedicated Counties on Monday, May 11, 2026. Release 9.6.1 will be installed automatically via the normal release deployment process by IBM at 6:00 PM on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.

For best results the users should do the following on Tuesday, May 12, 2026:

• Reboot the workstation and log into Windows at least once to receive the Release 9.6.1 installer.
• When leaving the office at the end of that day, reboot the workstation again, but do not log into Windows.
• Leave the workstation powered on so that automatic installation can occur overnight.

If users experience any issues with CWS/CMS, please follow your county process for reporting issues or you may contact the IBM Boulder Help Desk at 1-800-428-8268.

•  \CODEDIST\Staging\R96

• Restart (reboot) the workstation and log into Windows (aka the "welcome screen").
• Restart again and do not log into Windows.
• Leave the workstation powered on.

• This release addresses security findings, Java upgrades, and other infrastructure updates and security patches not visible to CARES-Live users.